Arsenal secured a dramatic 2-1 victory against the struggling Wolverhampton Wanderers, thanks to two own goals, the final one occurring in stoppage time. This win allows Arsenal to extend their lead to five points at the top of the Premier League.
After only one victory in their last three matches, Arsenal faced the risk of another dropped point when Tolu Arokodare equalized for Wolves in the 90th minute, negating an own goal by Wolves goalkeeper Sam Johnstone in the 70th minute.
However, fortune smiled on Arsenal in the fourth minute of added time when Yerson Mosquera, under pressure from substitute Gabriel Jesus, inadvertently headed Bukayo Saka’s cross into his own net past a bewildered Johnstone.
Manchester City will aim to narrow the gap to Arsenal to just two points when they face Crystal Palace on Sunday.
On the other hand, Wolves remain at the bottom of the table with only two points from 16 games, marking their ninth consecutive defeat. They are now just one game away from matching Sheffield United’s record of 17 straight games without a win at the start of a Premier League season.
Despite the return of William Saliba after a four-match injury layoff, Arsenal’s defensive issues continue to burden the squad, as Ben White picked up a hamstring injury. With Gabriel, Cristhian Mosquera, and Riccardo Calafiori already sidelined, White’s early exit means Arsenal may face further defensive challenges.
Arsenal was looking to bounce back after a disappointing 2-1 loss to Aston Villa the previous week. However, they struggled to find their rhythm in the first half.
Wolves even had the best chance to score during a lackluster opening half when Hwang Hee-Chan found himself with space but ran out of steam and was thwarted by a straightforward save from David Raya as he shot from inside the penalty area.
Although the hosts created a few half-chances, they failed to test goalkeeper Johnstone significantly, leading to growing frustrations from the home crowd as the halftime whistle approached.
Surprisingly, Arteta opted not to make attacking substitutions at halftime, but as the game progressed without improvements, he turned to Martin Ødegaard, Leandro Trossard, and Mikel Merino, replacing Eberechi Eze, Gabriel Martinelli, and Martín Zubimendi.
Hwang nearly faced a red card for a dangerous tackle on Myles Lewis-Skelly, inciting a furious reaction from Arteta. Referee Robert Jones issued Hwang a yellow card after VAR review, deciding against further action.
In the 66th minute, Rice’s long-range free-kick was tipped over by Johnstone, who then made an impressive one-handed save to deny another curling effort from Rice moments later. Yet, Johnstone swiftly found himself at fault in the ensuing corner.
After Johnstone fingertipped Saka’s corner to the far post, the ball deflected off him and crossed the goal line for the opening own goal. Ødegaard narrowly missed hitting the net before Viktor Gyökeres shot wide, extending his goal drought to five matches before being substituted for Jesus with 10 minutes remaining.
Although Arsenal appeared ready to win 1-0, Arokodare’s late header from a cross by Mateus Mane leveled the score for Wolves. However, in the dying minutes, a second own goal sealed the three points for Arsenal in what could be a pivotal moment in their title pursuit.
Some information was sourced from The Associated Press and PA for this report.