LONDON — Mikel Arteta has expressed concern over Arsenal’s “horrible defensive habits,” which nearly jeopardized their victory against Wolves.
The Gunners are now five points ahead at the top of the Premier League, but it came after a tense and uncomfortable outing at Emirates Stadium against the league’s bottom team.
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Wolves’ goalkeeper Sam Johnstone accidentally turned Bukayo Saka‘s corner into his own net in the 70th minute, but Arsenal’s attempts to defend their lead saw them drop deep, allowing substitute Tolu Arokodare to equalize in the 90th minute.
Arsenal went on to claim a vital win as Yerson Mosquera inadvertently scored an own goal, redirecting Saka’s cross in the 94th minute. However, Arteta emphasized the need for improvement after conceding territory and possession late in the match, putting their title challenge at risk.
“The atmosphere in the dressing room is one of relief, but we clearly understand that the winning margin should have been larger,” Arteta told reporters.
“We weren’t precise enough in the first half despite generating numerous opportunities in the opposition box, often failing to find the right teammate. We needed to step it up in the second half.”
“We created more chances in the second half, but for two or three minutes, we became too passive and demonstrated poor defensive habits that aren’t acceptable, especially against a team that had yet to register a shot.”
“They capitalized on their first real opportunity, scoring a goal, which is the nature of the Premier League. We are fortunate to walk away with a win, but we must definitely improve in that aspect.”
Ben White limped off in the 31st minute with a hamstring issue, and Arteta indicated that the defender may face an extended period on the sidelines.
White was starting his fourth consecutive match for the first time in over a year due to previous injury struggles.
“He hasn’t been able to log many minutes because of a prior knee injury, and just as he started to gain momentum, we needed him to play extensively due to a lack of alternative options,” Arteta explained.
“We even had to risk having Willy [William Saliba] play the full 90 minutes, which may not have been the best decision considering his fitness, but we had no other choice. Unfortunately, this is certainly bad news for Ben.”