Mikel Arteta did not bother pretending. Arsenal may have moved five points clear at the top of the Premier League with a 2–1 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers, but the manager’s verdict on his team’s performance was blunt, angry and unmistakable: “passive”, “horrible” and “unacceptable”.
This was a victory that did little to flatter the league leaders. Against the division’s bottom side, Arsenal required two Wolves own goals to secure the points, scraping through a contest that exposed uncomfortable flaws beneath their impressive league position.
Arsenal led through a slice of fortune when a Bukayo Saka corner ricocheted off Sam Johnstone and into the net, but instead of pressing home their advantage, Arteta’s side retreated. What followed infuriated their manager.
Arsenal dropped into a deep, inactive defensive block, allowing Wolves to settle and believe. In the 90th minute, that passivity was punished as Mateus Mané delivered a simple cross that Tolu Arokodare converted to deservedly equalise.
“We had two or three minutes in a deep block, totally passive, with horrible defensive habits,” Arteta said. “That’s nowhere near the required level.”
Arsenal were fortunate to escape. Deep into added time, Wolves defender Yerson Mosquera turned the ball into his own net under pressure, sparing the home side a far more awkward post-match reckoning.
Arteta rejected any suggestion that the late win demonstrated resilience. “We should have stopped the source before,” he said. “That’s on us.”
The manager’s frustration was not limited to his defence. Arsenal were blunt in attack throughout, failing to register a first-half shot on target for the first time this season. Aside from a glaring miss by Gabriel Martinelli from close range, clear chances were scarce. The ball was funnelled endlessly towards Saka, but even Arsenal’s most reliable outlet found little reward.
Wolves, meanwhile, were better than Arteta’s recollection suggested, with Hwang Hee-chan forcing a strong save from David Raya on the counter. For a team rooted to the bottom, they played with far more conviction than the league leaders.
Arsenal took the points, but Arteta’s mood said everything. This was not the performance of a side satisfied with where it is, but of one acutely aware of how far it still has to go.
