Wolves 2-2 Arsenal — leaders let stoppage time bite
Arsenal relinquished control at Molineux, drawing 2-2 and leaving their cushion at the top of the Premier League trimmed to five points with Manchester City still holding a game in hand. Two goals ahead thanks to Bukayo Saka and Piero Hincapié, they still contrived to concede twice from Wolves’ only efforts on target.
Arsenal’s structure looked sensible for long spells. Declan Rice and Martín Zubimendi screened the defence and repeatedly recycled possession — 118 passes between them at 82% accuracy — while Jurrien Timber inverted to give Bukayo Saka the underlaps he craves. The captain responded with an immaculate first half: six successful dribbles from six, the opener after Rice split the lines on five minutes, and four tackles to smother Wolves’ brief transitions.
Understand Arteta’s side were largely in control. They produced nine efforts inside the box, generated 1.60 expected goals and forced José Sá into two excellent saves. Yet the finishing rhythm never fully settled; Viktor Gyökeres was quiet between the centre-backs, and when Gabriel Jesus entered after 65 minutes the rotations became frantic rather than incisive. Removing Saka on 73 minutes, minutes before the hosts’ late rally, invited Wolves to press higher.
Wolves had barely threatened, their xG stuck at 0.29, but they made their details count. Santiago Bueno’s diagonal at 61 minutes created enough panic for namesake Hugo to drive inside and beat David Raya, whose rating of 5.2 reflected a night of uncertainty without a registered save. Substitute Tom Edozie then walked through stoppage-time pressure to rescue a point in the 90th minute, punishing Arsenal’s failure to manage the second balls.
Gary O’Neil’s reshuffle mattered, too. The enforced 22nd-minute withdrawal of Angel Gomes for Tolu Arokodare initially pushed Wolves into a ragged 5-3-2, yet late switches to Rodrigo Gomes and Edozie released runners down the flanks. Hugo Bueno’s 17 duels (nine won) and five tackles embodied that doggedness, while Yerson Mosquera’s seven interventions kept Arsenal’s left edge in check.
Key Performers
- Bukayo Saka (Arsenal) – goal, six take-ons completed, four tackles, three interceptions.
- Piero Hincapié (Arsenal) – goal, three key passes, eight of ten duels won from left-back.
- Hugo Bueno (Wolves) – goal, five tackles, nine duels won as wing-back.
- Yerson Mosquera (Wolves) – seven tackles, eight of 11 duels won to anchor the back line.
Match Statistics
- Possession: Wolves 42% | Arsenal 58%
- Shots (on target): Wolves 5 (2) | Arsenal 10 (4)
- Expected Goals (xG): Wolves 0.29 | Arsenal 1.60
- Pass Accuracy: Wolves 74% | Arsenal 82%
- Corners: Wolves 1 | Arsenal 3
- Fouls: Wolves 6 | Arsenal 8
- Cards: Wolves 2 yellow | Arsenal 1 yellow
Looking Ahead
Arsenal stay top on 61 points, but the failure to close this out keeps the door ajar for City ahead of a testing run that will demand sharper game management from Arteta’s bench. Wolves remain bottom with 10 points, yet this comeback offers the sort of resilience they must bottle if they are to chip away at the nine-point gap to safety.
