Wolves’ ‘strange’ own goals can’t hide Mikel Arteta’s fury at Arsenal’s ‘horrible habits’

Rob Edwards’ face said it all as he applauded the Wolves fans at the Emirates. The bottom of the Premier League was seconds away from adding only the third point of the season, far from the leader, but was prevented from doing so when a second own goal of the match condemned them to their ninth consecutive defeat.

There was pride in how Wolves had fought and fought and finally got level with Tolu Arokodare’s header in added time. But there was pain, a lot of pain, seeing Yerson Mosquera hit a Bukayo Saka cross into his own goal and the Wolves players collapse to the grass as if their strings had been cut.

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The late drama changed everything for Arsenal in an instant. They were heading for three valuable points at the end of a frustrating performance, fortuitously secured by Sam Johnstone’s own goal when Saka’s corner hit the post and deflected into his back. Most people leaving the Emirates would have shrugged their shoulders, muttered something about a seventh game in 21 days and moved on. Instead, wasting it and then winning moments later gives Arsenal an immense boost heading into a bye week and next Saturday’s trip to Everton.

“Today everything went the way we wanted, so we’ll take the points and move on,” Saka said. “It was frustrating at times, I’ll be honest, but we got our reward. Now we have a break until next week and we’ll enjoy it.”

He had been the danger, the one player Wolves couldn’t tune out even as Arsenal stuttered and struggled to maintain fluidity. And when Arsenal needed him, Saka provided the quality, due to the consistency of his shots both from set pieces and open play. Even as Arteta scoured the substitutes for improvements, there was no doubt that Saka would remain.

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Before tonight, Arsenal had won 10 of the 11 games played at the Emirates this season. Bayern Munich, Atlético de Madrid and Tottenham Hotspur were among those eliminated. But no, Wolves. Only Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City had been as effective in frustrating and stopping Arsenal as the team that is in last place in the Premier League, with two points all season, did here.

There was palpable frustration on Arteta’s part, and also disappointment on the part of his players. Martin Zubimendi, so instrumental in setting the pace Arteta demands, covered his face immediately after being hooked as part of Arsenal’s triple change on the hour. Until then, Arsenal had lacked their usual quickness and fluidity. Arsenal did not have a shot on target until the 66th minute and the passes needed to break down Wolves were rushed and inaccurate. Zubimendi could not hide it.

The breakthrough came from the set piece, but the relief Arteta felt was almost disregarded by what followed. Arteta was angered, in particular, by the two or three minutes before Wolves equalised, when Arsenal fell deeper in response to the visitors beginning to open up. The Premier League’s bottom team had offered no threat but Arteta was furious at how passive his players became when they had to defend the edge of their own area. “We made it more difficult for ourselves with the way we conceded the goal and that was unacceptable,” Arteta said. “Horrible defensive habits. I wasn’t even close to the level required.”

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And if this was a glimpse of how Arsenal will respond to the pressure of the title race, having conceded a late goal in the defeat to Aston Villa last weekend, then Arteta didn’t like it. “That is the great lesson we have to learn,” he concluded. But what happened there, when Arsenal retreated against a team whose confidence should have been on the pitch?

Arteta felt that Arsenal stopped trying to play. “The first time they had the opportunity to do it, they scored the goal and that’s the problem,” he lamented. “We’re relieved because we managed to score a goal at the end and go on to win it, but we need to improve in that regard.”

Of course, the way he did it was cruel to the Wolves, crushing to Mosquera. Gabriel Jesus appeared to be on the end of Saka’s cross and Mosquera was caught heading towards his own goal.

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“In the end luck decided the game and it was bad luck,” Edwards reflected. “The guys gave it their all, and I’m proud of a lot of it, but it hurts. It was bad luck, but they earned it. If someone told me that at the beginning, tonight we’re going to score three, I’d say I’d take it. It was weird circumstances.”