Late own goal spares Gunners after manager fumes over sloppy defensive habits in 2-1 victory.
A relieved but furious Mikel Arteta did not hold back after his Arsenal side scraped a chaotic 2-1 victory over bottom-placed Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday, calling key moments of his team’s performance “not acceptable.”
The Gunners secured a win that sent them five points clear at the Premier League summit, but only through the bizarre fortune of two Wolverhampton own goals—the second, by Yerson Mosquera, coming in stoppage time to break Wolves’ hearts.
Arteta’s frustration was palpable in his post-match assessment. While acknowledging the resilience to find a late winner, he tore into his players’ lack of cutting edge and a costly defensive lapse.
“We knew it was going to be a tough match,” Arteta began, “but we struggled, once we arrived in the danger zones in the box, to pick out a red shirt.”
His anger peaked when discussing Wolves’ 90th-minute equalizer from Tolu Arokodare, which came completely against the run of play. “We had a period of three minutes deep, so passive, really poor defensive habits. Not acceptable for our level,” he stated. “The first time they did it, they scored a goal.”
The Spaniard emphasized that relying on a “chaotic action” to win was not good enough. “The margins should have been better,” he said, criticizing his team’s final pass and decision-making in attack.
Despite the stern critique, Arteta conceded that the gritty nature of the win had a silver lining. “It gives you belief that no matter how the game goes, you can find a solution to win,” he admitted.
With a full week to prepare before facing Everton, the manager signaled intense training sessions ahead. “We are going to have a clean week. You need to train certain aspects,” Arteta said, making clear that much improvement is needed if Arsenal are to maintain their title charge.
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