Arsenal Inconsistency Exposed As Wolves Rally Dents Title Hopes

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Arsenal’s Premier League title challenge took another hit as Mikel Arteta’s side surrendered a 2-0 advantage in a 2-2 draw with Wolves, allowing Manchester City fresh hope in the race. The result also produced a first in Premier League history, with the bottom club avoiding defeat after trailing the leaders by two goals.

The visitors looked in control when Bukayo Saka struck early and Piero Hincapie doubled the lead, putting Arsenal on track to move seven points clear of Manchester City. Wolves responded as Hugo Bueno bent in a fine effort, before Tom Edozie, on senior debut, punished David Raya’s weak punch deep into stoppage time.

Arteta reflected on a damaging night and pointed to standards not being met over recent months. "It's very tough to accept it. In the second half, we did not perform in the way we should and the way we require to win a Premier League match," Arteta told Sky Sports after full-time. "It is better not to judge it; we are all too emotional about it.

"You have to take the hit because we deserve it. It is very easy with emotion to say things that can damage the team. Everyone wants to do their best. You have to go through tough periods. We need to be critical of ourselves because it was not good enough. In the league, it is the reality that we have not been consistent over the last few months. You have to stand up. When you have a moment of difficulty, we have to show how much we want it and how good we are. We have to stand up."

The collapse at Molineux extended an unwelcome trend for Arsenal in 2026. It was the first occasion since April 2023, against West Ham, that Arsenal failed to win an away league game after leading by two goals. Across this Premier League year, Arsenal have let slip seven points from winning positions.

Only Crystal Palace and West Ham, with eight points each, have lost more from winning positions in the league during the new year. Arsenal have also failed to take maximum points in three of their last five Premier League fixtures when ahead, with that sequence including two draws, one defeat and only two wins.

For Saka, there was a personal milestone on an otherwise frustrating evening. The winger’s composed opener halted a run of 15 matches without a goal in any competition. Saka operated in a central number 10 role, amid reports of a new long-term contract agreement, yet the late equaliser from Wolves left Saka clearly frustrated.

Saka did not hide disappointment with both the scoreline and the second-half drop-off. "It's very flat. I'm very disappointed with the result and especially how we played in the second half, it's far from the level that we've set this season. It's time for us to reflect on the few performances and just fix the issues immediately so we can get back to winning games and going on a run and build momentum because we've lost that a bit right now."

Asked whether the pressure of previous near-misses was affecting Arsenal, who have finished runners-up in each of the last three seasons, Saka rejected that idea. "No, I don't think about all of that. I just think we need to get back to our level, just do the basics right. And we've got more than enough quality in this team to win games, especially the games where we've been dropping points recently. We just need to fix that, and that's all our focus is right now."

Arteta’s comments about inconsistency, combined with Saka’s focus on basics and momentum, underlined the demands within the squad after another lead slipped away. With the title race finely balanced and recent history of near misses, Arsenal now face renewed scrutiny over game management and mentality heading into the next Premier League fixtures.