Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal narrowly avoided a major disaster by clinching a nervy 2-1 victory over Wolves at the weekend
Arsenal players and fans alike can breathe a sigh of relief after the Gunners narrowly secured a 2-1 victory over Wolves on Saturday. The north Londoners, coming off the back of Premier League draws against Chelsea and Aston Villa, were hugely disappointing when they took on the bottom of the league side at home.
After constant pressure, Mikel Arteta‘s men finally went ahead in the 70th minute when goalkeeper Sam Johnstone made a mess of a Bukayo Saka corner. Wolves striker Tolu Arokodare’s 90th-minute header stunned the Emirates faithful as it appeared to have dealt a huge blow to their title credentials, only for Wolves to concede another own goal right at the death.
There will now be a rare period of respite for Arsenal after securing all three points, with their next game coming on Saturday at Everton. After that, the gruelling fixture list will come thick and fast for the league leaders, as Mirror Football takes a look at two of the latest stories surrounding the club.
Keown points out Gyokeres issue
Martin Keown has given his take on Arteta’s striker predicament by saying Viktor Gyokeres is still lacking with his fitness levels. Gyokeres returned to the starting line-up against Wolves after several substitute Premier League appearances following an injury he picked up against Burnley last month.
The 27-year-old striker, who was signed in the summer for £64million, played 81 minutes but struggled to make an impact and once again failed to get on the scoresheet. His replacement Gabriel Jesus’ run led to Yerson Mosquera heading the ball into his own net, with club legend Keown believing Gyokeres’ position may come under threat from the Brazilian.
READ MORE: Mikel Arteta defends Viktor Gyokeres with brutal message to Arsenal teammatesREAD MORE: Arsenal receive new verdict on controversial goal vs Wolves as PGMOL stance explained
Keown said on TNT Sports: “I think it’s Jesus’ movement that ultimately helps [create the goal]. The defender gets unlucky and Jesus doesn’t get the touch, but it’s his run and movement which helps and that is definitely food for thought for the manager.
“He looked good when he came on and Gyokeres is still not at the fitness level you would expect. There’s a real tussle for who is going to be that No.9 and Jesus has put himself right back in there.”
Poor habits resurface
Arteta was visibly frustrated with his players in his post-match interview, especially with how they sat back and invited pressure after taking the lead initially. That error was punished by Wolves and would have had serious repercussions on their title chances this season had they not just about clinched the winner in stoppage time.
The Spaniard said: “We scored the goal but then we had periods of three minutes in deep. So, passive, really poor defensive habits.
“It’s not acceptable for our level because we haven’t conceded a single shot till that point. The first time they do it, they score a goal.
“And that’s the Premier League, I’m going to be very much aware of that and improve that. Because at the end, you rely on individual action and very chaotic action to score the goal and win the game. The margins should have been bigger.“
After a remarkable streak of defensive performances, the Gunners have now conceded late goals in both of their last two league fixtures, with defensive injuries to the likes of Gabriel Magalhaes and William Saliba playing a key role in that.
