Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has called on his players to turn frustration into fuel as they prepare for a defining north London derby against Tottenham Hotspur.
The Gunners were cruising at Molineux on Wednesday night with a two-goal lead.
Bukayo Saka opened the scoring with his usual composure before Piero Hincapie doubled the advantage, leaving Wolves staring at another difficult evening.
Yet football rarely follows a neat script. The hosts, rooted to the foot of the table, mounted an unlikely fightback. Hugo Bueno reduced the deficit before Tom Edozie struck to secure a 2-2 draw that felt more like a defeat for the visitors.
The result leaves Arsenal five points clear of Manchester City, who have a game in hand and a habit of surging late in the season. It is now just two wins in seven league matches for Arteta’s side, following a recent stalemate with Brentford, and the tension around the title race is unmistakable.
Arteta, however, refused to question his squad’s commitment. He said, “I’m going to be the first one to be close with them (the players) because it has nothing to do with attitude or desire, it is completely the opposite.
“It’s part of football. Where it could’ve gone wrong today, it went wrong.
“If you look at the way we conceded the two goals today without conceding any other situations, it is very rare but it happens. And it happened for a reason and we need to react.
“If you are at the top you have to win and win, that’s nothing new.”
Sunday’s trip to Tottenham now carries even greater weight. Arteta is demanding a response, saying: “We need to go through the pain and go through it looking in the mirror and understand what the game requires now and the next action is Sunday. We need to keep all that in our tummies to show it on Sunday.”
