LONDON: Arsenal consolidated their place at the summit of the Premier League but relied on a huge slice of fortune to edge past bottom club Wolverhampton Wanderers 2-1 in a tense home win on Saturday.
Mikel Arteta’s side broke the deadlock with 20 minutes remaining when a Bukayo Saka corner struck the underside of the crossbar and rebounded off Wolves goalkeeper Sam Johnstone for an unfortunate own goal. Despite dominating possession, Arsenal were far from their fluent best and were punished late on when substitute Tolu Arokodare equalised with a fine glancing header.
Just as points looked set to be dropped, Arsenal were handed a dramatic lifeline in stoppage time. Under pressure from Gabriel Jesus, Yerson Mosquera headed into his own net in the 94th minute, sparing the hosts’ blushes and sealing victory.
“We are relieved because we managed to score at the end and go and win it, but we need to improve,” Arteta admitted, criticising the “horrible” defending that led to Wolves’ equaliser.
The win swiftly restored momentum after last weekend’s defeat at Aston Villa, lifting Arsenal to 36 points — five clear of Manchester City and six ahead of Villa, both of whom play on Sunday. Wolves, meanwhile, remain winless after 16 games, their meagre two-point tally matching a joint Premier League low at this stage of a season.
