Arsenal Face 'Bottle Job' Questions After Wolves Implosion
Arsenal should brace for accusations of being "bottle jobs" following a dramatic 2-2 draw against Wolverhampton Wanderers, according to club legend Paul Merson. The Gunners surrendered a two-goal lead at Molineux, raising serious concerns about their mentality in the Premier League title race.
Collapse at Molineux
Arsenal appeared to be cruising to victory after first-half strikes from Bukayo Saka and Piero Hincapie gave them a commanding 2-0 advantage. However, Hugo Bueno pulled one back for Wolves before debutant Tom Edozie scored a stunning last-gasp equaliser in stoppage time. This result means Arsenal have now won only three of their last eight Premier League matches, despite maintaining a five-point lead over Manchester City, who have a game in hand.
Merson's Scathing Assessment
Speaking on Sky Sports, former Arsenal midfielder Paul Merson delivered a blunt assessment of his old club's performance. "You can't play in second gear," Merson stated. "When it went 2-2, for the last three minutes there was an urgency, but they didn't have that before Wolves' equaliser. Every game is a cup final until the end of the season."
Merson emphasised that Arsenal's tempo was crucial. "If Arsenal play at a high tempo, Wolves can't live with them. But to play the way they played - slow and lazy, giving the ball away - then Wolves are always going to be in the game. That could come back to bite them. The criticism is going to come on full blast now - being 'bottle jobs', 'melting'. It's full-on now."
Arteta's Honest Appraisal
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta was equally critical of his team's second-half display. "Extremely disappointed with the result and the way the game ended, but we have to blame ourselves," Arteta admitted. "In the second half we didn't show anything close to the standards required in this league to win. Even though we scored the second goal, we never had control of the game - that's the reality."
The Spanish manager acknowledged his team must accept all criticism. "Any question, criticism, opinion, you have to take it on the chin today. That's it. Any bullet, take it because we didn't perform at the level required. Anything anybody says can be right because we didn't do what we had to do."
Players Reflect on Disappointment
Bukayo Saka echoed his manager's sentiments, expressing clear disappointment. "Disappointed. Not much else to say," Saka stated. "There was a big difference between our first half and second half performances. We dropped our standards and were punished for it. It's time to focus on ourselves, raise our standards and improve our performances. It's in our control."
Wolves' Resilience Praised
Wolves boss Rob Edwards was understandably delighted with his team's character. "It's nice to get a late equaliser and especially when you're 2-0 down against a team like that," Edwards said. "We stayed in the game and that was important. We showed belief and played with a bit more emotion. To show that character and quality - it might be easier for the lads to lose belief but that's not the case."
Looking Ahead
Arteta emphasised the need for immediate improvement ahead of Sunday's North London derby against Tottenham. "The way to do it is on the pitch on Sunday in another great opportunity we have. We have always done it but if you are strong you need to show it next time. To say it here is simple but we have to show it on the pitch."
With the Premier League title race heating up, Arsenal's ability to respond to this setback will be crucial. The questions about their mentality will only intensify unless they can produce a convincing performance against their arch-rivals this weekend.
