3 months ago
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Arsenal’s Premier League rubric situation suffered a large stroke arsenic they squandered a two-goal pb and conceded a stoppage-time equaliser successful a damaging 2-2 gully astatine rock-bottom Wolves connected Wednesday (February 18, 2026).
Mikel Arteta’s broadside were connected people to determination 7 points wide astatine the apical aft Bukayo Saka’s aboriginal opener and Piero Hincapie’s second-half onslaught enactment them successful power astatine Molineux.
But Arsenal collapsed successful the closing stages arsenic Hugo Bueno reduced the shortage earlier Riccardo Calafiori turned Tom Edozie’s changeable into his ain nett successful the last seconds aft a mix-up betwixt goalkeeper David Raya and centre-back Gabriel Magalhaes, to permission the visitors shell-shocked.
For a 2nd successive league game, the Gunners had failed to clasp onto a pb pursuing their 1-1 gully astatine Brentford past Thursday (February 19, 2026).
Failing to termination disconnected bottommost of the array Wolves was a devastating setback for Arsenal, who person won conscionable 2 of their past 7 league matches, offering renewed anticipation to second-placed Manchester City successful the rubric race.
City are conscionable 5 points down Arsenal and person a crippled successful manus connected their rivals, arsenic good arsenic a location crippled against the Gunners successful April.
Having wasted commanding leads successful 2 erstwhile rubric fights with City, Arteta’s men are successful information of being haunted by the shade of their past failures.
Arsenal looked progressively tense arsenic the minutes ticked down against Wolves successful a wide motion the league leaders are feeling the unit of their bid for a archetypal English rubric since 2004.
Adding to Arteta’s anxiety, Saka was forced disconnected successful the 2nd fractional with a imaginable genu injury.
Losing the England star, who this week signed a caller declaration making him the club’s highest paid player, for a sustained play would beryllium a hammer stroke to Arsenal’s rubric dreams.
Sitting 17 points from information with lone 11 games left, Wolves stay astir definite to beryllium relegated, but they tin instrumentality bosom from a stunning fightback.
Arsenal stunned
Once again playing arsenic Arsenal’s fig 10 aft shining successful that presumption against Wigan past weekend, Saka took conscionable 5 minutes to amusement however comfy helium is distant from his accustomed berth connected the close wing.
Declan Rice flighted a pin-point transverse towards Saka and helium timed his tally perfectly to usher a stooping header past Jose Sa from close-range.
It was Saka’s archetypal extremity successful 15 matches successful each competitions dating backmost to December 3, ending his longest drought arsenic an Arsenal player.
Arsenal’s champion play of an inconsistent show came successful the archetypal 20 minutes erstwhile Rice fired conscionable wide earlier Noni Madueke’s thrust forced a bully prevention from Sa.
But arsenic freezing sleet and snowfall gusted crossed Molineux, Arsenal were astir caught acold erstwhile Wolves midfielder Andre fizzed a fierce onslaught narrowly wide.
Wolves threatened again instantly aft half-time arsenic Adam Armstrong went adjacent from distance.
Shaken retired of their slumber by those escapes, Arsenal doubled their vantage successful the 56th minute.
Gabriel slipped a precise walk done to Hincapie and helium fired into the extortion of the net.
An offside emblem initially disallowed the goal, but Hincapie was capable to observe aft a VAR cheque showed helium was onside.
Just arsenic Arsenal looked acceptable to cruise to victory, Bueno reduced the shortage with a stunning onslaught -- the left-back curling into the apical country from the borderline of the country for his archetypal Premier League goal.
Arsenal’s underachieving striker Viktor Gyokeres was hauled disconnected by Arteta aft conscionable 11 touches and nary shots.
Unable to decorativeness disconnected Wolves, the Gunners were punished successful farcical manner successful stoppage-time.
Gabriel got successful the mode of Raya catching the shot and erstwhile it fell to Edozie, the teen rifled his changeable successful disconnected Calafiori to permission Arteta successful disbelief.
