Arsenal’s title race: ‘The word bottle will be used’ for Arsenal after Wolves draw

After wasting a two-goal lead to draw with the bottom of the Premier League Wolvesthere will be no evading questions about whether Arsenal Mentally ready to end their 22-year wait to become champions.

For the first time truly this season, the title race is no longer entirely within the control of Mikel Arteta and his players.

If Manchester City – five points clear of second place – win all 12 of their remaining matches, which include a home encounter against Arsenal, they will finish first.

However, the same can be said for the Gunners, who have 11 games remaining – having won the April encounter at the Etihad Stadium.

But after losing four crucial points in successive draws against Brentford and Wolves, they are in danger of being haunted by the specter of past failures.

Three successive second-place finishes, two of which by Pep Guardiola’s men, provide a constant reminder.

“This bottle of words will be used a lot in the next few days,” admitted former Arsenal striker Alan Smith.

The scenario looked much different when Piero Hincapie scored his first goal for the club in the 56th minute, and Bukayo Saka added one in the fifth minute.

But the Gunners lacked the control and ruthlessness to eliminate a Wolves team that had lost its previous nine matches and was heading towards the championship.

The hosts showed great spirit to respond with Hugo Bueno’s shot from 20 yards giving them hope. Then, in the fourth minute of stoppage time, 19-year-old Tom Eduzi – coming on as a substitute on his debut – pounced on a mistake between Arsenal pair David Raya and Gabriel and his shot slotted in Riccardo Calafiore’s dream equaliser.

Arsenal will then face the London derby with Tottenham and Chelsea, and the team has begun to fluctuate worryingly at a crucial stage of the season.

Arteta knows his team will come under fire and scrutiny.

“Any opinion you have to take on the chin,” he said. “Take any bullet, because we did not perform at the required level.

“Anything anyone says can be true because we didn’t do what we had to do. The way to do it is on the field on Sunday.” [against Spurs]”.

Wolves coach Rob Edwards said his side “know there is huge pressure” on Arsenal at the moment, and they have taken advantage of that.

Arsenal has not performed at its best since the beginning of 2026 and has won only two of the last seven league matches, beating Leeds and Sunderland.

Arteta added: “Some of the basics we have to do, we did them very poorly, one after another.

“It’s better not to judge. We’re all very emotional about this. You have to take the hit because we deserve it. It’s very easy to say things that can hurt the team emotionally. Everyone wants to do their best.”

Only Crystal Palace and West Ham (both eight) have dropped more points from winning positions in the league in 2026 than Arsenal (seven) and Arsenal have now failed to win from top spot in three of their last five league games.

This was also the first time in Premier League history that a team starting the day at the bottom of the table avoided defeat by the leaders, despite trailing by two or more goals.

“It feels like a pivotal moment, a vital moment, perhaps a turning point,” Smith added to Sky Sports.

“It’s in Manchester City’s hands now. With their experience and Guardiola’s experience, they will really imagine it now. They can almost feel the nerves of the Arsenal team watching it.”

He added: “A 2-0 lead over the team that is in last place with nine points is not good enough for a team hoping to win the title. It does not bode well for Arsenal to be able to handle the pressure.”