Arsenal Win Due to Wolves' Two Own Goals
JAKARTA - Arsenal almost humiliated Wolverhampton Wanderers who are at the bottom of the English Premier League standings. In the duel at the Emirates Stadium, London, Sunday, December 14, 2025 WIB, Arsenal could only win 2-1 after the Wolves players made suicide goals.
Playing at home by bringing down the goal-hungry front players, Arsenal did not flinch at all against Wolves' solid defense.
Not only Viktor Gyokeres who failed to score, Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli had difficulty meeting the target. Not to mention Gabriel Jesus who came in to replace Gyokeres also lost his toe.
Ironically, Arsenal finally managed to get three points with the help of the opponent's players. Even the decisive goal for the Gunners' victory was created just moments before the break or in injury time after Jesus' shot hit defender Yerson Mosquera, who then turned the ball around and slid into his own goal.
Whatever the result, it still makes manager Mikel Arteta breathe a sigh of relief. How not, the North London club was able to rise after losing 2-1 against Aston Villa. The victory thwarted Manchester City's coup.
Now, Arsenal can get away from the pursuit of Man City after collecting 36 points. Five points ahead of Man City who will play an away game against Crystal Palace.
Meanwhile, Wolves are sinking to the bottom of the table and waiting for the time to be relegated. Wolves, who have lost nine times, have only collected two points and are far behind Nottingham Forest, who are ranked 17th or one strip above the relegation zone.
Forest are 13 points ahead of Wolves so their chances of escaping the relegation zone to the Championship are very difficult.
Despite occupying the bottom of the table, Wolves, who were previously beaten 4-1 by Manchester United, were able to make it difficult for Arsenal.
The home team's attack can always be broken by the Wolves defense. Throughout the first 45 minutes, Arsenal's wave-like attack meant nothing. The best opportunity was only obtained by Martinelli who had the potential to break into the guest team's goal. However, Martinelli instead threw away the golden opportunity.
Entering the second half, Arteta who looked frustrated immediately replaced three players who played a role in building the team's attack. Arteta pulled Martinelli, Eberechi Eze and Martin Zubimendi to be replaced by Leandro Trossard, Martin Odegaard and Mikel Merino.
Their entry is definitely to increase the pressure. Meanwhile, Odegaard is a balancer in the midfield because he is tasked with intercepting the ball when there is a counterattack.
Arsenal finally got a good chance when midfielder Declan Rice took a shot at the goal. Only his effort could be thwarted by goalkeeper Sam Johnstone.
After many failed and almost frustrating attempts, Arsenal finally managed to break the deadlock in the 70th minute. That was after Johnstone made a suicide goal. It started from Saka's corner kick which created a mess and Johnstone tried to reach the ball. However, the goalkeeper's attempt hit his own arm, causing the ball to slide into the goal.
The 1-0 advantage made Arsenal more aggressive playing offensively. Especially after Jesus entered to replace Gyokeres. This was the first home game for the Brazilian striker after 11 months of absence due to an ACL injury. However, Jesus failed to contribute a goal.
Instead, Wolves managed to equalize the score when the match entered the 90th minute. The header of striker Tolu Arokodare who greeted Mateus Mane's cross successfully defeated goalkeeper David Raya.
The score changed 1-1. When the match was predicted to end in a draw, Arsenal again got an advantage.
This time Mosquera made the next own goal when Jesus, who received a cross from Saka, took a shot and hit Mosquera. The ball then turned around and caused Johnstone to miss a step.
The goal in the 90+4 minute changed the score to 2-1 for Arsenal. Shortly after the match ended and Arsenal was able to get three important points at home.