Arsenal squandered a two-goal lead to draw 2-2 with bottom-of-the-table Wolves, prompting sharp criticism from Tottenham legend Glenn Hoddle over captain Bukayo Saka’s post-match reaction.

Match Summary

Saka, leading the team in place of the injured Martin Odegaard, opened the scoring with a header from Declan Rice’s cross just five minutes in. Piero Hincapie added a second after halftime, positioning Arsenal for a victory that would extend their lead over Manchester City to seven points.

Wolves, with only nine points from 26 games prior, staged a stunning comeback. Hugo Bueno struck on the hour mark, and Tom Edozie equalized in injury time, securing their 10th point of the season.

Saka Addresses the Disappointment

Saka described the dressing room as ‘very flat’ after the draw. ‘I’m very disappointed with the result and especially how we played in the second half, it’s far from the level that we’ve set this season,’ he told Sky Sports.

‘It’s time for us to reflect on the few performances and just fix the issues immediately so we can get back to winning games and going on a run and build momentum because we’ve lost that a bit right now.’

Addressing pressure in the title race, Saka added: ‘No, I don’t think about all of that. I just think we need to just get back to our level, just do the basics right. And we’ve got more than enough quality in this team to win games, especially the games where we’ve been dropping points recently.’

‘We just need to fix that and that’s all our focus is right now.’

Expert Reactions

Arsenal icon Martin Keown endorsed Saka’s words on Premier League Productions: ‘I can’t disagree with anything that he’s saying but what he’s also saying is they’re not giving up. I think he will be giving more in his next performances because they have to stand up.’

Hoddle, however, took issue with Saka’s demeanor as captain. ‘That’s interesting, that, because he was the skipper tonight. For me, he was very honest… But his demeanour for me wasn’t right. Your demeanour needs to be a little bit more up, he was very flat, very flat.’

Hoddle’s Broader Concerns

Analyzing Arsenal’s form, Hoddle noted doubts creeping in. ‘I look at Arsenal against Brentford and Wolves and I just feel they’re starting to doubt themselves. A few months ago they weren’t doing that, they were authoritative.’

‘But they’re doubting themselves and now they’re under pressure and it’s all about the mentality, they need to be strong and together to come again. It’s not a crossroads for Arsenal but they need to start again… Unless they get a result at the weekend they will be in trouble.’

Arsenal face Tottenham in the north London derby next, following Spurs’ dismissal of Thomas Frank after their previous match.

Arteta’s Verdict

Manager Mikel Arteta expressed frustration: ‘Incredibly disappointed that we gave two points away. I think we need to fault ourselves and give credit to Wolves. But what we done in the second half was nowhere near our standards.’

‘There are certain things, certain basics that today we are very far from our level, and when you don’t perform you can get punished, and we got punished.’