Wolverhampton Wanderers 2-2 Arsenal
by Layth Yousif 
at Molineux 

ON A BITTERLY cold night in the West Midlands rock-bottom Wolves showed fire in their bellies after coming back from two goals down to draw 2-2 against Premier League leaders Arsenal.

A late leveller by 19-year-old Tom Edozie in the 94th minute was enough to earn a point for Rob Edwards’s relegation-doomed side.

Wanderers last-gasp strike also now ramps up the pressure on Mikel Arteta’s Gunners, who, while moving five points clear, have now played an extra game compared to Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City, busy breathing down their necks in second place. 

Bukayo Saka had put the visitors ahead after only five minutes - with his first strike in 15 games - prior to Piero Hincapie doubling the lead on 56 minutes. Despite the match looking safe, and three vital points supposedly in the bag, Wolves refused to be cowed, scoring out of nowhere five minutes later, following a superb long-range effort from Hugo Bueno that flew over David Raya, setting up a grandstand finish in the process.

As Rob Edwards’ side pressured their tottering visitors, and Molineux roared in the piercingly raw night, Arsenal simply could not prevent an equaliser, despite Riccardo Calafiori’s desperate efforts to prevent Edozie’s powerful drive crossing the line, as the Gunners dropped two more points.

Speaking after the match, a dismayed Arteta said: “Extremely disappointed with the result, with the way the game ended, but we have to blame ourselves.

The visibly aghast Arteta added: “I think the performance in the second half didn’t show anything close to the standards that are required in this league to win, with the margin that I think should have existed today, especially in the manner that we played the first half. It’s a moment of disappointment.”

In contrast - and quite understandably given their struggles this season - a delighted Edwards was far more upbeat following the draw, hailing his side.

The former Luton boss said: “It was an excellent point. I’m really proud of the players in the end. After going two-one down against one of the best teams in Europe, to find a way to get something from the game was a really good feeling. It feels like a win, even though it’s not.

“I’ll give our players credit. I think they [Arsenal] are an amazing team, and we felt similar feelings in the away game. We got a late equaliser there and we were beginning to push, so there’s a lot of pressure on them this season.

“But they’re in four competitions and they could end up having an amazing season - I think that’s why we’ve got to try to celebrate what we showed out there tonight as well.”

Arteta made seven changes from the side that beat Wigan Athletic 4-0 at the weekend.

Saka kept his place in the No10 role, as Noni Madueke and Gabriel Martinelli started either side of Viktor Gyokeres up top.

While Declan Rice, Martin Zubimendi, Jurrien Timber, David Raya, Gabriel and Piero Hincapie all returned to the starting line-up following Sunday’s stroll against the Latics with a stroll that set up a March date at fellow League One side Mansfield Town in the fifth round of the FA Cup.

Calafiori and Ben White who picked up niggles before and during the victory over Wigan in North London on Sunday were deemed fit enough for the Gunners bench at Molineux. But club captain Martin Odegaard and Kai Havertz again missed out, with Eberechi Eze settling for a place among the substitutes.

Edwards made four changes to the Wolves team that won 1-0 at Grimsby in the FA Cup on Sunday to earn a home draw against Liverpool. Sa and Bueno were drafted back into the starting XI, along with Andre Gomes, while Jean-Ricner Bellegarde replaced striker Tolu Arokodare, who dropped to the bench, with Adam Armstrong starting up front.

As the numbing rain - that was to turn into sleet as temperatures dropped to near freezing - fell once again at kick-off in this never-ending winter, barely had the strains of the Wolves unofficial pre-match anthem, Jeff Beck’s 1967 hit “Hi Ho Silver Lining” died down, than the visitors took the lead.

Rice fed Saka with a delicious cross, as the England international - who put pen to paper on a new, improved long-term deal with the Gunners rumoured to be worth more than £300,000 a week - expertly nodded past Sa, to make it 1-0 to the Arsenal.

Such was the paucity of action in the opening 45 minutes, travelling Gooners massed in the elongated lower tier away end that runs along the length of the touchline, entertained themselves as they sang to Wolves fans: “You’re going down with the Tottenham…”

Yet, in a sign of things to come, Wolves nearly levelled through Andre’s long-range effort during the five additional minutes announced at the end of the first half, as the home support sang with heavy irony: “We’ve had a shot.”

As the mercury fell to just above zero, amid bone chilling wintry sleet that started to fall during the interval, Edwards side came out for the second half with fire in their bellies. Old Gold’s Armstrong firing narrowly over Raya’s bar on 53 minutes, prior to Andre testing the Arsenal keeper at the near post shortly afterwards.

Yet, worse was to come for Wolves when Hincapie made it 2-0 three minutes later, after the Ecuador international fired over Sa and into the net, after the decision to rule out his goal for offside was correctly overturned by VAR.

However, Edwards’ side showed pride and spirit, refusing to buckle against the Premier League leaders, pulling a goal back through a superb strike from Bueno just after the hour mark, as grand old Molineux finally found its voice.

As the home side piled on the pressure, Arsenal succumbed to a late equaliser through Edozie’s shot that Calafiori simply couldn’t stop on the line, as Molineux erupted, with home fans taunting the North Londoners by singing gleefully: “Second again.”

No wonder Edwards added after the match: “It’s a fantastic moment for Tom. We’ve got a bit of a short squad, so the young lads know there could be opportunities there for them.

“As he was coming on, I put my arm around him and said, ‘This could be your moment. Go and take it’ and he did.

“It’s a special night for him and he’ll remember it forever. But I thought it summed up the performance.

“We were brave, we got a lot of young players on the pitch when we finished, and we were still trying to step forward and make it happen. We even tried to push after the equalizer to get a third.”

Relegation still beckons for beleaguered Wolves, who finally move into double figures for points for the season - but for one memorable night for those in Old Gold, the pride in their famous shirt shone through. 

As for faltering Arsenal, a familiar feeling of disappointment, mired with a fear of underachievement amid team frailty is encompassing Gooners everywhere right now. 

The Gunners now face the small matter of a North London derby in N17 on Sunday, with a visibly stunned during his post-match press duties Arteta admitting with honesty after dropping two vital points when throwing away a two-goal lead against the division’s bottom club: “We have to do better - but we didn’t do it, and that’s the reality.”