Arsenal F.C. manager Mikel Arteta has challenged his players to use the “pain” of their 2–2 draw with Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C. as motivation ahead of Sunday’s north London derby against Tottenham Hotspur F.C..
The Gunners surrendered a two-goal lead at Molineux on Wednesday night after appearing to be in control of the match. Goals from Bukayo Saka and Piero Hincapie had put Arsenal 2–0 ahead before Wolves responded through Hugo Bueno and Tom Edozie.
The result marked Arsenal’s second consecutive draw following their stalemate with Brentford F.C. and means they have won only two of their last seven league matches.
Despite the setback, Arsenal remain five points clear of second-placed Manchester City F.C., who have a game in hand and have previously overhauled the Gunners in the 2022/23 and 2023/24 title races.
Reacting after the Wolves match, Arteta insisted the issue was not a lack of effort but moments that went against his side.
“It’s part of football. Where it could’ve gone wrong today, it went wrong,” he said, adding that his team must respond strongly.
“If you are at the top you have to win and win. That’s nothing new,” he stated.
Attention now turns to Sunday’s clash with Tottenham, a fixture that could significantly shape the title race. Arteta urged his players to reflect and channel their disappointment constructively.
“We need to go through the pain, look in the mirror and understand what the game requires now. The next action is Sunday. We need to keep that inside and show it,” he said.
Saka also admitted the squad was disappointed with the Wolves result.
“It’s pretty flat. We’re disappointed. In the first half we started so well but in the second half we dropped the level and got punished,” he said.
Looking ahead to the derby, the England international maintained that Arsenal’s destiny remains in their hands.
“It was already a big game and it’s still a big game. It’s in our control. We need to fix the issues and get back to winning ways,” Saka added.
