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Arsenal hadn’t lost a Premier League game since Boxing Day but were brought down to earth by Wolverhampton Wanderers on Tuesday. The Gunners had been on an impressive run but as the cliché goes, everything eventually comes to an end.
Mikel Arteta watched on as Wolves came from behind to beat his side 2-1 at the Molineux. It was a game where Arsenal had everything going for them until the last seconds of the first half.
The North London outfit was largely comfortable, with their dominance leading to a goal from Nicolas Pepe in the 32nd minute. The Ivorian winger showed tremendous fighting spirit and a deft touch to displace his marker, before firing into the net with his weaker right foot.
However, Arsenal could not hold on to the lead for long, as David Luiz was controversially sent off for bringing down William Jose in the box. Reuben Neves stepped up and perfectly converted from the spot to pull Wolves level.
Nuno-Espirito Santo’s side got the all-important second goal after the restart, with Joao Moutinho scoring from a long-range effort.
Sloppy display costs Gunners against Wolves
There wasn’t much Arsenal could do about Luiz’s red card, but it went from bad to worse when Bernd Leno was also sent off for ridiculously handling the ball outside the box.
It was a sloppy effort by a goalkeeper who should know better. At one man down, Arsenal still had a chance of salvaging something from the game.
However, being reduced to nine men killed all hopes of a comeback. Wolves dominated the game thereafter and could have scored more goals, but for their own wastefulness in front of goal.
"I imagine he [Leno] makes the decision in a split of a second and naturally he tries to stop the ball. There's nothing he can do,” Areta defended the goalkeeper, as quoted by Goal.
"It's hard enough to win football games in the league. Those big decisions are like that but it's nothing we can change at the moment."
Such sloppiness is always bound to be punished in the Premier League and Arsenal only have themselves to blame for their latest loss.
Arsenal’s top-four hopes hit a snag
Failing to beat the Wolves means that Arsenal remain in 10th position on the Premier League table. The Gunners are already trailing in the top-four race, but they were gradually crawling their way back.
A run of five wins in the last seven league games had seen Arteta’s side reignite hopes. At a point, they were even ahead of Chelsea on the league table.
A win against the Wolves would have taken them to sixth on the table. However, their latest loss has deflated hopes of qualifying for the UEFA Champions League.
As it stands, the Gunners are eight points behind the top four places, with all the teams above them having a game in hand.
There is still a long way to go in the season, but dropping points in this manner could dent Arsenal’s chances of finishing in the top four.
