Arsenal legend Paul Merson has admitted he feels “half-scared” regarding the Gunners’ championship aspirations after a late defensive collapse resulted in a 2-2 draw with Wolverhampton Wanderers on Wednesday. The league leaders appeared to be cruising toward a routine victory against the division’s bottom-placed side, especially after established stars Bukayo Saka and Piero Hincapié secured a two-goal advantage. However, a spirited fightback from the hosts in the final half-hour stunned the visitors, leaving Merson and many supporters questioning the psychological resilience of Mikel Arteta’s squad.
The match at a rain-soaked Molineux began with early promise for the North Londoners. Bukayo Saka silenced the home crowd just five minutes in, rising to meet a precise cross with a clinical header. The momentum stayed with the visitors into the second half when Piero Hincapié doubled the lead with a composed finish, seemingly putting the match out of reach. Despite Arsenal’s control, Wolves sparked a remarkable resurgence when Hugo Bueno bypassed David Raya with a sensational long-range strike in the 60th minute, shifting the energy of the contest.
“I wouldn’t want to be in Arsenal’s position if they miss out on the title again. I was really surprised by Mikel Arteta’s post-match interview. It’s the first time, really, that I’ve seen him not be mostly positive. Usually, he comes out and says, ‘We’ve done this, we’ve done that,’ and then he’ll say, ‘Oh, we deserved it here, they deserved it here.’ Instead of just saying, ‘We’re five points ahead, as long as we don’t lose to Manchester City, we’ll win the league. I was a little nervous about that interview. You can only do so much for the team, and when you’re watching, there’s something missing. I can’t quite figure it out, but there’s something missing. Something is missing, and I wouldn’t want to be in their position if they don’t win the league this year,” Merson analyzed on Sky Sports.
The pressure reached a breaking point in the final seconds of stoppage time when Wolves’ debutant, Tom Edozie, capitalized on a defensive mix-up to fire home the equalizer. The result leaves the “Old Gold” with just their tenth point of the season, yet it carries massive implications at the top of the table. Arsenal missed a golden opportunity to move seven points clear of Manchester City, who currently sit five points behind with a crucial game in hand and a head-to-head showdown scheduled for April.
“If they don’t win the league this year, I remember Patrick Vieira saying before the Manchester United game, when he was on with Roy Keane, he said it was now or never. I’m starting to think that too now. I was really confident that Arsenal would win the league. That’s half-scared me tonight,” Merson recalled. Arteta must now urgently regroup his players as they prepare for a high-intensity North London Derby away at Tottenham this weekend. With the gap narrowing and the manager’s public confidence seemingly shaken, the upcoming fixtures will determine if Arsenal can overcome their history of late-season stumbles or if they will succumb to the relentless pursuit of Pep Guardiola’s side.
