Martin Keown downplayed the importance of Arsenal’s shocking 2-2 draw with Wolves on the Premier League title race but admitted his former club were missing ‘essential’ Kai Havertz.
The Gunners threw away a 2-0 lead to attract 2-2 with a Wolves side who’ve won only once this season and amassed only ten points from 27 games.
Arsenal looked heading in the right direction for a snug evening when Bukayo Saka headed the visitors’ ahead inside five minutes.
The sport appeared done and dusted when Piero Hincapie doubled Arsenal’s lead after half-time, but Wolves produced a shocking comeback to dent Mikel Arteta’s title hopes.
Hugo Bueno curled home an excellent strike to provide Wolves hope with half an hour remaining and the Premier League basement boys scored a dramatic equaliser in injury-time through Tom Edozie.
The surprising draw means Arsenal lead title rivals Manchester City by just five points, with Pep Guardiola’s in a position to cut the gap to 2 after they play their game in hand.
Keown admitted Arsenal wasted a ‘great opportunity’ to strengthen their grip on the Premier League trophy against Wolves and said Arteta’s side have to get better quickly with two London derbies up next.
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The Gunners visit north London rivals Tottenham on Sunday before taking up their Carabao Cup semi-final opponents Chelsea on the Emirates Stadium.
‘I can’t say I didn’t see it [Wolves’ equaliser] coming since it didn’t look comfortable for Arsenal,’ three-time title winner Keown said on Premier League Productions.
‘It just felt like we were hoping we could win it reasonably than going and grabbing it. This will likely be a lesson for the group.
‘It’s not over for Arsenal but they have to ensure this isn’t the starting of the tip of their quest to turn into champions and use it as oxygen.
‘That they had an ideal opportunity to go further clear tonight but they didn’t have the conviction to complete the sport off.
‘It’s been a foul night but there’s so long left of the season. You get knocked down, you get back up again, that’s the lifetime of an expert footballer.
‘Arsenal need to show it around but even in the event that they had won tonight it wouldn’t have been over and it’s actually not over now they’ve drawn.
‘The bottom line is how they react now because they can’t keep going ahead and getting pegged back.’
Keown also bemoaned the continued absence of Arsenal forward Havertz, who recently suffered a fresh injury setback.
Havertz has only made three Premier League appearances thus far this season and is anticipated to be out for a minimum of one other game.
‘I would really like to see Kai Havertz back, he’s becoming perhaps all too essential because he’s been injured again,’ Keown added.
‘That’s not his fault but it’s been painful. It’s essential get people back because it hurts the group. You would like that match-winner, someone who gives everyone belief and puts the sport out of sight.’
What did Mikel Arteta say after the Wolves draw?
‘We’re very dissatisfied with the tip result, but I believe now we have to fault ourselves,’ a deflated Arteta said after Arsenal’s setback at Molineux.
‘I believe the performance within the second half doesn’t show the extent and the standards required within the Premier League to win in the way that we must always have won the sport, especially in the best way that we played in the primary half.
‘It’s very tough, we’re frustrated since it’s right down to us. It’s time to speak on the pitch because anything that we are saying without delay comes from anger, frustration, disappointment, and there’s nothing coming through that’s going to learn and help the team going forward.
‘It’s nothing to do with attitude or with desire. There have been lots of things that went flawed within the second half that didn’t allow us to have any dominance, although we scored the second goal. We never felt that we were answerable for the sport.’
Arsenal are bidding to win their first Premier League title since 2004 but are battling a Manchester City side who’ve won six of the last eight trophies.
Arsenal’s lead at the highest of the table will likely be just two points by the point they face Spurs if Man City beat Newcastle United the day prior to this.
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