Despite a Goal-scoring Performance, Arsenal Still Won and Remain Comfortably at the Top of the Table

LONDON, SUNDAY — A unique match took place at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday (14/12/2025) early morning WIB. Three players from Wolverhampton Wanderers scored goals, but the three points belonged to Arsenal.

Yes, Arsenal defeated Wolves, the bottom team, with a score of 2-1. No Arsenal players registered their names on the scoreboard.

Arsenal's barrage of attacks paid off in the 70th minute. Bukayo Saka's in-swing corner caused a blunder for Wolves goalkeeper Sam Johnstone. He deflected the ball with his fingertip, sending it into his own net.

Wolves nearly delivered one of the biggest surprises in the English Premier League this season. Substitute player, Tolu Arokodore, equalized through a quick counterattack in the 90+1 minute. That was the only clear opportunity for the visiting team.

However, Arokodore's first goal in the English League could not help Wolves secure a point from the home of the league leaders. Wolves defender, Yerson Mosquera, erased his team's valuable points with an own goal in the 90+4 minute.

Once again, Saka became the intellectual author of a blunder by the Wolves' defender. Instead of clearing Saka's cross and blocking Gabriel Jesus's reach, Mosquera inadvertently redirected the ball into his own net with a header.

That unique victory helped Arsenal return to winning ways in the domestic arena. Last week, they suffered a defeat against Aston Villa.

Three points from the match against Wolves helped "The Gunners" apply pressure on their closest competitor, Manchester City. Arsenal regained a five-point lead over City and a six-point lead over Villa. Both teams must win on Sunday night to narrow the point gap with Mikel Arteta's squad.

"Sometimes we need a bit of luck. This time, it was on our side," said Saka, reflecting on his team's victory as reported by Football London.

Saka expressed the frustration felt by the Arsenal squad, especially when they were unable to score in the first half. Wolves became the second team to hold Arsenal to a goalless draw at the Emirates this season. This record is similar to that achieved by Manchester City on September 21.

"The message to the guys was that we had to be patient and try a variety of attacks. In the end, we got our reward," Saka said.

"We do not know what will happen in May, but we are safely enjoying this result. We have a week to rest until next week," he added.

Entering the month of December, the squad of Si Meriam has begun to show signs of mental fatigue. The intense matches in a short period have caused several players to lose their best touch, despite their efforts to perform at their maximum.

Arsenal's 69 percent possession failed to secure a convincing victory. Their 16 shots resulted in only 1.02 expected goals (xG).

This indicates a poor attacking quality. On the other hand, Arsenal's players also lacked their usual creativity.

They ran out of ideas to penetrate the low block defense of Wolves. Arsenal only produced two shots on target in a match that they largely dominated.

Indeed, Arteta has deployed all of his best attacking players. Martin Odegaard, Leandro Trossard, and Mikel Merino were brought on in the 68th minute to end the fruitless attack. Gabriel Jesus followed in the 81st minute to replace Viktor Gyokeres.

"The course of the match is like a sled. The longer the game goes on, they have hope, so we need to accelerate and take risks. There were times when we played passively, which led to conceding," said Arteta to the BBC.

"We continue to push and find ways to score through the connection of Gabi (Jesus) and Bukayo (Saka). We are certainly pleased because that is the style of play we want to yield goals," continued Arteta, the Spanish tactician.

Arteta is grateful to have a full week break to relieve pressure and provide his squad with rest. Additionally, Arsenal finally has another opportunity to train intensively. In recent months, the breaks between matches have only served for the players' recovery.

"We have one week free (from matches). Then, we will fight during the Christmas period. We know what awaits us," he stated.

The last match before Christmas will be against Everton in the English Premier League, followed by The Gunners hosting Crystal Palace in the English League Cup. The final two matches of 2025 will conclude with home games against two tough teams, namely Brighton & Hove Albion and Aston Villa.

Meanwhile, Wolves Manager Rob Edwards stated that the result at the Emirates left his players devastated. They were very disappointed to the point of disbelief regarding the scoreless outcome from London.

"It's very difficult to talk about the result at this moment. We lost because of our own mistakes. The boys executed the game plan very well," Edwards said, as reported by Sky Sports.