Mansion Sports – The manager of Arsenal, Mikel Arteta, urged his players to “rise” after they squandered a two-goal lead during their visit to Wolves on Tuesday.

The Gunners conceded in stoppage time and had to settle for a 2-2 draw against the team at the bottom of the standings.

This marked the first time in the history of the Premier League that a league leader failed to maintain a two-goal advantage against a team in the relegation zone.

Arsenal Lose Two-Goal Lead in Stoppage Time

Bukayo Saka ended his 15-match goal drought by scoring the opening goal at Molineux, heading in a cross from Declan Rice after being positioned as a number 10.

Piero Hincapie then scored his first goal for the club since joining from Bayer Leverkusen in the summer, early in the second half, as Arsenal appeared to be on course to secure all three points. However, Wolves had different plans.

A spectacular goal from Hugo Bueno reduced the deficit for the home side in the 60th minute, and Arsenal paid a heavy price for their declining second-half performance when an own goal by Riccardo Calafiori in the fourth minute of stoppage time allowed Wolves to equalize.

Arteta: Arsenal “Deserved” the Draw

In a post-match interview with Sky Sports, Arteta stated: “It is very difficult to accept. In the second half we did not perform as we should and as is required to win a Premier League match. It is better not to assess it immediately because we are all still carried by emotion. You have to accept this reality because we indeed deserved it.”

“It is very easy in emotional situations to say things that can damage the team. Everyone wants to give their best. You have to go through difficult periods. Today, in the final minute, we paid the price. We must do the fundamental things much better than we did.”

“Today we must accept it. We must be critical of ourselves because this is not good enough. In the league, the reality is that we have not been consistent in recent months. You have to rise. When facing difficult moments, we must show how strong our desire is and how good our quality is. We must rise.”

Saka Says the Dressing Room Felt “Very Flat”

Saka also spoke to Sky Sports and was asked about the atmosphere within the team after failing to maintain their lead. He responded: “Yes, the atmosphere is very flat. Very disappointed with this result and especially with the way we played in the second half. Far from the standards we have set this season.”

“It is time for us to reflect on some of our recent performances and immediately correct the issues, so that we can return to winning matches, build a positive run of results, and restore our momentum because at the moment we have slightly lost it.”

“I think we just need to return to our level. Do the basic things correctly and we have more than enough quality in this team to win matches, especially in games where we have dropped points recently. We must fix it and that is our main focus at this time.”

Next Match for Arsenal

Next, Arsenal will travel to face city rivals Tottenham Hotspur in the North London derby on Sunday.

Spurs are now under new management after dismissing Thomas Frank and appointing Igor Tudor on a contract until the end of the season.