Tolu Arokodare netted his first Premier League goal but it counted for nothing as rock-bottom team Wolverhampton Wanderers suffered a 2-1 loss to table toppers Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday night.
With the game goalless, manager Rob Edwards brought on the Nigeria international as replacement for Jørgen Strand Larsen.
After an own goal from goalkeeper Sam Johnstone gave Arsenal the lead in the 70th minute, Arokodare thought he had salvaged a point for Wolves in the 90th minute when he headed home an excellent delivery from Mateus Mané.
However, a second own goal on the night, conceded three minutes into stoppage time, rendered the attacker’s effort meaningless and left him visibly dejected at the final whistle.
Frustrated by the defeat, Arokodare described the result as hurtful and drew attention to Wolves' ongoing problem of conceding at the death.
Speaking to Wolves' official website, Arokodare stated: "It's hurtful. It's been happening to us the whole season. We played the whole 90 minutes very well, and at the end we always concede. I don't know how to explain it, but it's just very hurtful.
"It's been happening to us the whole of the season. It's not the first time we've conceded in the last minute, and I think it's something we have to work on, staying focused until the to the last whistle.
"It’s very unlucky for us, a good goal from them, and I would say a little bit of poor defending from us."
Despite being named in the provisional squad, Arokodare was surprisingly left out of Nigeria’s 28-man roster for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations.
Ifeanyi Emmanuel
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