Alan Smith after Arsenal’s draw with Wolves (Picture: Sky Sports)
Alan Smith says Arsenal’s shocking draw with Wolves could not only be a ‘pivotal moment’ but the ‘turning point’ in the Premier League title race.
Arsenal looked set to open up a seven-point gap on second-placed Manchester City as they led Wolves 2-0 at Molineux.
Bukayo Saka celebrated signing a new deal with the Gunners by heading home Arsenal’s opener inside five minutes.
The league leaders were not at their best against the worst team in the division but the three points looked secured when Piero Hincapie doubled Arsenal’s lead after half-time.
But Hugo Bueno gave Wolves hope with a goal on the hour mark before Tom Edozie scored a dramatic injury-time equaliser.
The 2-2 draw means Arsenal are five points ahead of Man City, who now have a game in hand and play host to Mikel Arteta’s side in April.
Arsenal legend Smith said the draw could be the ‘turning point’ in the title race and accused goalkeeper David Raya of ‘panicking’ for Wolves’ equaliser.
Get your football fix
Don't want to miss the week's biggest football stories? Metro's exclusive football newsletter, In The Mixer, is your essential guide.
From the latest transfer rumours and managerial moves to analysis of the biggest games and a lot more, our experts have you covered.
Sign up here, it's an open goal.
Wolverhampton Wanderers v Arsenal - Premier League
Tom Edozie scored an injury-time equaliser for Wolves (Picture: Getty)
Raya collided with Arsenal centre-back Gabriel in what turned out to be a hugely costly mix-up before Edozie scored Wolves’ late equaliser.
‘It feels like a pivotal moment, a vital one, and maybe a turning point,’ Smith told Sky Sports. ‘We’ll wait and see.
‘Obviously, it’s in Manchester City’s hands now but having been two goals up against the team that’s rock bottom on nine points, it’s not good enough for a team trying to win the title.
‘And the way things unravelled at the end with Trossard just trying to waste time and then David Raya panicking, he came out when he didn’t need to come out it doesn’t bode well for Arsenal being able to handle the pressure.
“There is clearly a lot of nerves within the camp, the whole situation seems to be getting the better of them. It did tonight and going forward but it doesn’t bode well.
‘It’s a big job for Mikel Arteta now to calm things down, he’s got a big job on his hands. They’ve got to settle down.
Wolverhampton Wanderers v Arsenal - Premier League
Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya (Picture: Getty)
‘We’ve spoken often about them being the best team or squad in the league but that word “bottle” will be used quite a bit over the next few days.
‘Man City will be thinking they can feel our breath on the shoulder and with their experience, with Guardiola’s experience, they’ll be really fancying it now.
‘Obviously, it’s a big game against Newcastle for them at the weekend, but they can almost feel the nerves of the Arsenal team watching that tonight.’
FBL-ENG-PR-WOLVES-ARSENAL
Mikel Arteta after Arsenal’s draw at Wolves (Picture: Getty)
Reacting to Arsenal’s defeat at Wolves, Saka said: ‘It’s very flat [the Arsenal dressing room]. I’m very disappointed with the result and especially how we played in the second half, it’s far from the level that we’ve set this season.
‘It’s time for us to reflect on the few performances and just fix the issues immediately so we can get back to winning games and going on a run and build momentum because we’ve lost that a bit right now.’
Asked whether his teammates were feeling the pressure of another title race, Saka added: ‘No, I don’t think about all of that.
‘I just think we need to just get back to our level, just do the basics right. And we’ve got more than enough quality in this team to win games, especially the games where we’ve been dropping points recently.
‘We just need to fix that and that’s all our focus is right now.’
Arsenal face Tottenham in a huge north London derby on Sunday, while Wolves return to Premier League action against Crystal Palace.
Wolves had lost 19 of their 26 games before the spirited draw with Arsenal and have now amassed 10 points across the season.
For more stories like this, check our sport page.
Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook,Twitter and Instagram.
MORE: Why Arsenal star Noni Madueke is booed by Wolves fans
MORE: Chelsea and Man Utd urged to avoid £82m transfer mistake in bid to catch Arsenal
MORE: RB Leipzig set price for Man Utd, Chelsea and Arsenal transfer target Yan Diomande
Football Newsletter – In The Mixer
Punchy analysis, transfer talk and more from Metro's football experts, sent straight to your inbox every week.