Piers Morgan led the Arsenal fury on social media on Wednesday night after Mikel Arteta’s side squandered a 2-0 lead at Wolves to draw in the 94th minute with the Premier League’s bottom side at Molineux. Gunners fan Morgan fumed that his side are “choking again” as they failed to extend their lead over Manchester City, who could go to within two points of the summit if they win their game in hand.
The Gunners had led since the fifth minute against their West Midlands opponents, who remain rock-bottom of the Premier League with minimal chances of survival. Goals from Bukayo Saka and Piero Hincapie put Arsenal firmly in control, but Hugo Bueno got one back with a left-footed curler from the edge of the box before Tom Edozie equalised for 2-2 in the dying seconds, just ten minutes into his professional debut, following a huge defensive mix-up involving David Raya and Gabriel.
Arteta’s side remains top of the table, currently five points ahead of Manchester City, who have a game in hand. This result puts all the more pressure on the meeting between the two sides at the Etihad in April, an all-too familiar position following their previous title showdowns with the Cityzens. Twice in the past under Arteta, Arsenal have led the table in the spring only to be chased down and beaten to the crown by Pep Guardiola’s City. Morgan was not alone in fearing the worst after their latest fatal slip-up.
Morgan led the Arsenal fury following the result on social media, posting to his 8.7 million followers on X: “FFS. What are you doing, Arsenal?”
He added, “We’re choking. Again.”
The following day, on Thursday morning, Morgan wrote: “Not good enough. If you want to be champions @Arsenal, then wake the f*** up before it’s too late. Last night’s second-half performance was the worst I’ve seen for years. I excuse @_DeclanRice, who showed the standard of drive/intensity the other players must meet.”
Another fan added: “One thing about Arsenal? We will prove the haters right every single time.”
While a third chimed: “If we’re not good enough, we’re not good enough, and you just have to deal with it, life sucks.”
While devastated from what he had seen unfold late on at Molineux, Arsenal manager Arteta told reporters that his side must remain focused on the task at hand.
He said: “Extremely disappointed, obviously, with the result, with the way the game ended, but we have to blame ourselves.
“I think the performance in the second half didn’t show anything close to the standards that are required in this league to win, with the margin that I think should have existed today, especially in the manner that we played the first half. It’s a moment of disappointment.
“We all want to talk a lot about how we’re feeling, but it’s not the moment to do that, because anything that we do has to always and only be with the intention to help the team. Right now, I think we have to swallow that frustration. When you are at this level and at the top, you need to take the hit, because today we deserve them as well, and move on as quickly as possible, because on Sunday we have a big game coming up.”
Wednesday night might ultimately prove a turning point in the title race, but all is not lost with 11 matches left and everything still in Arsenal’s hands. If the Gunners win all their remaining matches, including avoiding defeat at the Etihad, they will be crowned champions. But dropped points have meant a lead of six points has been cut to what would be two if City win their game in hand against Crystal Palace.
Arsenal’s next task is an eye-catching one – a North London Derby at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday afternoon, against a Tottenham side buoyed by the appointment of new head coach Igor Tudor and knowing they can play a direct role in their greatest rivals’ fate.
