Arteta must bin Arsenal dud who was as bad as Gyokeres

Arsenal’s worst performance of the Mikel Arteta era to date? Quite possibly.

This season has been a brilliant one for the Gunners so far but as Wolves came to town, the team at the bottom of the Premier League table, Arteta’s side didn’t look up to the task.

They struggled to create much of note, relying on two own goals to win 2-1. Their defence was also well below-par. Since Gabriel Magalhaes got injured, they have not been the same side.

Fortunately, though, Arsenal found a hero in the form of Bukayo Saka.

The winger put the team on his back, swinging in the corner that led to Sam Johnstone’s own goal. Then, with the clock running down and Wolves looking like they’d rescued a point, Saka popped up again.

This time it was from open play. He got the ball on the right, put in an inch-perfect delivery, and it was headed into his own net by Yerson Mosquera.

So what went wrong?

Why Arsenal struggled to beat Wolves

As poor as Arsenal were at the Emirates on Sunday, you have to credit Wolves.

The Old Gold have been dire this term but they headed to the capital and played with a renewed sense of organisation, a new sense of grit and fight.

The fact that they scored what they thought was a goal to win them a point said it all. Out of nowhere, Tolu Arokadare headed the ball home with only injury time remaining.

This was a battle for Arsenal and that goal proved it. For that strike, their defending was notably poor. Arteta acknowledged that.

Speaking at full-time, he said that his team showed “horrible defensive habits” before the Wolves goal, suggesting that it was “unacceptable”. Quite.

That said, they were also abject in the final third. Arsenal created just two big chances, only forced the goalkeeper into one save and had two shots on target.

Against a side who have amassed two points all season, to quote Arteta, that is unacceptable.

What didn’t help, once again, was the performance of a certain Viktor Gyokeres. The Swede scored 54 times in 2024/25 but has really struggled since coming back to England. He now looks like he’s suffering from a lack of confidence.

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The three performances he’s put in since returning from injury have been really worrying. He didn’t have a single shot in his 45-minute cameo a week ago against Aston Villa and then after being given a start against Club Brugge in Europe, left the pitch after the hour mark having managed just four passes. He only had one shot of note, too.

Against Wolves, he was just as bad. He struggled to get on the end of chances and barely saw any of the action, completing just three passes. If Arteta’s side are to win the league, then they need far more from their marquee summer signing.

Arsenal star was as bad as Gyokeres vs Wolves

For Arsenal’s forward line this has been a puzzling season to date. In the early months of the campaign, the team were accused of relying on set-pieces. Yet, over the last month, they’ve not scored a single goal from a set play in the league.

Their open play threat has improved significantly. That was until Wolves came to town.

The attacking threat on this occasion, Saka aside, was virtually non-existent. The fact that Gyokeres, Eberechi Eze and Gabriel Martinelli all failed to last 90 minutes said it all.

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While Gyokeres will take a lot of the blame for the bluntness in attack, Martinelli must also take some criticism.

Having scored a brilliant goal in midweek, curling the ball in from range, he was back to his usual inconsistencies on Saturday.

What summed up the Brazilian’s performance was his header from one of Declan Rice’s first-half corners. A deep ball to the back post found Martinelli and standing a matter of yards out from the goal, he somehow headed the ball off target.

Truth be told, the winger struggled to get the better of an ageing Matt Doherty on Wolves’ right flank. Martinelli only completed one dribble and succeeded with a dire 67% of his passes.

While the 24-year-old did have four shots, not a single one of them was on target. Not great at all.

In the words of GOAL’s Charles Watts, he was largely “disappointing”. It was a performance way below what we’ve come to expect from him this season.

In the Champions League, the Brazilian has scored in five consecutive games but domestically, he’s leaving a lot to be desired.

When Arsenal face Everton next week, Arteta must ensure that Martinelli is back on the bench with Leandro Trossard – arguably the club’s best forward this season – selected ahead of him.

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