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Arsenal icon Alan Smith has said that the Gunners’ surprising draw with Wolves might be a key moment and could change the direction of the Premier League title race.
Arsenal were heading towards a seven-point lead over second-placed Manchester City as they took a 2-0 advantage against Wolves at Molineux.
Bukayo Saka celebrated his new contract with Arsenal by scoring the team’s first goal just five minutes into the match.
The top team in the league did not play their best game against the weakest team in the division, but it seemed like it would get the three points when Piero Hincapie scored again to make it 2-0 for Arsenal at halftime.
Hugo Bueno gave Wolves a boost by scoring a goal just before the hour mark, and then Tom Edozie came back to make it a draw with a last-minute goal.
Arsenal’s 2-2 draw put them five points ahead of Manchester City, who now have a match coming up against Arsenal in April.
Arsenal legend Smith said the draw might be the key moment in the title race and criticised goalkeeper David Raya for getting nervous during Wolves’ equalising goal.
Raya had a big collision with Arsenal’s centre-back Gabriel, which led to a costly mistake, allowing Edozie to score the equalising goal for Wolves in the end.
Smith told Sky Sports, “It feels like a really important moment, something crucial, and perhaps a turning point.
“We’ll wait and see. It’s now up to Manchester City to decide, but being two goals ahead against a team that’s at the bottom of the league with just nine points isn’t good enough for a team aiming to win the title.
“At the end, things fell apart because Trossard was just trying to waste time, and then David Raya got nervous and came out of his goal when he didn’t have to.
“That doesn’t look good for Arsenal handling pressure in the future. There’s definitely a lot of tension in the camp, and the whole situation is starting to really affect them. It happened tonight and will continue, but it’s not a good sign.
“Mikel Arteta has a tough task ahead of him to bring everyone back to calm; it’s a major responsibility he’s taking on. They’ve got to settle down.
“We’ve talked a lot about them being the best team or group in the league, but the word “bottle” will come up a lot in the coming days.
“Man City will be thinking we’re close behind them, and with their experience, especially Guardiola’s, they’re really confident now.https://urbanexpresslive.com/epl-why-alan-smith-blames-two-arsenal-stars-for-2-2-draw-with-wolves/
“It’s clearly a big match for Newcastle this weekend, and the Arsenal players can almost sense the tension from the Newcastle team as they watch the game tonight.”
