A wasteful and lackadaisical Arsenal missed out on the chance to go seven points clear at the top after throwing away a two-goal lead to draw 2-2 at Wolves.
The Gunners appeared to be coasting towards victory but a stoppage-time goal from debutant Samuel Edozie secured rock-bottom Wolves only their tenth point of the entire Premier League campaign.
With top facing bottom, it initially looked as if Rob Edwards’ side could be in for a long night as Bukayo Saka headed home to open the scoring after only five minutes at a rain-drenched Molineux.
David Raya didn’t have a single save to make in a turgid first half, which ended with Piero Hincapie having a penalty shout waved away by referee Paul Tierney.
Wolves came out revitalised after the break, though, with Adam Armstrong firing just over the crossbar and Jackson Tchatchoua threatening in a promising period for the hosts.
Arsenal had appeared to have put the game to bed in a frantic five-minute period as Hincapie combined brilliantly with Gabriel Magalhaes to double the visitors’ advantage with a cool finish.
The impressive Hugo Bueno found an immediate response with the goal of the night, beating Raya from range to set up a nervy final half an hour for Mikel Arteta’s men.
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Bukayo Saka opened the scoring for Arsenal against Wolves (Picture: Getty)
Hincapie scored his first goal for Arsenal to increase the deficit (Picture: Getty)
Eventually, the pressure told, and it was a moment of madness from Raya, who fumbled a cross from Mateus Mane, to gift Wolves their equaliser in the fourth minute of injury time.
After coming on in place of Jean-Ricner Bellegarde, Wolves debutant Edozie found himself in the right place at the right time to thump the ball in off Riccardo Calafiori from close range, sending the home crowd into raptures.
Bueno fired home a stunner from range to halve Arsenal’s lead in the 61st minute (Picture: Getty)
Arsenal’s frustrations at the full-time whistle – after a second draw in as many games – bubbled to the surface as Gabriel Jesus shoved Yerson Mosquera with some force to spark a heated clash involving both sets of players.
The league leaders have the perfect opportunity to bounce back in style this weekend when they return to action in what promises to be an intriguing north London derby at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Relive all the action from Wednesday’s Premier League clash between top and bottom with Metro’s matchday blog below:
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February 19, 2026 12:00 am
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February 18, 2026 10:17 pm
Goodnight!
That’s that from our live blog but stay tuned across Metro.co.uk for all of the reaction from Arsenal’s hugely disappointing 2-2 draw with Wolves.
February 18, 2026 10:10 pm
What’s next for Arsenal and Wolves?
For Arsenal, it’s the small matter of a north London derby against Tottenham – at Tottenham – on Sunday.
Wolves will look to continue their momentum against struggling Crystal Palace on the same day.
February 18, 2026 10:06 pm
FT: Wolves 2-2 Arsenal
The Arsenal fans still inside Molineux look shell-shocked.
Paul Merson describes the result as ‘really, really disappointing’ for his former club.
They are still top with a five-point cushion over Manchester City but it should have been seven.
February 18, 2026 10:01 pm
FULL-TIME: Wolves 2-2 Arsenal
I can’t quite believe what we’ve seen there but is that the turning point in the title race? A shocking result for Mikel Arteta’s side.
Wolves, meanwhile, deserve a great amount of credit – they looked down and out but fought back to stun the title favourites.
February 18, 2026 10:00 pm
FULL-TIME: Wolves 2-2 Arsenal
A huge blow to Arsenal and their title charge – they’ve surrendered a two-goal lead against basement boys Wolves.
February 18, 2026 9:59 pm
96 mins: Wolves 2-2 Arsenal
We’ve still got a couple of minutes left due to Trossard’s injury at the start of added-time.
But it’s Wolves who have the ball in Arsenal’s half…
February 18, 2026 9:55 pm
94 mins: GOAL! Wolves 2-2 Arsenal
A huge mix-up between Raya and Gabriel and the ball falls to Tom Edozie.
He has time and smashes it into the back of the net – Wolves have come back from 2-0 down to level!
Can Arsenal respond with just a few minutes remaining?
February 18, 2026 9:54 pm
92 mins: Wolves 1-2 Arsenal
There’s been plenty of breaks in play this evening and we’ve got another as Leandro Trossard receives treatment after being barged off the ball by Santiago Bueno.
He needs to come off, in fact, and is replaced for the final few minutes by Riccardo Calafiori.
February 18, 2026 9:52 pm
90 mins: Wolves 1-2 Arsenal
SIX minutes added on as Arsenal look to hold on against the worst team in the Premier League.
February 18, 2026 9:50 pm
88 mins: Wolves 1-2 Arsenal
Gabriel Martinelli wins a corner and Arsenal are taking their time with it…
Eventually Declan Rice takes it short and it’s dealt with easily by Wolves.
February 18, 2026 9:47 pm
85 mins: Wolves 1-2 Arsenal
It’s pretty edgy at Molineux but Arsenal are still ahead with five minutes remaining.
‘It’s not vintage Arsenal,’ says Alan Smith as the Premier League leaders lose the ball again.
February 18, 2026 9:42 pm
80 mins: Wolves 1-2 Arsenal
It’s end-to-end stuff at the minute, similar to Arsenal’s previous game against Brentford.
Wolves aren’t looking quite as dangerous as the Bees did in west London last week but are still hunting an equaliser with ten minutes of normal time remaining.
February 18, 2026 9:39 pm
77 mins: Wolves 1-2 Arsenal
Now Gabriel is down with what looks like a head injury.
The big central defender gets a hefty whack from Wolves forward Armstrong while nodding the ball away.
He’s receiving some treatment but he’s a big boy, he’ll be alright.
February 18, 2026 9:37 pm
75 mins: Wolves 1-2 Arsenal
Trossard’s first contribution is a speculative pass for Jesus, which sails straight into the arms of Wolves goalkeeper Sa.
It’s a little clumsy from the Belgian. The last thing Arsenal need is Wolves regaining confidence in possession again.
February 18, 2026 9:35 pm
73 mins: Wolves 1-2 Arsenal
That’s Saka’s night over and Arteta will be praying it’s not a bad one for the England winger, who appears to be hobbling off the pitch.
Trossard comes on in his place.
February 18, 2026 9:33 pm
71 mins: Wolves 1-2 Arsenal
Saka is stretched out on the turf and looks in some discomfort while receiving some medical attention.
He’s coming off.
February 18, 2026 9:30 pm
67 mins: Wolves 1-2 Arsenal
Martinelli wriggles through a sea of bodies inside Wolves’ box and hits the target with a snatched effort on the turn.
Sa is alert to the danger, though, and directs the ball away to safety with his legs.
This game is really opening up.
February 18, 2026 9:26 pm
65 mins: Wolves 1-2 Arsenal
Double change for the away team, with Eze and Jesus coming on for Madueke and Gyokeres respectively.
Can they make the difference with Wolves threatening to make this a real contest?
February 18, 2026 9:22 pm
61 mins: GOAL – Wolves 1-2 Arsenal
Wolves respond immediately and what a goal it is by the way. Take a bow, Hugo Bueno!
The Spanish full-back has only ever scored one goal before tonight for Wolves – and he surely can’t have scored many better than that in his entire career.
Raya can do absolutely nothing as Bueno cuts onto his left foot before curling an audacious effort beyond his fellow countryman.
Well that makes things a little more interesting…
February 18, 2026 9:19 pm
56 mins: GOAL – Wolves 0-2 Arsenal
The visitors have got a second through Hincapie… but they were made to wait for it!
The Ecuadorian finishes superbly after an exquisite through ball from Gabriel and the linesman raised his flag immediately, with audible groans heard in the away end.
But after a brief VAR check, the strike is eventually awarded to the Premier League leaders and it’s Hincapie’s first for the Gunners. He’ll be delighted with that.
It could be a long night for Wolves now.
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