‘Unacceptable’ – Martin Keown says players looked ‘strangers’ in late win against Wolverhampton Wanderers, Mikel Arteta laments Arsenal’s performance

The win left Arsenal five points clear of Manchester City ahead of Sunday’s game against Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park, but Arteta told TNT Sports after the win that he was not surprised by the tough turn of events.

“We knew it was going to be a tough game, especially because we weren’t scoring early in the game. We had a lot of moments in the first half. We only had one big chance in the first half. (Gabriel) Martinelli was completely free from two yards out.”

“Once we got to the danger zone in the box, we had a hard time choosing the red shirt. We had a lot of chances, but we didn’t create many chances.”

Highlights: Arsenal steal the show late on to win big against Wolves

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He saw some improvement in the second period but felt his players were not up to the required standard.

“We did a little better in the second half and scored goals,” he continued. “Then we went into a deep three-minute period and were very passive, very bad defensive habits. That’s unacceptable for our level, because we hadn’t conceded a single shot up until that point. The first time they did it, they scored. That’s the Premier League.”

“In the end we rely on individual actions, chaotic actions to win games, but the margin could have been better. We created a lot of situations by not picking the right player with the last pass. We overloaded in the box and it hit the first player. That’s not the standard we need.”

‘A reliable player right now’, Keown says Saka is key to Arsenal’s Premier League hopes

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But the Spaniard admitted the way he won showed elements of a positive mentality and said he will need to improve some aspects of his approach on the training ground with a week off before next Saturday’s game against Everton.

He said of the win: “It gives me the belief that no matter how the game goes, we can find a solution to win. We have a clean week ahead of us. We need to train certain aspects. Then we’ll go again. We know what’s going to happen over the Christmas period.”

“What a story!” – Mosquera’s dramatic own goal in the 94th minute gives Arsenal victory

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‘They looked like strangers’ – Keown unhappy with Arsenal’s performance

Keown said any team wanting to be champions this season would face difficult games like this, and thought Wolves deserved praise for the way they started. However, he suggested that an element of luck for Arsenal put their title chances in good stead.

“If you want to be champions, you don’t want to play like that. Any team that could be champions will have a game like that. We’ve seen a lot of games like this. Fulham, Man City, only won 5-4 recently, so that can happen to anyone. I don’t think it was complacency when you’re playing a team at the bottom of the table,” he explained.

“We have to give credit to Wolves, but then Arsenal seemed to be in a hole themselves and couldn’t really create. There wasn’t any creativity that we would have expected, but then we got lucky Arsenal again. If you want to be champions, you have to be lucky. Every team that I’ve had success with has been lucky at some point, and Arsenal can breathe a sigh of relief.”

The former Arsenal defender is focused on winning, fearing the game could go on a banana peel, and a defeat could be a morale booster for those hoping the Gunners don’t succeed in the title race this season.

He added: “I think the title is all at stake in this game because there’s a lot of noise and noise around and there’s a lot of emotion. If you support Arsenal, you’ll have a lot of emotion towards the club.”

“In a way, they don’t want to stumble in this game, because it’s the ultimate stumbling block against a team lower in the table. It was very important that Arsenal reacted. I thought it was a yes, but it was another own goal that saved Arsenal from prison.”

Arsenal’s winning goal was attributed to Jeson Mosquera’s own goal, but this was partly due to the returning Gabriel Jesus occupying a threatening position in the box.

With Victor Goqueres still not fully convincing some observers that he deserves the Gunners’ first-choice No. 9 spot, Keown suggested his contribution could see the Brazilian return to a starting spot up front.

“He looked good when he came on,” he observed. “Gökeres is not yet at the fitness level that you would expect. There is a real dispute as to who will be that number nine. Jesus has put himself back there.”

In the end, Keown was satisfied with his former club’s three points, but was worried about the team’s lack of cohesion.

He said, “In the first half, there were a lot of stray passes.It wasn’t the Arsenal we were expecting.”

“At one stage they looked like strangers but in the end they found a win and that’s the most important thing. They’re building up for the next game.”

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