Premier League Bottom Battle Drama: Leaders Fail to Score, Second Bottom Nets 3 Goals, Arsenal Wins 2-1 Against Wolves

At 4 a.m. Beijing time on December 14, the 16th round of the Premier League saw a crucial bottom-table showdown with Arsenal, the leaders, hosting Wolves, who were second from the bottom.

In the first half, Ben White left the pitch due to injury, Hwang Hee-chan missed a one-on-one opportunity, and Martinelli created threats, but the score remained 0-0 at halftime; in the second half, Saka’s corner led to an own goal putting Arsenal ahead 1-0, Arokođar equalized for Wolves, and then Saka scored another own goal in stoppage time to secure the victory.

In the end, Arsenal narrowly defeated Wolves 2-1 at home, clinching a tense 3 points and extending their lead to 5 points with a game in hand; Wolves suffered their tenth consecutive loss, remaining at the bottom with just 2 points.

Regarding Arsenal vs Wolves,Arteta deployed a 4-3-3 formation with Saka, Yokores, and Martinelli forming the front three; Eze, Soumièn, and Rice made up the midfield trio; Ben White, Timber, Saliba, and Incapier formed the back four, Raya guarded the goal, with a starting lineup valued at 780 million euros.Meanwhile, Edwards set up a 3-5-2 formation, pairing Hwang Hee-chan and Larsen as forwards; Wolfe, Krejic, Trindade, João Gomes, and Doherty composed the five-man midfield; Toddy, Agbadou, and Jason Moslac made up the three defenders, Johnstone was in goal, with a starting lineup valued at 210 million euros.

The Premier League bottom clash was full of suspense. Although Arsenal dominated possession at home with 69%, taking 16 shots—more than five times Wolves’ 3 shots on target—both teams only managed 2 shots on target each, highlighting how poor Arsenal’s attacking performance was, essentially shooting blindly. Arsenal was equalized and then beaten by Wolves at home; the league leaders failed to score a single goal while Wolves scored 3 goals (including 2 own goals), yet the final score was Arsenal’s 2-1 stoppage-time winner securing valuable 3 points. Arsenal struggled throughout the match, but the outcome was favorable. At moments when fans feared a collapse, Arsenal held firm—an essential trait for title contenders. However, if Arsenal continues such poor attacking displays, they will drop points over the long Premier League season. With Manchester City’s rich title-winning experience behind them, Arsenal, who have finished runners-up three times, must stay fully alert.