'Not acceptable' - Mikel Arteta bemoans Arsenal display as Martin Keown says players looked like 'strangers' in late win over Wolverhampton Wanderers

Arsenal had a late Yerson Mosquera own goal to thank for their 2-1 win at home to relegation-threatened Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday evening at the Emirates in the Premier League, and manager Mikel Arteta and TNT Sports pundit Martin Keown were both left disappointed by the home side's performance. However, Arteta said the manner of the win gave his side "belief" they could win matches.

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta said his side’s performance against Wolverhampton Wanderers was "not acceptable", with Martin Keown also unimpressed.

The Gunners laboured to a 2-1 win after taking the lead in the second half through an own goal from goalkeeper Sam Johnstone on 70 minutes.

The visitors looked to be close to a shock draw when they levelled late through Tolu Arokodare on 90 minutes, only for another Wolves own goal - this time from Yerson Mosquera in added time - to give Arsenal all three points, and a reward for their determination.

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The victory took Arsenal five points clear of Manchester City ahead of their match on Sunday against Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park, and speaking to TNT Sports after the win, Arteta said he was not surprised it was heavy going.

He said: "We knew that it was going to be a tough match, especially since we hadn't scored early in the game. We had a lot of situations in the first half. One massive chance in the first half, with [Gabriel] Martinelli two yards out, totally free. 

"We struggled, once we arrived in the danger zones in the box, to pick out a red shirt. We had many situations, and then we don't generate that many chances."

Highlights: Arsenal snatch late, huge win against Wolves

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He saw some improvement in the second period, but felt his players were not at the required standards.

"In the second half we did that a bit better and scored the goal," he continued. "And then we had a period of three minutes deep, so passive, really poor defensive habits. Not acceptable for our level, because we hadn't conceded a single shot until that point. The first time they did it, they scored a goal, and that's the Premier League.

"In the end, you rely on one individual action, one chaotic action, to win the game, and the margins should have been better. We created a lot of situations without picking the right player in the final pass. We had overloads in the box and we hit the first man. It's not the standards that we need."

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The Spaniard, however, accepted that the manner of the win displayed some elements of a positive mentality, and with a week off ahead of their visit to Everton next Saturday, he said parts of their approach would have to be refined on the training ground.

He said of the win: "It gives you belief that no matter how the game goes, you can find a solution to win. Now we are going to have a clean week. You need to train certain aspects. Then we go again, because [during] the Christmas period, we know what happens."

'What a story!' - Dramatic 94th-minute Mosquera own goal hands Arsenal win

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‘They looked like strangers’ - Keown unhappy with Arsenal performance

Keown said that every side who want to be champions this season will face difficult games such as these, and thought that Wolves deserved praise for how they set themselves up. However, he suggested that an element of luck for Arsenal augured well for their title chances.

He explained: "You wouldn't want to be playing like that if you want to be champions. Every team that is a prospective champion will have a game like that. We've seen lots of [this]. Man City at Fulham recently only won 5-4, so it can happen to anybody. When you're playing the bottom team, I don't think it was complacency. 

"We have to give Wolves credit, and then Arsenal sort of played themselves into a hole, and they didn't really create. There wasn't really the creativity you expected, and then it became Lucky Arsenal again. If you want to be champions, you have to be lucky. Any team I've been successful in has been lucky at some point, and Arsenal can breathe a sigh of relief."

The former Arsenal defender put a lot of significance on the win, fearing the match was a potential banana skin, and a defeat could have been a morale boost for those hoping The Gunners do not succeed in the title race this season.

He continued: "I think the whole title is on this game because the commotion around, the noise around, there's a lot of feeling. If you support Arsenal, there's a lot of feeling against the club. 

"It's kind of like, they wouldn't want to trip up in this one, because it would be the ultimate trip-up against the bottom team in the table. It was really important that Arsenal responded. You thought it was Jesus, but it was another own goal that gets Arsenal out of jail."

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While Yerson Mosquera was credited for an own goal for Arsenal’s winner, it came in part because of the threatening position that the returning Gabriel Jesus took up in the box.

With Viktor Gyokeres yet to fully convince some observers that he is deserving of the first-choice No. 9 spot for The Gunners, Keown suggested that the contribution had put the Brazilian back in the mix for a starting place up front.

"He looked good when he came on," he observed. "Gyokeres is not yet at the fitness level you'd expect. There's a real tussle for who's going to be that No. 9. Jesus has put himself right back in there."

Ultimately, Keown was happy with the three points for his old side, but was worried at a lack of cohesion in the side.

He said: "There was a lot of passing going astray in that first half. It wasn't the Arsenal that we expected. 

"They looked like strangers at one stage, but in the end they found the win and that's the most important thing, and they build for the next one."

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