Mikel Arteta fires "blame" after Arsenal draw with Wolves opens door for Manchester City in Premier League title race

Mikel Arteta has insisted that Arsenal as a collective deserve criticism and blame for failing to beat Wolverhampton Wanderers on Wednesday.

The Gunners may have gained a point in the Premier League, but fans were dismayed by the club's performance away to Wolves, with the team failing to claim three points despite leading 2-0.

Many supporters and pundits have pointed blame at goalkeeper David Raya and centre-back Gabriel Magalhaes for their role in Wolves' second goal, while others have argued that Arteta's style of play contributed to the Londoners' poor showing.

Speaking to reporters after the game, Arteta did not look to shelter his players from criticism, saying: "Any question, any criticism, any opinion, you have to take it on the chin today. That's it. Any bullet, take it, because we didn't perform at the level that is required.

"I'm extremely disappointed, obviously, with the result, with the way the game ended, but we have to blame ourselves [with] the performance in the second half.

“So it's a moment of disappointment. We all want to talk a lot about how we're feeling. It's not the moment to do that, because anything that we do has to be always and only with the intention to help the team, and right now, I think we have to swallow that frustration."

Arteta's side have now drawn their past two matches, and he will be particularly disappointed considering his team led in both fixtures.

Are Manchester City now favourites for the Premier League title?

Manchester City are now five points behind Arsenal, but because they have played a game fewer and will host Arsenal in April, the title is now in their hands.

The Gunners have drawn four, lost one and won just two of their last seven matches in the league, and they are fortunate that City have failed to win five of their past eight outings in the top flight.

However, the momentum in the title race has undoubtedly swung in the Citizens' favour, especially after their win at Anfield against Liverpool on February 8.

Pep Guardiola's side had to come back from a 1-0 deficit late in the second half, and their mentality at arguably the toughest away ground in England stands in stark contrast to the frailties that Arsenal displayed on Wednesday against Wolves.

Where could the title be won and lost?

If Arsenal cannot shake off the disappointment of Wednesday's result, they could find themselves in a difficult situation in the coming weeks given they face Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday and Chelsea on March 1.

City's next two league fixtures come against Newcastle United and Leeds United, and they have already beaten the Toon twice in 2026.

Arsenal's only fixture in their final nine games of the season against a team in the top seven comes against City at the Etihad, whereas Guardiola's side face three of the top five and four of the top seven in their final 10 league matches.

If Arsenal can maintain a slender lead in the closing weeks of 2025-26, then they may be able to take advantage of City's difficult fixture list, but they cannot afford to drop points in their coming games.