Arsenal cannot achieve "impossible" Premier League feat after Wolves draw as Mikel Arteta's next steps clear

Arsenal cannot pull off an "impossible" feat in the Premier League title race after their forgettable win over Wolverhampton Wanderers, a Gunners Invincible has exclusively told Sports Mole.

Mikel Arteta's side maintained their two-point lead over Manchester City at the top of the Premier League table over the weekend, but their 2-1 victory over 20th-placed Wolves was more of a cause for concern than celebration.

The Gunners did not register a shot on target until the 66th minute of the match and had to rely on two own goals - one from Sam Johnstone and one from Yerson Mosquera - to get them over the line after Tolu Arokodare's leveller.

The consensus is that Arsenal's display on Saturday was their worst from a collective point of view, but Martin Keown stressed the fact that every title-winning team he has played in got the rub of the green on some occasions.

Now, Keown's former teammate Ray Parlour has affirmed that it is "impossible" for Arsenal to perform brilliantly every week, as he reflected on the "awful" displays from some of his title-winning crops.

Ray Parlour: "Impossible" for Arsenal to play well every week

"At the end of the season, no-one analyses every game and says ‘oh, well, we got lucky there,’", Parlour stressed. "I've been in title-winning sides and we played awful sometimes.

"But the most important thing is getting the result, and that's what they got. You can't play well every week. It's impossible.

"You're going to have players have off days, but it's about getting three points and trying to keep the pressure on the teams who are chasing you."

The 1997-98 title-winning Arsenal team suffered dismal defeats away to Derby County and Sheffield Wednesday, while the 2001-02 charges were beaten at home by Leeds United, Charlton Athletic and Newcastle United.

Meanwhile, the 2003-04 Invincibles may not have lost a single game, but Portsmouth, Charlton, Birmingham City, Leicester City and Bolton Wanderers all held Arsene Wenger's men to draws in that historic campaign.

Arsenal's next steps are clear after woeful Wolves performance

Only two Arsenal players could pat themselves on the back for their performances against Wolves - Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Jesus - with the rest having no answers to the Old Gold's rigid defensive structure.

However, the Gunners' mediocre display can at least be partially attributed to a brutal run of fixtures, as they have already played seven matches since the end of the last international break, the first of those coming on November 23.

Arteta's men now have a full week to recover for their trip to Everton on Saturday evening, where the league leaders must simply prove that their tepid performance against Rob Edwards's two-point team was simply a one-off.

Liverpool were not exactly an all-conquering force during their run to title glory either, as the Reds only just squeezed past Southampton 3-2 away from home last season, at a time when the Saints also risked a Premier League-low points total.

With no midweek match to attend to, Arsenal have to respond in an emphatic manner at the Hill Dickinson Stadium, but failure to do so will lead to justifiable questions about their title credentials.

Ray Parlour was speaking to Sports Mole on behalf of NetBet Sports Betting.