Yerson Mosquera spared Arsenal’s blushes as he scored a last-minute own goal to defeat Premier League strugglers Wolves after they thought they had rescued a point.
Mosquera inadvertently steered in Buakyo Saka’s cross in stoppage time after Wolves substitute Tolu Arokodare looked to have earned the visitors an unlikely point moments before.
Wolves came into the match having made the joint-worst start to a season in Premier League history, with two points from 15 games. But they frustrated Arsenal and were seconds away from an unlikely result.
Arsenal’s opener was also an own goal after Saka’s corner deflected off the post and hit the back of goalkeeper Sam Johnstone to cross the line.
Follow all the latest updates from the Emirates below as Premier League leaders Arsenal take on Wolves
Arsenal v Wolves LIVE
- Wolves score two own goals as Arsenal rescue late win
- GOAL! Arsenal 2-1 Wolves (Mosquera og, 90+4 min)
- GOAL! Arsenal 1-1 Wolves (Arokodare, 90 min)
- GOAL! Arsenal 1-0 Wolves (Johnstone og, 70 min)
Arteta gives concerning White injury update
23:00 , Lawrence OstlereBen White is facing another spell on the sidelines after suffering a hamstring injury during the first half of Arsenal’s dramatic 2-1 win over Wolves at the Emirates Stadium.
Read more:
Mikel Arteta gives concerning Ben White injury update in fresh Arsenal blow
Wolves manager Rob Edwards speaks
22:38 , Lawrence OstlereEdwards tells BBC Sport: "The lads gave everything tonight. The bottom line is we have lost another game of football.
"The plan did work, the lads carried it out really well. We were very disciplined - we cannot open up here as it would be asking for trouble.
"Lads worked hard on it, and they believed in it [gameplan]. We showed the courage to get back in it after being 1-0 down.
"This is why where we are. We have got to defend the goal, and we are not doing that well enough. The lads gave everything, and I am proud of a lot of it, but it hurts.”
Match summary
22:16 , Lawrence OstlereArsenal secured a dramatic stoppage-time 2-1 victory against Wolves to extend their lead over Manchester City to five points at the top of the Premier League.
Mikel Arteta's players were off the pace for much of Saturday night's encounter under the lights at the Emirates Stadium, but they lucked-in after 70 minutes when Wolves goalkeeper Sam Johnstone diverted Bukayo Saka's corner into his own net.
However, Wolves struck back in the 90th minute through substitute Tolu Arokodare to leave the home side stunned.
But a fortuitous Arsenal regained the lead in the fourth minute of added time when Yerson Mosquera, under pressure from substitute Gabriel Jesus, headed Saka's cross past a stunned Johnstone.
Pep Guaridola's City have the opportunity to trim the Gunners' advantage back to two points when they face Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park on Sunday.
Wolves remain on two points following their ninth successive league defeat.
Full-time: Arsenal 2-1 Wolves
22:08 , Lawrence OstlereWatch that incredible late drama (UK readers only):
Late drama at the Emirates!
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) December 13, 2025
Just minutes after Wolves equalise, Arsenal make it 2-1 in the 94th minute 🔥@tntsports & @discoveryplusUK pic.twitter.com/bo9o6vN6rf
Full-time: Arsenal 2-1 Wolves
22:04 , Lawrence OstlereBukayo Saka to TNT Sports: “Today it went our way, so we’ll take the points and move forwards. We won’t know until May (the importance). It was frustrating at times, I’ll be honest, but we got our reward. We’ve got a break now until next week and we’ll enjoy it.”
Full-time: Arsenal 2-1 Wolves
22:03 , Jamie BraidwoodJamie Braidwood at the Emirates
That’s crazy. I think Rob Edwards’ face said it all as he went to applaud the away fans. Two own goals to lose 2-1 to the league leaders, after thinking you had rescued a point at the death... Ouch.
Full-time: Arsenal 2-1 Wolves
21:57 , Lawrence OstlereArsenal win, but wow, what a finale.
GOAL! Arsenal 2-1 Wolves (Mosquera og, 90+4 min)
21:55 , Lawrence OstlereArsenal have done it! Saka whips in a cross and Mosquera heads it past his own goalkeeper trying to keep Gabriel Jesus away from it. What drama.
Arsenal 1-1 Wolves
21:51 , Jamie BraidwoodJamie Braidwood at the Emirates
Stunning. The Wolves away end erupts. They have had nothing to celebrate this season but could be about to pick up just a third point of the season at the Premier League leaders.
GOAL! Arsenal 1-1 Wolves (Arokodare, 90 min)
21:51 , Lawrence OstlereOh my. Extraordinary. Wolves have dominated since Arsenal’s goal and they get their reward when a fired cross is steered home by Arokodare in the box. Wow.
Arsenal 1-0 Wolves
21:48 , Lawrence Ostlere88 min: Wolves are really probing now, and almost cut Arsenal open, only for Lewis-Skelly to get back and make a crucial challenge.
Arsenal 1-0 Wolves
21:46 , Lawrence Ostlere85 min: Arsenal are allowing Wolves to have some of the ball, which could prove dangerous.
Arsenal 1-0 Wolves
21:42 , Lawrence Ostlere81 min: Gabriel Jesus replaces Gyokeres. It’s the Brazilian’s first Premier League appearance since January.
Arsenal 1-0 Wolves
21:39 , Lawrence Ostlere78 min: Odegaard lashes a shot at goal but it flies well over the bar.
Arsenal 1-0 Wolves
21:37 , Lawrence Ostlere75 min: Wolves have opened up a little in search of the equaliser, and the result is that there is now more space for Arsenal to go forwards.
Arsenal 1-0 Wolves
21:32 , Jamie BraidwoodJamie Braidwood at the Emirates
Ooof that is a killer blow if you are Wolves and Rob Edwards. The Arsenal fans take great pleasure in pointing at their watches after all of Sam Johnstone’s time-wasting, after the ball cannoned back off the post and into his back before crossing the line. That, by the way, is Arsenal’s first set-piece goal in the Premier League since Burnley away after the previous 11 came from open play.
GOAL! Arsenal 1-0 Wolves (Johnstone og, 70 min)
21:30 , Lawrence OstlereOh my word! Saka bends in a delicious corner from the right side which Johnstone tips on to the far post. But the ball bounces back against the keeper and in!
Finally, Arsenal have the breakthrough.
Arsenal 0-0 Wolves
21:28 , Lawrence Ostlere68 min: Rice hits one on target this time, from just outside the box, and it’s a good save by Johnstone! He dives low to his left and gets one strong palm to the ball to push it clear.
Arsenal 0-0 Wolves
21:26 , Lawrence Ostlere66 min: Declan Rice whips the free-kick just over the bar.
Arsenal 0-0 Wolves
21:25 , Lawrence Ostlere65 min: They might get one now. Gyokeres is taken down outside the box and it’s a free-kick in a promising position...
Arsenal 0-0 Wolves
21:23 , Lawrence Ostlere63 min: Arsenal have not had a shot on target.
Arsenal 0-0 Wolves
21:21 , Lawrence Ostlere60 min: Hwang has just slid through Timber (I think) and could have been sent off. His studs were up, and the replay doesn’t look great, but he gets away with it. Yellow card only.
Arsenal 0-0 Wolves
21:18 , Lawrence Ostlere57 min: Three changes by Arteta: Odegaard, Trossard and Merino are on for Martinelli, Eze and Zubimendi.
Arsenal 0-0 Wolves
21:18 , Jamie BraidwoodJamie Braidwood at the Emirates Stadium:
Zubimendi looked absolutely livid with himself after being hooked as part of that triple-change from Arteta, taking the shortest exit off the pitch and immediately covering his face while bashing his thigh with his fist. Arsenal have lacked their usual zip today and the disappointment from their pace-setter tells you they absolutely know it.
Arsenal 0-0 Wolves
21:17 , Lawrence Ostlere55 min: Martinelli skins Doherty and surges into the box before trying to bend the ball into the far corner, but he misses the target. Great chance, albeit a tight angle.
Arsenal 0-0 Wolves
21:16 , Lawrence OstlereChanges coming by Arteta...
Arsenal 0-0 Wolves
21:15 , Lawrence Ostlere53 min: Declan Rice just took a terrible corner, but Wolves immediately give him the chance to take another. This one is better and Johnstone has to come and punch it clear.
Arsenal 0-0 Wolves
21:12 , Lawrence Ostlere50 min: Martinelli skips through a couple of challenges on the left side of the box before losing control and it runs behind for a goal-kick.
Arsenal 0-0 Wolves
21:10 , Jamie BraidwoodJamie Braidwood at the Emirates Stadium:
The way Saka gathered his team-mates for a huddle before the start of the second half suggested they got an absolute rollocking from Arteta at the break. Arteta was completely furious when Timber failed to slide the ball across the face after being slipped in by Saka. And the anger at Johnstone and Wolves’ time-wasting is growing, too.
Arsenal 0-0 Wolves
21:09 , Lawrence OstlereThe second half is underway.
Half-time: Arsenal 0-0 Wolves
21:02 , Lawrence OstlereArteta has enormous firepower on the bench in Odegaard, Merino, Trossard, Madueke and Jesus. Will we see any changes at the break?
Half-time: Arsenal 0-0 Wolves
20:58 , Lawrence OstlereA few pictures from that first period at the Emirates.
Half-time: Arsenal 0-0 Wolves
20:53 , Jamie BraidwoodJamie Braidwood at the Emirates Stadium:
Arsenal haven't helped themselves with some overhit or wayward passing when trying to break through this packed Wolves defence. Saka has been the bright spark but Gyokeres has been pretty anonymous and wasn’t there when the captain slid a brilliant pass across the danger zone. Wolves, meanwhile, probably had the best chance of the game as Hwang raced through on goal but Raya saved.
Half-time: Arsenal 0-0 Wolves
20:49 , Lawrence OstlereAll square at the break.
Arsenal 0-0 Wolves
20:48 , Lawrence Ostlere45+1 min: Half a chance for Wolves with Strand Larsen in the box, but Hincapie gets across brilliantly to block his effort.
Arsenal 0-0 Wolves
20:48 , Jamie BraidwoodJamie Braidwood at the Emirates Stadium:
Great stuff. The fourth official Paul Tierney’s board was broken as he attempted to reveal the amount of first-half stoppage time. So the replacement board (!) was swiftly found to sarcastic cheers, which then turned into groans as only four minutes were added on. An Arsenal fan in front of me has just directed a mouthful of abuse at the official, given the clear Wolves time-wasting in this first half.
Arsenal 0-0 Wolves
20:44 , Lawrence Ostlere43 min: Agbadou heads clear a Martinelli cross. Just a couple more minutes for Wolves to get through...
Arsenal 0-0 Wolves
20:41 , Lawrence Ostlere40 min: Zubimendi tries an ambitious ball over the top of the deep Wolves defence and it bounces harmlessly behind for a goal-kick. The Emirates groans.
Arsenal 0-0 Wolves
20:39 , Jamie BraidwoodJamie Braidwood at the Emirates Stadium:
This is desperate stuff from Wolves as they try and cling on to 0-0 until half-time. Rob Edwards was instructing his team to slow down even more after Martinelli prodded wide at the back post. They are hanging on.
Arsenal 0-0 Wolves
20:38 , Lawrence Ostlere36 min: Arsenal’s best chance so far! Saka drills a low one across the six-yard box and two or three Arsenal players throw themselves at it but can’t quite get the telling touch.
Arsenal 0-0 Wolves
20:34 , Lawrence Ostlere33 min: Declan Rice’s deep corner finds Gabriel Martinelli, who heads back across the goal but misses the target.
Arsenal 0-0 Wolves
20:31 , Lawrence Ostlere30 min: Indeed, Ben White cannot continue. A blow for the defender after stringing a few appearances together.
Myles Lewis-Skelly comes on at left-back, and Jurrien Timber shifts over to the right.
Arsenal 0-0 Wolves
20:29 , Jamie BraidwoodJamie Braidwood at the Emirates Stadium:
Well that was entertaining. All of a sudden, Hwang Hee-Chan had 70 yards of empty space in front of him and the way he was chased by seven Arsenal players was like something out of an episode of Scooby Doo. It appears as if Ben White has injured himself chasing down the Wolves forward.
Arsenal 0-0 Wolves
20:30 , Lawrence Ostlere28 min: Big chance! It falls to Wolves, as they find Hwang Hee-chan on the counter-attack, and he’s suddenly in behind the high Arsenal defence. Hwang steadies himself as he enters the box but has to get off a shot quickly with Arsenal defenders chasing back, and it’s well saved by David Raya diving to his right.
Arsenal 0-0 Wolves
20:27 , Lawrence Ostlere26 min: Saka, again, surges down the right where Toti Gomes is getting smoked by the England winger. He drives to the byline and fires in a right-footed cross, but Wolves manage to clear their lines.
Arsenal 0-0 Wolves
20:26 , Lawrence Ostlere25 min: Mikel Arteta sits down on his seat with a huff after watching a long pass miss everyone and roll out for a Wolves goal-kick. Arsenal are not quite clicking.
Arsenal 0-0 Wolves
20:23 , Jamie BraidwoodJamie Braidwood at the Emirates Stadium:
I am quite fascinated by Wolves. They have a striker in Jorgen Strand Larsen who could have gone for £60m in the summer. They have tricky little midfielders like Joao Gomes and Andre who if you saw them play for Porto in the Champions League would think they are superstars in the making. Yet they have two points in the Premier League and are very much in ‘survival’ mode. A 5-3-2 set up, with Sam Johnsone taking as much time from goal-kicks to slow Arsenal down, appears to be working so far.
Arsenal 0-0 Wolves
20:21 , Lawrence Ostlere21 min: Wolves have offered no attacking threat whatsoever but they can chalk this down as a good start. Arsenal haven’t been able to break down their stubborn block so far.
Arsenal 0-0 Wolves
20:20 , Lawrence Ostlere18 min: Ben White is proving to be a useful outlet here, overlapping Saka who is taking up most of Wolves’ attention and therefore the defender is finding space. Arsenal are attacking almost entirely down that flank.
Arsenal 0-0 Wolves
20:18 , Lawrence Ostlere16 min: Saka causes problems again down the right and floats in a cross, but Rice – under lots of pressure – can’t quite direct his header on target from close range.
Arsenal 0-0 Wolves
20:15 , Lawrence Ostlere13 min: Eze accidentally hits Gomes in the face with a high boot while trying to control Ben White’s cross. Unfortunate, possibly careless, and Joao Gomes looks to be in a lot of pain.
Arsenal 0-0 Wolves
20:14 , Jamie BraidwoodJamie Braidwood at the Emirates Stadium:
Arsenal are on top but finding Saka feels key to the breakthrough. He essentially has two right backs behind him in White and Timber, and has an excellent understanding with both, as a clever little dink to White in the box shows. Eze is playing in the ‘Odegaard role’ to the right of Arsenal’s midfield three. An early pass punched through to Saka was overhit.
Arsenal 0-0 Wolves
20:12 , Lawrence Ostlere10 min: A bit of a lull, which suits Wolves just nicely. They’ve ridden out the initial storm, though there are more forecast.
Arsenal 0-0 Wolves
20:08 , Lawrence Ostlere7 min: A nice cross by Saka from the right wing finds Timber in the centre of the box, but it’s slightly too high for the defender and his header arcs over the bar.
The Gunners very much on top, as you might imagine.
Arsenal 0-0 Wolves
20:06 , Lawrence Ostlere6 min: Rice chooses to play the free-kick short and the move fizzles out near the byline, though Hincapie earns a corner.
Arsenal 0-0 Wolves
20:06 , Lawrence Ostlere5 min: Arsenal have a free-kick on the left wing after Martinelli was fouled on the touchline. Chance for a set-piece early...
Arsenal 0-0 Wolves
20:04 , Lawrence Ostlere2 min: Declan Rice lumps a pass over the top of the Wolves defence but Mosquera gets back to clear away from the chasing Martinelli.
Kick-off! Arsenal v Wolves
20:00 , Lawrence OstlereEberechi Eze gets this one going.
Mikel Arteta speaks before kick-off
19:59 , Lawrence OstlereHere’s the Arsenal manager on Declan Rice’s return after a minor illness, to TNT Sports. “He trained very well in the last two days. He was feeling very good. Re-energised and ready to go.”
Arsenal v Wolves
19:58 , Jamie BraidwoodBukayo Saka, wearing the armband with Martin Odegaard on the bench, leads Arsenal out at the Emirates.
Wolves face a mighty task here and you have to applaud the away end - which is completely full for a Saturday 8pm kick-off.
Eberechi Eze named Arsenal player of the month
19:54 , Jamie BraidwoodEberechi Eze was presented with Arsenal’s player of the month award for November before kick-off. After that north London derby hat-trick against Tottenham, fair enough.
Arsenal v Wolves – line-ups
19:52 , Lawrence OstlereNearly go-time at the Emirates tonight. A reminder of the two line-ups:
Arsenal: Raya, White, Saliba, Hincapie, Timber, Zubimendi, Rice, Eze, Saka, Martinelli, Gyokeres.
Subs: Arrizabalaga, Lewis-Skelly, Norgaard, Merino, Odegaard, Nwaneri, Trossard, Madueke, Jesus.
Wolves: Johnstone, Mosquera, Agbadou, Gomes, Doherty, Andre, Krejci, Wolfe, Gomes, Hee-chan, Larsen.
Subs: Sa, Bueno, Hoever, Tchatchoua, Arias, Arokodare, Chirewa, Lopez, Mane.
A relatively rare top v bottom Premier League clash
19:45 , Jamie BraidwoodThis will be the 42nd time the Premier League leaders have faced the bottom side. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the leaders have won 30 of the previous 41 (D7, L4).
Can you name the four wins for the basement side?
Well, Wolves have actually been responsible for two of them, beating Manchester United at Molineux in both January 2004 and February 2011, the last occasion where 20th toppled 1st.
It wasn’t a defeat, but you may also remember leaders Arsenal slipping up against bottom side Southampton when they were bidding to win the Premier League a couple of seasons ago, in a 3-3 draw in April 2023.
Arsenal v Wolves
19:36 , Lawrence OstlereA glimpse inside the Arsenal dressing room before kick-off:
Bleak outlook for struggling Wolves
19:31 , Lawrence OstlereDerby's low points record has stood for the best part of 20 years, but Wolves' troubles point to a recent trend in England's top flight.
Southampton was relegated last year with the second worst points total of 12 points. It took an unlikely draw against Man City in the third to last game of the season to avoid equaling Derby's total.
Sheffield United has the fourth-lowest points total — 16 — recorded in the 23-24 campaign.
Derby also has the record fewest wins in a Premier League season, with just one in that 2007-8 campaign.
Wolves are currently 13 points adrift of safety with a goal difference of -25, but defender Emmanuel Agbadou insisted this week: "we're not going to give up."
"We're going to try to give everything to at least finish our season well," he said.
Bleak outlook for struggling Wolves
19:23 , Lawrence OstlereThe numbers just keep on getting worse for Wolverhampton Wanderers in a season that is threatening to set a new low in Premier League history.
Heading into tonight’s game, Wolves are still winless. Sitting bottom of the standings, relegation to the Championship looks inevitable and the job for recently hired coach Rob Edwards now appears to be a case of damage limitation.
Unwanted records are in sight as Wolves travel to first-place Arsenal.
With just two points from 15 games so far Wolves are tracking toward a record-low points tally of five if they maintain that form for the rest of the season. That's less than half the lowest-ever Premier League total of 11 points by Derby County in the 2007-8 campaign.
"We've got to try to improve. We've got to try to find that belief," said Edwards this week, but a 4-1 home loss to Manchester United on Monday saw fans protest against the club's Chinese owners Fosun.
Jesus has a future at Arsenal, says Arteta
19:12 , Lawrence OstlerePressed on whether he can be Arsenal's main number nine, Arteta replied: "Yes. A player of his quality, a player that has given us so much. He's certainly a player that has to be pushing and aiming for that."
Jesus has a future at Arsenal, says Arteta
19:07 , Lawrence OstlereMikel Arteta has insisted Gabriel Jesus will not be sold and can be Arsenal's first-choice number nine.
Jesus made his injury comeback as a second-half substitute in Arsenal's 3-0 win against Club Brugge on Wednesday after 11 months away.
The Brazil international, 28, brings an extra dimension to Arteta's frontline but he has just 18 months to run on his current contract.
After splashing out £64million to sign Viktor Gyokeres and with Kai Havertz, albeit currently sidelined with a knee injury, another striking option, Arsenal could be tempted to cash in on Jesus before his deal expires.
However, speaking ahead of Arsenal's Premier League match against Wolves tonight, Arteta said: "No, I don't consider that (selling him), especially with the situation that we have right now.
"Gabriel has a lot to offer to the team and he's proven that straight away in the first minute that he was available to play. He's put so much to be in this position again and now the focus is to be with us."
Arsenal team news
18:57 , Lawrence OstlereThe big news is that William Saliba is back in the Arsenal team, having missed five games with injury. Jurrien Timber was a doubt this week but also starts in what may be a left-back role, with Ben White continuing at right-back and Myles Lewis-Skelly on the bench. Declan Rice is over a short illness to start in midfield.
The bench is stacked with attacking options including Martin Odegaard, Mikel Merino, Leandro Trossard, Noni Madueke and Gabriel Jesus.
Wolves line-up – confirmed
18:51 , Lawrence OstlereWolves: Johnstone, Mosquera, Agbadou, Gomes, Doherty, Andre, Krejci, Wolfe, Gomes, Hee-chan, Larsen.
Subs: Sa, Bueno, Hoever, Tchatchoua, Arias, Arokodare, Chirewa, Lopez, Mane.
3️⃣ Three changes from #WOLMUN
— Wolves (@Wolves) December 13, 2025
➡️ Doherty, Joao Gomes and Hwang into the XI
How we line-up to face @Arsenal 📋 pic.twitter.com/EKeXNduVVq
Arsenal line-up – confirmed
18:48 , Lawrence OstlereTimber and Rice both start despite concerns over their fitness this week.
Arsenal: Raya, White, Saliba, Hincapie, Timber, Zubimendi, Rice, Eze, Saka, Martinelli, Gyokeres.
Subs: Arrizabalaga, Lewis-Skelly, Norgaard, Merino, Odegaard, Nwaneri, Trossard, Madueke, Jesus.
🔴 𝗧𝗘𝗔𝗠𝙉𝙀𝙒𝙎 ⚪️
— Arsenal (@Arsenal) December 13, 2025
🔙 Saliba and Timber return to the backline
⚓️ Rice in the middle
©️ Saka with the armband
Let's do this, Gunners ✊
🤝 Presented by @deel
Salah returns as Liverpool see off Brighton
18:39 , Lawrence OstlereTeam news dropping shortly... In the meantime, here’s some pre-match reading from Salah’s winning return to the Liverpool team:
How Salah, Slot and Anfield came together in restorative Liverpool win over Brighton
Arteta coy on Arsenal fitness issues
18:27 , Lawrence OstlereArteta was without eight players for their midweek Champions League clash. The Spaniard was typically coy on whether any of Declan Rice, who missed out on the trip to Belgium through illness, and some of the other shorter-term absentees such as William Saliba, Leandro Trossard and Jurrien Timber would be available to face Wolves.
Saliba has been absent for the past four fixtures with an ankle injury, and Arteta said of the France defender: "It was something quite small because it came from an ankle injury that he had, and then he started to modify the way he was running, and he started to overload an area, which is something common.
"But at some point, it became uncomfortable to continue training and playing and we had to stop.
"He hasn't trained with us yet. We have an extra day. Let's see if he can be available (to face Wolves) or not."
Arsenal v Wolves
18:12 , Lawrence OstlereThe teams will be confirmed in about 30 minutes or so – here’s how they could line up:
Arsenal XI: Raya; White, Timber, Hincapie, Lewis-Skelly; Odegaard, Norgaard, Rice; Saka, Gyokeres, Eze.
Wolves XI: Johnstone; Krejci, Agbadou, Toti; Tchatchoua, Gomes, Andre, Wolfe; Lopez; Arokodare, Strand Larsen.
Arteta: 'Gyokeres just needs goals'
18:09 , Lawrence OstlereGyokeres' last goal for Arsenal came in a 2-0 win at Burnley before he was sidelined for almost a month with a hamstring injury.
But Arteta continued: "We have to put him (Gyokeres) in the best possible condition to explode and fulfil his potential.
"Before the injury, he was in a great place. It took him a while at the beginning because it's a different league with different demands.
"He had no pre-season and now he's starting to get some momentum, but the thing that's going to unlock him is goals.
"He needs that for himself, for his confidence, and we're going to judge his performances based on that as well. That's logical, but he wants it so badly as well."
Arteta: 'things will turn' for Gyokeres
18:04 , Lawrence Ostlere"There was a lot of excitement because we were bringing a proven scorer that had probably the best stats in Europe," said Arteta of the Sweden international.
"He is a player that comes to a different league, the most demanding league in the world, and what happens if he doesn't score for five or six games?
"That was my only question to him: 'How are you going to react if you don't score in five or six games? Can you cope with that? And then what's going to happen in the next 100 games?'
"And that's what you have to see. The sample is very small. So, leave him alone, let him do what he does best, be behind him and I'm sure things will turn out in the right way."
Leave Gyokeres alone, says Arteta
17:59 , Lawrence OstlereArsenal manager Mikel Arteta has told Viktor Gyokeres' critics to "leave him alone" - despite admitting the £64m striker needs to start scoring.
Gyokeres has found the back of the net in just four of his 17 appearances for Arsenal so far, and he was replaced on the hour mark by the returning Gabriel Jesus in the club's 3-0 Champions League win over Club Brugge in midweek.
Arsenal were wooed by Gyokeres scoring 97 times across 102 appearances for Sporting Lisbon.
But his return of just six goals for Arteta's side - and his failure to find the back of the net in his past four matches since returning from a hamstring injury - puts his form in the spotlight ahead of Arsenal's Premier League clash against Wolves at the Emirates tonight.
Arsenal v Wolves – team news
17:48 , Lawrence OstlereArsenal enjoyed a boost in midweek as Gabriel Jesus returned from nearly a whole year on the sidelines, after sustaining an ACL injury in January. The Brazilian came off the bench and proved difficult for Club Brugge to handle, rattling the crossbar late on, so could be in line for another substitute appearance today.
The Gunners are also likely to have Declan Rice back after he was ill for their European fixture, but Riccardo Calafiori will miss out after accumulating too many yellow cards, in another defensive blow for the much-depleted Gunners.
Max Dowman, Cristhian Mosquera, Leandro Trossard, Gabriel Magalhaes and Kai Havertz will all be sidelined with injuries, while Arteta will be sweating on the fitness of William Saliba and Jurrien Timber, who have both picked up knocks.
Wolves will have Joao Gomes back from a yellow-card suspension but will have to do without Rodrigo Gomes, Leon Chiwone, Daniel Bentley and Marshall Munetsi, while Bellegarde picked up an injury against Manchester United and may miss out.
How to watch
17:41 , Lawrence OstlereArsenal host Wolves at the Emirates Stadium tonight with kick-off at 8pm GMT.
Viewers in the UK can watch the game on TNT Sports 1 and TNT Sports Ultimate, as well as on streaming service discovery+. You can purchase a TNT Sports subscription via discovery+ here, for only £30.99 per month.
Arsenal v Wolves
17:35 , Lawrence OstlereTwo teams from opposite ends of the Premier League table collide as Arsenal host Wolves at the Emirates.
Noni Madueke and Gabriel Martinelli starred as the Gunners ran out 3-0 winners over Club Brugge in the week, but their last top-flight outing was a last-gasp defeat to Aston Villa courtesy of Emi Buendia’s stoppage-time winner.
But despite a leaky defence hit by injuries to star duo Gabriel and William Saliba, Arsenal are on firm ground at the Emirates, where they are unbeaten in the league this season - and they shouldn’t have much to fear against rock-bottom Wolves.
Rob Edwards’ side are in line for one of the Premier League’s most unwanted records; with just two points from 15 games they’re on course to finish with fewer than Derby’s infamous benchmark of 11, and endured yet more misery in a 4-1 hammering by Manchester United on Monday.
Arsenal v Wolves
16:24 , Lawrence OstlereHello and welcome along to live coverage of Arsenal’s Premier League encounter with Wolverhampton Wanderers at the Emirates this evening. Will the Gunners move five points clear at the top, or is a shock in store?
