'Slow and lazy' Arsenal sent 'bottle jobs' warning as nerves hit vs Wolves in Man City title race

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Arsenal have been accused of being 'slow and lazy' after opening the door and lending validation to suggestions of being 'bottle jobs' following their draw with Wolves . Paul Merson was unimpressed with his former side and suggested the result could bite them in the Premier League title race.

The Gunners looked set to extend their Premier League lead with another victory as they took a 2-0 advantage thanks to goals from Bukayo Saka and Piero Hincapie. But Mikel Arteta's men could not take advantage of their strong position and produced some hapless moments to let their opponents back in .

Hugo Bueno scored before a mix-up between Gabriel and David Raya allowed Tom Edozie in for a goal on his debut. As a result, the north London side now only have a five-point lead over Manchester City , with Pep Guardiola's side holding a game in hand over Arsenal .

Merson believes it is a significant slip-up for the Gunners. "If Man City win all their games now on, they win the league. It's disappointing," he said.

"You can't play in second gear. When Wolves went to 2-2, there was an urgency. They didn't have that before. You can't play like that. Every game is a cup final to the end.

"You've got to play at a high tempo. If Arsenal play at a high tempo, Wolves can't live with them. But to play the way they played, and it's slow and lazy, and they are giving the ball away, then Wolves are always going to be in the game.

"That could come back to bite them. That is really, really disappointing tonight."

"It's going come on full blast now, being bottle jobs, melting," Merson continued. "It's full on now drawing away at Brentford and then being two goals up against the worst team in the league."

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Ex-Arsenal striker Alan Smith suggested the draw could be a turning point after Arsenal unravelled and let City back in. "It feels like a pivotal moment," he said.

"A vital one. Maybe a turning point. We'll wait and see. Obviously, it's in Manchester City's hands now but having been two goals up against the team that's rock bottom on nine points, it’s not good enough.

"And the way things unravelled at the end with Trossard just trying to waste time and then David Raya panicking coming out when he didn't need to come out it doesn't bode well for Arsenal being able to handle the pressure. "There is clearly a lot of nerves within the camp, the whole situation seems to be getting the better of them. It did tonight and going forward but it doesn't bode well."

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