Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta expresses frustration with his team’s defensive habits after a 2-1 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta was far from satisfied with his team’s performance in their 2-1 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers, citing “horrible defensive habits” that made the margin of victory narrower than it should have been.

The Gunners took the lead with 20 minutes left via an own goal from Wolves keeper Sam Johnstone, but were given a scare when the visitors equalised through Tolu Arokodare in the 90th minute.

Arteta expressed his frustration with his team’s performance, saying, “It was a relief (to win), but a very clear understanding that the margin should have been bigger.” He added, “After not being precise enough in the first half with the amount of situations that we generated inside the opposition box, and we didn’t pick the right colour of shirt on so many occasions, we had an overload to do that.”

The win was ultimately secured when Yerson Mosquera headed the ball into his own net in the 94th minute, sparing Arsenal’s blushes.

Arteta was critical of his team’s defensive lapses, saying, “We had a period of two or three minutes in deep, totally passive, with horrible defensive habits, that is nowhere near the level that is required against a team that hasn’t had a single shot.”

Arteta emphasized the need for his team to learn from their mistakes and move on, saying, “Learn from it and then move on, and every time you win in the Premier League, you should be happy.” He added, “You should be conscious of the difficulty of it, but we made it even harder for ourselves today and that’s the big lesson that we have.”

The win sees Arsenal top the Premier League standings with 36 points, but Arteta is aware that his team has a tough test ahead, particularly during the Christmas period. “We need to be better,” he said.