Sometimes title races turn on a moment of magic. Sometimes they turn on a slice of chaos that nobody could script. At the Emirates Stadium on December 13, 2025, Arsenal’s latest step in their push for the Premier League crown came from something far less glamorous: not one, but two Wolves own goals.

The 2-1 win over bottom-placed Wolverhampton Wanderers will not go down as a classic show of control or style. But it may be remembered as one of those nights champions survive, even when they do not shine. Arsenal needed luck, late drama and a bit of cruelty for their visitors to move five points clear at the top of the table.

Late chaos as Arsenal escape with all three points

On paper, this should have been simple. Arsenal, leaders of the Premier League with 36 points and just recently knocked off an 18-game unbeaten run, at home against a Wolves side stuck to the bottom, with only two points from 16 matches.

On the pitch, it was anything but simple. The game turned into a nervy, tense battle where Arsenal pushed but rarely found their best rhythm, and Wolves clung on, hoping for a moment to punish the leaders.

That moment seemed to arrive in the 90th minute. With Arsenal leading 1-0, Wolves forward Tolu Arokodare pounced to score what looked like a shock late equaliser. For a side that has struggled all season, it felt like a lifeline. For Arsenal, it felt like another damaging blow after their recent defeat at Aston Villa halted their long unbeaten streak.

“How can a title-chasing side look this shaky against the team at the bottom?”

But the story did not end there. Deep into stoppage time, in the 94th minute, Arsenal forced one more attack. Bukayo Saka, once again the main creative spark, swung in a dangerous cross. Under pressure from Gabriel Jesus, Wolves defender Yerson Mosquera tried to deal with it – and instead headed the ball into his own net.

From 1-1 heartbreak to 2-1 relief in the space of four frantic minutes. The Emirates exploded. Wolves sank to their knees. Arsenal, by their own high standards far from their best, had somehow found a way.

Two own goals, one huge result

The bare facts are almost hard to believe. Arsenal scored twice, yet no Arsenal player officially found the net. Both goals came off Wolves players in moments their defenders and goalkeeper will not want to watch again.

The first twist came in the 70th minute. Arsenal had been pushing, but without the usual sharp edge. Then Bukayo Saka stepped up to take a corner. His delivery was whipped in with pace towards the near post. Keeper Sam Johnstone moved to deal with it, but misjudged the flight. The ball hit him and deflected over the line for an own goal.

It was exactly the kind of moment that summed up the match: Arsenal’s pressure was there, but the finishing touch came from a Wolves mistake rather than a moment of pure quality.

Then, with Wolves level at 1-1 thanks to Arokodare’s 90th-minute strike, history repeated itself in even more painful fashion for the visitors. Saka again sent the ball into a dangerous area, this time from open play. Mosquera, under intense pressure from Gabriel Jesus, tried to clear but only managed to steer the ball past his own goalkeeper.

Arsenal celebrated. Wolves were crushed. And the headlines were written: two own goals, one giant step in the title race.

“If your best player is ‘Own Goal’, something is not quite right, even when you win.”

It is rare enough to see one own goal decide a game at this level. Two in the same match, both going the same way, with the second in the 94th minute? That is the kind of swing that can define seasons at both ends of the table.

Bukayo Saka at the heart of the chaos

Even if the goals were not officially his, Bukayo Saka was at the centre of everything that mattered for Arsenal. His corner created the opener. His cross forced the winner. On a night when many of his teammates looked below their peak, Saka still found a way to influence the match.

This is what top sides rely on: players who can find a moment, a delivery, a set-piece that changes everything. Saka’s set-piece quality has become a major weapon for Arsenal, and against Wolves it was the difference between a damaging draw and a dramatic win.

Gabriel Jesus also played a quiet but important part. His movement and pressure on Mosquera for the 94th-minute own goal forced the defender into making a rushed decision. It will not show up as a goal or assist on the stat sheet, but it mattered.

Arsenal extend their lead – but questions remain

With this victory, Arsenal move to 36 points and open up a five-point gap over Manchester City, who sit on 31 points before their match against Crystal Palace on Sunday. Aston Villa follow behind on 30. In cold numbers, this is a big result. After a run of only one win in their previous three matches, including the end of that long unbeaten streak at Villa Park, the leaders needed to steady the ship.

They did – but only just. The performance was described as nervy, and that feels fair. For long spells, Arsenal did not look like the confident, free-flowing side that had stormed through the early part of the season. They were hesitant, wasteful at times, and vulnerable to counters.

Title-winning teams often have days like this. They cannot always win 3-0 with stylish football. Sometimes they stumble, trip and still somehow cross the line first. The concern for Arsenal will be whether this is just a one-off scrap, or a sign of a deeper dip in form after the high of that 18-game unbeaten run.

“Are Arsenal grinding out champion wins, or just getting bailed out by luck right now?”

The answer will come in the weeks ahead. For now, the table shows them in front, and that is all that truly counts. But any neutral watching this match will know they walked a very thin line.

Wolves edging towards unwanted Premier League history

If Arsenal’s night was messy but ultimately joyful, Wolves’ evening was the opposite – harsh, draining and deeply worrying. They remain rock-bottom of the Premier League with just two points from 16 games. That is not simply bad form; it is crisis territory.

There is now a dark shadow looming over their season: they are one match away from matching Sheffield United’s record for the longest winless start to a Premier League campaign, which stands at 17 games. To come so close to a precious point at the Emirates, only to lose it to a 94th-minute own goal, will hurt even more.

Yet there was fight in this Wolves team. Arokodare’s late equaliser showed belief and effort. The defensive structure held out for long periods. The issue, again, was concentration in key moments and the weight of their situation. When a team is stuck at the bottom with so few points, even simple clearances begin to feel heavy.

For Wolves, the question is no longer just about tactics or selection. It is about confidence. How many more blows like this can a squad take before belief disappears completely?

What this result means for the title race

Looking at the bigger picture, this match could be filed away as one of those strange evenings that champions often look back on as turning points. The luck went Arsenal’s way. The table pressure stays on Manchester City and Aston Villa. And rivals will know that even on an off day, the league leaders still found a result.

At the same time, the performance sends a warning to Arsenal themselves. To stay top over 38 games, they will need more than set-piece chaos and opposition errors. They will need control, calm and cleaner finishing. The margin for error will only shrink as the season moves into its second half.

For now, though, the story is simple: Arsenal won. They are five points clear. And they did it in one of the strangest, scrappiest ways possible – with “Own Goal” effectively named man of the match.

It was not pretty. It was not fully convincing. But on nights like this, when titles and survival are on the line, sometimes survival itself is the only thing that matters.