Arsenal's Title Bid Stumbles as Arteta Admits 'We Have to Blame Ourselves' in Wolves Draw

 

Arteta urges Arsenal to ‘stand up’ after title bid rocked by Wolves draw" appears to be from a recent news story (published around February 18-19, 2026) about Arsenal's frustrating 2-2 Premier League draw at Wolverhampton Wanderers. Arsenal, as league leaders, blew a 2-0 lead—Bukayo Saka scored early, followed by Piero Hincapie's goal—allowing Wolves (bottom of the table) to fight back with Hugo Bueno's strike and a late equalizer (reported as a 94th-minute goal, possibly from Tom Edozie on debut or involving an own goal element in some accounts).

In his post-match press conference, Mikel Arteta expressed deep disappointment, insisting the team "have to blame ourselves" for not maintaining standards, especially in the second half where they "didn't show anything close to the level required." He acknowledged the performance fell short, deserved criticism ("Any question, criticism, opinion, you have to take it on the chin today"), and urged resilience by accepting the "hit," swallowing frustration, and moving on quickly to the next big game (on Sunday). While the exact phrase "stand up" features in some headlines (likely interpreting his call to take responsibility and respond), Arteta's direct quotes emphasize self-blame, accountability, and bouncing back rather than explicitly using those words—focusing on owning the collapse to keep the title challenge alive.