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Nicolas Pepe came off the bench to spark a dramatic late turnaround as Arsenal overcame Premier League top-four rivals Wolves 2-1 in a thrilling encounter seated in the 97th minute.
Hwang Hee Chan pounced on an error from Gabriel Magalhaes to end a 10-game barren run and put Wolves on top in a fiery encounter at Emirates Stadium on Thursday.
The visitors quickly shifted their focus to defence but substitute Pepe eventually found a way past goalkeeper Jose Sa in the 82nd minute.
Pepe then teed up Alexandre Lacazette to force the winner, which went down as an own goal by Jose Sa, to spark jubilant scenes among the Gunners players and fans.
The victory reduced the gap to fourth-placed Manchester United – who have played two games more – to just one point.
After Roman Saiss had a goal disallowed for offside, Hwang capitalised on Gabriel’s weak back pass and slid home the opener from an acute angle after rounding Aaron Ramsdale.
Raul Jimenez wasted a great chance to double Wolves’ advantage three minutes later, but the visitors performed well with their backs against the wall to get to half-time without conceding.
Lacazette was denied by Sa in the 71st minute but the Gunners’ onslaught finally reaped rewards when substitute Eddie Nketiah teed up Pepe for the equaliser.
Martin Odegaard clipped the joint of the post and crossbar with two minutes of normal time remaining as the game entered a frantic, open finale.
Wolves were accused of wasting time on substitutions but Arsenal had enough seconds on the clock to find a winner when Lacazette’s shot found a way into the back of the net following touches off Saiss and Sa, who was credited with an own goal.
“I feel really happy, it is amazing to win this kind of game in the last minute,” Lacazette said.
“We really wanted this win because we know it is important to be at the top of the table.
“A bit sad (the goal) is not gone down for me, I want to score but most important is to win.”
“We don’t know today how important this will be but we know the importance of winning our matches,” said Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta, who is aiming to guide his team back into the Champions League for the first time in five years.
“At the end of May we want to be fighting for those places. After three defeats in the first three games we had to avoid relegation.
“Then we took it game by game and don’t lose sight of the objective with the team. You just have to be consistent with your vision and the way you prepare and believe the result will come.”
Bruno Lage’s Wolves side had gone into the game seeking a sixth win in seven top-flight matches and a fifth successive away victory in the top flight for the first time in 42 years.
© AAP
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