Arokodare Laments Late Collapse as Wolves Lose to Arsenal

Super Eagles striker Tolu Arokodare has expressed his disappointment after Wolverhampton Wanderers suffered a late 2-1 defeat to Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium.

The Nigerian forward was left frustrated after Wolves conceded in stoppage time, just moments after he had scored a historic goal for the club. Arokodare headed home a 90th-minute equaliser, becoming the first Nigerian to score a Premier League goal for Wolves.

His goal briefly cancelled out Arsenal’s opener and raised hopes of a valuable point for the visitors. However, Wolves’ celebrations were short-lived as a late own goal handed Arsenal all three points.

Speaking after the match, Arokodare said the late collapse was painful and had become a recurring problem for the team this season.

“It’s been happening to us the whole season,” he said. “We played very well for the full 90 minutes and then at the end we concede again. I don’t really know how to explain it, but it’s very painful.”

Arsenal had taken the lead in the 70th minute after Wolves goalkeeper Sam Johnstone scored an own goal from a corner. Wolves responded well and stayed organised before Arokodare’s powerful header restored parity late in the game.

But deep into added time, pressure from Arsenal forced another own goal, which sealed the win for the league leaders.

Despite the result, Arokodare pointed out some positives from the performance against a top side.

“We played against the best team in the league,” he added. “Their first goal was very lucky from a corner. We came back into the game, and even though they scored late again, there are positives to take.”

The goal was Arokodare’s first in the Premier League and ended Wolves’ recent struggles in front of goal.

“We need to score more goals,” he said. “We haven’t scored many in the last few games, but we have the quality. Hopefully, things will change in the coming games.”