Thursday’s briefing: Arsenal held by Wolves and Newcastle coast in Europe

Arsenal’s title hopes suffered a serious blow after a dramatic 2-2 draw at rock-bottom Wolves.

Newcastle enjoyed themselves in Europe with a thumping win over Qarabag in Baku.

Gunners come unstuck at Wolves

Debutant Tom Edozie scored a dramatic last-gasp equaliser as Wolves came from two goals down to snatch a draw with wobbling leaders Arsenal.

Following their draw with Brentford, the Gunners were unable to cling on to three points in wintry conditions over Rob Edwards’s battling side who claimed another point in their unlikely survival bid.

Bukayo Saka celebrated his new five-year deal with the club in style with his fifth goal of the season as Mikel Arteta’s choice to play him in the number-10 role immediately paid dividends as he gave Arsenal an early lead.

It looked like three points were heading back to north London when Piero Hincapie doubled the league leaders’ advantage with his first goal for the club, but Huge Bueno produced a moment of magic to reduce the deficit.

Wolves though had the final say as Edozie’s effort from the edge of the box deflected off Riccardo Calafiori beyond David Raya.

“Extremely disappointed obviously with the result and with the way the game ended but we have to blame ourselves,” Arteta said.

“The performance in the second half we didn’t show anything close to the standards required in this league to win. It’s a moment of disappointment, we want to talk a lot about how we’re feeling but it’s not the moment to do that.”

Howe hails Toon after rout

Eddie Howe is hoping Newcastle’s 6-1 Champions League rout of Qarabag will remind his players that they can be an “outstanding team”.

The Magpies romped to victory in Baku on Wednesday night to put one foot firmly in the competition’s last 16 ahead of next Tuesday’s second leg at St James’ Park, with either Barcelona or Chelsea awaiting the winners.

A third successive away win in three different competitions was secured by Anthony Gordon’s four-goal haul – he had never scored a senior hat-trick before he ran out at the Tofiq Bahramov Stadium, but left having eclipsed Alan Shearer’s club record of six goals in a single Champions League campaign by taking his tally to 10.

Further strikes from Malick Thiaw and substitute Jacob Murphy left Qarabag, who replied through Elvin Jafarguliyev, with the steepest of mountains to climb on Tyneside.

Howe said: “My hope is that it just re-affirms our belief that we can be an outstanding team.

“When we’re at our very best, we can be a match for anybody. I’ve always maintained this season that we can be, it’s of course finding this level as much as we can, as consistently as we can.”

Russo double sets up Chelsea showdown

Arsenal eased past OH Leuven to set up a blockbuster Women’s Champions League quarter-final against London rivals Chelsea.

The Gunners, 4-0 up from the first leg in Belgium, won 3-1 on the night for a 7-1 aggregate victory at a rain-soaked Meadow Park.

Alessia Russo opened the scoring and hit the third after Mariona Caldentey’s penalty put Arsenal back in front following Leuven’s equaliser from Sara Pusztai.

Mourinho accused of ‘gaslighting’

Anti-discrimination charity Kick It Out has accused Jose Mourinho of gaslighting for his response to Vinicius Junior’s allegations of racist abuse.

Vinicius left the field during Real Madrid’s Champions League play-off in Lisbon on Tuesday after reporting a member of the Benfica team – whom the Spanish side later claimed to have been winger Gianluca Prestianni – to the referee.

Benfica boss Mourinho has been heavily criticised for suggesting the Brazilian winger had provoked the abuse with his celebration after scoring the only goal early in the second half.

The Portuguese coach then appeared to cite previous incidents in which Vinicius has been subject to racist abuse in stadiums.

His comments were met with a strong rebuke from Kick It Out, which said in a statement: “When anyone reports discrimination in football, or anywhere, the first priority is that they are listened to and feel supported.

“Focusing on Vinicius Jr’s goal celebration or the history of the club, instead of acknowledging the report, is a form of gaslighting.

“This approach not only harms the individual affected but also sends the wrong message to others around the world who may have experienced similar situations.

“Leaders in football have a crucial role in setting standards, and moments like these call for responsible leadership that reinforces respect, inclusion, and accountability.

“We look forward to a thorough investigation into this incident, with appropriate accountability linked to the outcome.”

What’s on today?

Celtic host Stuttgart and Nottingham Forest travel to Fenerbahce in the first leg of their Europa League play-offs, while Crystal Palace are in Bosnia-Herzegovina to face Zrinjski Mostar in the Conference League.

Manchester United take a 3-0 lead into their Women’s Champions League play-off second leg against Atletico Madrid.