Mikel Arteta admitted his Arsenal team need to be more clinical after they narrowly beat bottom club Wolves 2-1 at the Emirates courtesy of a 94th-minute own-goal.
Yerson Mosquera directed a cross into his own net just minutes after Tolu Arokodare nodded in what the visiting fans thought was a late equaliser.
A Sam Johnstone own goal from a Bukayo Saka corner had earlier given the Gunners the advantage on a largely frustrating evening for the Premier League leaders, who came up against a spirited Wolves outfit.
The result moves Arteta’s men five points clear of second-placed Manchester City, who can close that gap to two with a win over Crystal Palace on Sunday.
However, despite the dramatic end to the match, the Arsenal boss was honest in his assessment of his team’s performance.
“We knew it was going to be a tough match especially because we didn’t manage to score early in the game,” Arteta told TNT Sports.
“We did a bit better in the second-half, managed to score but then we had a period of three minutes, so passive, really poor defensive habits. It’s not acceptable for us at that level because we haven’t conceded a single shot until that point.
“The first time they do it they score a goal. That’s the Premier League and we need to be very much aware of that and improve.
“We had a lot of situations where we did not pick the right player in the final pass, where we have an overload in the box and we hit the first man. It’s not the standards.”
Arteta did, however, admit that winning in that manner would give his players a boost ahead of a hectic festive calendar that could come to define their title credentials.
“It always gives you belief that you can always find a solution,” said Arteta.
“Now we are going to have a clean week and then we go again because during the Christmas period we know what happens.”
Next up for Arsenal is a trip to Hill Dickinson Stadium to face Everton on Saturday evening.
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