The Premier League title race changed dramatically overnight as Manchester City regained the initiative, while the relegation battle saw Wolves draw 2-2 with Arsenal.

At 4 a.m. Beijing time on February 19th, to free up time for the League Cup final, the 31st round of the Premier League started early with a relegation showdown, as the second-bottom Wolves played at home against top-ranked Arsenal.

In the first half, Rice assisted Saka to end his 15-game goal drought, giving Arsenal a 1-0 lead at halftime; in the second half, Cacapier scored his first goal for Arsenal, Santiago Bueno pulled one back for Wolves, Saka was forced off injured, and in stoppage time, Edouzi scored the equalizer.

In the end, Arsenal drew 2-2 away at Wolves, once again faltering at a crucial moment in the title race. Having played one more game, Arsenal now lead second-placed Manchester City by only 5 points, with a remaining fixture at the Etihad against City, meaning Manchester City has regained control of the Premier League title race.

For Wolves vs Arsenal, Edwards deployed a 3-4-2-1 formation with a starting lineup valued at 140 million euros;Arteta set up a 4-2-3-1 formation, with Yokorez upfront, Saka behind him, Martinelli and Maduake on the wings, Rice and Souyemendi as defensive midfielders, a back four of Cacapier, Gabriel, Saliba, and Timber, Raya in goal, and a starting lineup worth 810 million euros..

This match, originally a relegation battle, turned into a dramatic shift in the Premier League title race overnight. Arsenal has the strongest squad in the league, but the team's mentality is shaped by the coach; it can be said that Arteta lacks the championship temperament. Arteta also took a risk in this game: Maduake was in good form, Saka is Arsenal's key player, and Arteta chose to start two right-wingers simultaneously, with Saka playing as an attacking midfielder and Maduake on the right wing. Saka ended his 15-game goal drought, but Maduake and Saka couldn’t coexist effectively, and Maduake immediately lost form.

Arsenal failed to hold onto a 2-0 lead, conceding two goals to the bottom-placed Wolves and then an equalizer in stoppage time. Raya was out of sorts, conceding two goals from Wolves’ only two shots on target, and received the lowest rating of 5.3 after the match. Arsenal’s wide players underperformed; Martinelli and Maduake both received 6.1 ratings, the second-lowest among Arsenal players. In fact, Martinelli was exhausted and losing possession frequently by the 70th minute, but Arteta failed to make timely substitutions, only removing Martinelli late. Many factors contributed to Arsenal’s failure in the title race again, and Arteta bears primary responsibility for dropping points this time. In my opinion, if Arsenal fails to win the Premier League again this season after three consecutive runner-up finishes, the club should consider sacking Arteta due to his poor capability, not the squad quality.

Throughout the match,Arsenal held 58% possession, took 10 shots with 4 on target; Wolves had 5 shots with 2 on target..