Thierry Henry’s priceless reaction to Arsenal’s late collapse

February 20, 2026 Oliver Obel

Thierry Henry didn’t need to see the screen to sense trouble.

Working as a pundit during CBS Sports’ live Champions League coverage, the former Arsenal striker was mid-discussion when noise broke out in the studio. Micah Richards glanced across and said, “Someone is cheering.”

Henry paused. “We know what happened, it can only be one thing,” he replied, reaching to check the score. Moments later, as confirmation filtered through that Wolves had equalised, he repeated: “It can only be one thing.”

The reaction came in real time and it captured the mood of a night that slipped away from Arsenal.

Control Lost After the Break

At Molineux, Mikel Arteta’s side had done much of the hard work early. Goals from Bukayo Saka and Piero Hincapie put Arsenal 2-0 ahead, and for long stretches of the first half they dictated possession and tempo.

After the interval, though, the game changed.

Wolves increased their intensity and began committing more players forward. Hugo Bueno cut the deficit in the 61st minute with a composed finish, giving the home crowd renewed belief. Arsenal, who had looked settled before halftime, became reactive.

Deep into stoppage time in the 94th minute Riccardo Calafiori deflected Tom Edozie’s shot beyond goalkeeper David Raya. The touch left Raya wrong-footed and brought Wolves level at 2-2.

For Arsenal, it felt like two points dropped rather than one gained.

The draw leaves them five points ahead of Manchester City at the top of the Premier League. However, City still have a game in hand, tightening the margins in a race that rarely allows extended breathing room.

“I Said It Would Be Difficult”

Speaking on CBS after the equaliser, Henry suggested the warning signs had been there.

“When we beat them at the Emirates, it was two own goals. It was going to be difficult for us today. This is exactly what I said. The only one who called it was me,” he said.

“I said to you, this game was always going to be difficult, always.”

His comments referenced Arsenal’s earlier meeting with Wolves, underlining that the matchup had not been as straightforward as previous scorelines suggested.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K--kIsU2mXE

Arteta Points to Second-Half Standards

Arteta did not dispute that his team fell short after the break.

“We’re very disappointed with the end result, but I think we have to fault ourselves,” the Arsenal manager said in his post-match comments. “The performance in the second half doesn't show the level and the standards required in the Premier League to win in the manner that we should have won the game, especially in the way that we played in the first half.”

He added: “It’s very tough, we are frustrated because it’s down to us. It’s time to talk on the pitch because anything that we say right now comes from anger, frustration, disappointment, and there’s nothing coming through that is going to benefit and help the team going forward.”

Arsenal return to action Sunday in a north London derby against Tottenham Hotspur their local rivals a fixture that now carries even greater weight given the shift in momentum at the top of the table.

Sources: CBS Sports broadcast; post-match comments from Mikel Arteta.