Arsenal salvaged the tail end of their mostly miserable week on Saturday, beating Wolves 2-0 at Molineux Stadium to return to the top of the Premier League table.
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After losing to Aston Villa last Sunday to fall behind three-time defending champions Manchester City (73 points), Arsenal (74) went out of the UEFA Champions League with hardly a whimper on Wednesday, but Mikel Arteta’s side bounced back stop the rot and revive their title chances in their third game in seven days. With Man City competing in the FA Cup this weekend, Arsenal can now go four points clear (having played two more games) before the champs take the field again.
Arsenal held the majority of meaningful possession and threatened the final third more often than Wolves in the first half, but the Gunners have very little to show for their efforts as the break approached. Then came a moment of fantastic ingenuity from Leandro Trossard to break the scoreless deadlock in the 45th minute. Gabriel Jesus laid the ball back to the Belgian atop the penalty and, without much time or space to get a shot off, Trossard put his toe through the ball and sent a side-winding shot off the inside of the post and into the back of the net.
Once again, goals were impossible to come by until the waning seconds of the second half, but eventually Martin Odegaard found a way past Jose Sa in the 95th minute. Odegaard’s cross was blocked as he raced down the right side of the six-yard box, but the ball came straight back to him, so he hooked his left foot through it and put through a keyhole at the near post.
Arsenal win with smothering defensive performance
At this point of the season, it doesn’t matter one bit how you get the results; only that you get them. Wolves aren’t an easy team to break down, as they have proven season, but fortunately for the Gunners they were very shorthanded on the counter-attack, with Pedro Neto and Matheus Cunha out due to injuries. That meant that Arteta could push his backline higher and higher up the field without fear of Wolves beating them in behind (which they didn’t).
Every touch was contested and taken under intense pressure from two or three red shirts, which meant that when one attack inevitably ran into a brick wall, another wasn’t long from being launched. The result? 0.14 xG on five shots for Wolves. Arsenal were hardly better in terms of quality (0.05 per shot themselves), but they had plenty of volume (24 shots) that, after remaining patient and sticking with it, finally paid dividends in the end.
What’s next?
Arsenal will be one of 10 Premier League sides to feature in midweek action, as they host Chelsea for what will undoubtedly be a testy London derby on Tuesday (3 pm ET). Wolves are also set for a make-up fixture on Wednesday (2:45 pm ET), when they’re back at Molineux to face Bournemouth.
Player ratings - Wolves vs Arsenal
Wolves vs Arsenal highlights, final score: 0-2
Goalscorers: Leandro Trossard (45'), Martin Odegaard (90'+5)
45th minute - GOAL - Leandro Trossard puts Arsenal ahead with a toe-poke
90th minute +5 - GOAL - Martin Odegaard sneaks the clincher in at the near post
How to watch Wolves vs Arsenal live, stream link and start time
Kick off: 2:30pm ET Saturday (April 20)
TV Channel: USA Network
Online: Watch live online via NBC.com
Wolves lineup
Sa, Doherty, S. Bueno, Kilman, Toti, H. Bueno, Gomes, Traore, Doyle, Chirewa, Hwang
Arsenal lineup
Raya, White, Saliba, Gabriel, Kiwior, Rice, Havertz, Odegaard, Saka, Trossard, Jesus
Wolves focus, team news
If Wolves would’ve had the trio of Hwang, Neto and Cunha fit all season long, then they would probably be pushing for a top six finish. But they haven’t and that is the main reason why they’re now pushing for probably eighth place. That is still a remarkable season and O’Neil’s side are well-organized defensively, dangerous on the counter and are a really committed team as they press in numbers and wait for their moment to pounce.
OUT: Matheus Cunha (calf), Pedro Neto (thigh), Jean Ricner-Bellegarde (knee), Craig Dawson (groin)
Arsenal focus, team news
Arsenal’s only injury absentee for some time has been Jurrien Timber and he is back in training after his injury last August, but is still working his way back to full fitness. There have been concerns about the fitness of Saka and Odegaard in recent weeks and they, like a number of Arsenal’s top players, have looked extremely jaded in recent defeats. After losing at Bayern to exit the Champions League with a whimper, perhaps Arteta will rotate and make plenty of changes to try and get the win they need to take them top of the table? The likes of Nketiah, Nelson, Partey and Smith Rowe will all be desperate to prove they can step up to keep this title bid on track.
OUT: Jurrien Timber (knee)
