Arsenal rallied in the second half at Wolves and secured an important 1-0 win in the West Midlands to keep them in the title.
The Gunners’ task on Saturday afternoon was made all the more difficult when Myles Lewis-Skelly was sent off harshly towards the end of the first half, but Joao Gomes offered Arsenal a route to three points by giving Michael Oliver no choice but to step up as they closed Improve the pitch in the middle of the second half.
Riccardo Calafiori’s strike was the difference between the two sides in a contentious but low-profile affair. The result means Arsenal’s deficit against Liverpool is still six points, while Wolves’ situation at the bottom of the table has not changed.
How the game unfolds
Arsenal suffered a couple of major defensive injuries ahead of the competition, with Mikel Arteta welcoming William Saliba and rising midfielder Lewis-Skelly back into his XI. Vitor Pereira, meanwhile, surprisingly named an unchanged team from Monday night’s defeat at Chelsea.
There was early Gunners possession but Wolves looked liveliest in the opening stages as they snapped into duels and looked to move with speed. Pablo Sarabia staggered towards the first big chance of the competition after volleying in Nelson Semedo’s cross, but his effort sailed.
The hosts were often the architects of Arsenal’s success in the first half, when they constantly found themselves in trouble. The visitors seized Wolves’ vulnerabilities but once again they lacked the ruthless edge to punish. Kai Havertz should have twice given title hope but he placed a header and had another brilliantly saved by Jose Sa.
Those were Arsenal’s two moments of note in an opening period that touched on craft and quality, with Martin Odegaard’s absence only adding to the monotony. A rather stale first half was brought to life by Michael Oliver’s finish, who leveled Lewis-Skelly for the loss of Matt Doherty with the Irishman trying to break.
Arsenal were feeling out of touch at the start of the second half and started with the stronger of the two sides as captain on the day, with Gabriel coming close before Declan Rice poked SA’s palms. However, it wasn’t long before Wolves got the upper hand with a man advantage with increasing influence from Matheus Cunhas. The Brazilian almost opened the scoring from a set piece.
However, Wolves’ momentum was depressed after the sacking of Joao Gomes left the pitch level. Arsenal took immediate advantage and broke the deadlock with the contest heading into the final 15 minutes. Half-time substitute Calafiori burst into the box and scored his second goal for the club with a sophisticated finish into the corner.
The division’s tightest defense then had to shut out a team that had lost their target man to injury in the opening period to claim an important win. Wolves had a moment but Rayan Ait-Nouri shot at David Raya after he blazed behind him. Otherwise, the Gunners didn’t sweat to maintain their advantage.
Liverpool were never going to lose at home to Ipswich (and they didn’t), so Arsenal needed to win here to keep at least some pressure on the league leaders.
Lewis-Skelly’s red card reduced her chance of victory but her performance, even before Gomes was dismissed, was full of bravery and character. They continued to press high up the pitch and could fashion the chances in terms of regularity for the home team.
Once it was ten-vs-ten, there would only be one winner. The momentum was on Arteta’s side and they pounced immediately. Calafiori’s goal was well excited after Arsenal tested the Wolves defense with another cross and the Italian wheels were in celebration like they did in September at the Etihad.
Their deficit to the Reds remains six points due to their resilience and Calafiori anticipating another outing from Kai Havertz.
Wolves entered GameWeek with the Premier League’s worst defense and had conceded the largest percentage of goals from set pieces (17 out of 51 via Opta). Their inability to defend set games was a major problem under Gary O’Neil, with Pereira doing a lot of work to toughen his team out of such situations.
However, Chelsea’s dead-ball success on Monday night highlighted that those problems remained and the signs were threatening for the hosts on Saturday when the division’s most prolific set-piece outfit visited Molinuex.
On average, Wolves give up the most corners per game in the Premier League, but Arsenal only recorded one in the opening period – and the delivery was poor. Game state meant Pereia’s side were not subjected to a barrage and while the Gunners created the majority of their chances from crosses, they did not capitalize on the obvious mismatch of set pieces.
There is something about Michael Oliver at Molineux and Arsenal. Remember when Gabriel Martinelli got his marching orders from Oliver after receiving two yellow cards in the same order?
Arsenal supporters have had a vendetta against the official ever since and he would not have entered into any of the Gooners’ good books after dismissing bright teenager Lewis-Skelly on Saturday afternoon.
The entire stadium waited for yellow as Doherty collapsed to the pitch, but Oliver went one further and sent off Lewis-Skelly. The challenge was undoubtedly cynical, but the fact that Doherty was caught above the ankle by Lewis-Skelly’s bolt allowed Var to stick with the on-field decision. It reportedly hit the threshold of “serious foul play.”
Had anyone batted an eyelid, would Lewis-Skelly have been warned? Gomes’ second yellow card challenge was nasty!