Arsenal rallied in the second half at Wolves to secure a vital 1-0 win in the West Midlands to keep them in their title contention.
The Gunners’ task on Saturday afternoon was made all the more difficult when Myles Lewis-Skelly was sent off sharply late in the first half, but Joao Gomes offered Arsenal a way to three points by giving Michael Oliver no choice but to square up the pitch in the middle of the second half.
Riccardo Calafiori’s strike proved to be the difference between the two sides in what was a controversial but scrappy affair. The result means Arsenal’s deficit to Liverpool is still six points, while the situation has not changed for the Wolves at the bottom of the table.
How the game unfolded
Arsenal have received several major defensive injury boosts ahead of the competition, with Mikel Arteta welcoming William Salib and rising midfield duo Lewis-Skelly back into his XI. Vitor Pereira, meanwhile, surprisingly named an unchanged team from Monday night’s defeat at Chelsea.
There were early possession weapons, but Wolves looked most alive in the opening stages as they killed each other in tackles and targeted transition at pace. Pablo Sarabia sparked the first big chance of the contest after meeting Nelson Semedo’s cross on the volley, but his effort sailed wide.
The hosts were often the architects of Arsenal’s success in the first half as they constantly played in trouble. The visitors preyed on Wolves’ vulnerabilities but once again lacked the ruthless edge to punish. Kai Havertz should have given the title hope twice, but he set up one header and the other was brilliantly saved by Jose Sa.
Those were Arsenal’s two moments of note in an opening period of craft and quality, with the absence of Martin Odegaard only adding to the monotony. A rather stale first half was brought to life in the conclusion by Michael Oliver, who Lewis-Skelly dispatched by bringing down Matt Doherty with the Irish trying to break.
Sensing themselves, Arsenal did not rush at the start of the second half, starting the stronger of the two sides as the captain on the day Gabriel went close before Declan Rice killed the palms. However, it didn’t take long for Wolves to get the upper hand with the man advantage as Matheus Cunha’s influence increased. The Brazilian came close to opening the scoring from a set piece.
However, Wolves’ momentum took a dent after Joao Gomes’ dismissal leveled the field. Arsenal immediately took advantage and broke the deadlock with the contest heading into the final 15 minutes. Half-time substitute Calafiori crashed the box and scored his second goal for the club with a lofted finish into the corner.
The division’s brightest defense had to shut out a team that lost its target man in the opening period to see out an important victory. Wolves had one moment but Rayan Ait-Nouri fired at David Ray after breaking in behind. The Gunners otherwise did not break a sweat in preserving their advantage.
Liverpool were never going to lose at home in Ipswich (and they didn’t), so Arsenal had to win here to at least keep some pressure on the league leaders.
Lewis-Skelly’s red card reduced their chances of victory, but their performance even before Gomes was sent off was full of courage and character. They remained intent on pressing the high pitch and managed fashion chances regarding regularity for the home team.
Once it was Ten-VS-Ten, there was only one winner. The momentum was with Arteta’s color and they collapsed immediately. Calafiori’s goal was put to good use after Arsenal tested the Wolves defense with a second cross and the Italian wheel flew off in celebration, as he did at the Etihad in September.
Their deficit to the Reds remains at six points as a result of their resilience, with Calafiori making up for another outing from Kai Havertz.
Wolves entered GameWeek with the Premier League’s worst defense and conceded the highest percentage of set-piece goals (17 out of 51 via Opta). Their inability to defend set plays was a major issue according to Gary O’Neil, and Pereira did a lot of work to toughen up her team from such situations.
However, Chelsea’s success from the dead ball on Monday night highlighted that those problems remained and the signs were ominous for the hosts on Saturday as the division’s most prolific outfit visited Molinuex.
Wolves concede the most ends per game in the Premier League on average, but Arsenal only managed one in the opening period – and the delivery was poor. The country’s play meant Pereira’s side were not barraged, and while the Gunners created most of their chances from crosses, they failed to capitalize on the glaring mismatch from set-pieces.
There is something about Michael Oliver and Arsenal at Molineux. Remember when Gabriel Martinelli received his marching orders from Oliver, he received two yellow cards in a row?
Arsenal supporters have had a vendetta against the official ever since, and he wouldn’t have gone down in any of the Gooners’ good books after dismissing bright teenager Lewis-Skelly on Saturday afternoon.
The whole stadium was expecting a yellow when Doherty collapsed to the turf, but Oliver went for another and sent Lewis-Skelly over. The challenge was cynical, no doubt, but the fact that Doherty was caught by Lewis-Skelly’s braces above the ankle allowed VAR to stick with the decision on the pitch. He allegedly met the threshold of “serious crisis play”.
Would anyone have batted an eyelid if Lewis-skelly had been warned? Gomes’ second yellow card was a goal!
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