Arsenal put their Champions League disappointment firmly in the past to beat Wolves at Molineux and move back to the top of the Premier League.
Arsenal put their Champions League disappointment firmly in the past to beat Wolves at Molineux and move back to the top of the Premier League.
Mikel Arteta’s team was relieved to win after blowing the opportunity to pass Pep Guardiola’s team six days prior when they lost to Aston Villa at home. On Wednesday, they were eliminated by Bayern Munich in the Champions League.
Even though Leandro Trossard’s goal in the final minute of the first half wasn’t the most spectacular of his career, it came at the ideal moment.
It happened at the end of a half in which Arsenal, having made a strong start, appeared to have stalled and was on the verge of falling behind Gary O’Neil’s side beset by injuries.
Although they continued to dominate the second half, the visitors were unable to create the clear opportunities that would have given them the advantage and put the game out of reach.
After his initial cross was blocked, Captain Martin Odegaard added the second goal deep into stoppage time at the end of the match by turning in from a tight angle.
With a better goal differential and more games played than City, Arsenal is now one point ahead of them as a result of the outcome.
Tuesday, when they host Chelsea, the team that lost the FA Cup semifinals, they will have the opportunity to put a lot of pressure on the reigning champions.
Wolves’s winless streak is still going strong despite the support of their supporters throughout the season. However, as the season comes to an end, how much will they regret giving up an injury-time lead to Championship Coventry in their FA Cup quarterfinal at Molineux last month?
This weekend’s Wembley semi-final would have given O’Neil’s team more energy and physicality. Despite being excellent for the first two thirds of the season, the team now appears to be suffering from a lack of body and energy.
Mario Lemina, an Arsenal replacement, put the goalkeeper to the test in the second half after Joao Gomes forced David Raya to tip his angled effort onto the post in the first.
However, these were isolated spurts of creative attacking play, with Wolves’ best players being their defenders, especially captain Max Kilman and Toti, who were excellent at the center of the home team’s defensive rearguard.
On-loan Tommy Doyle was industrious for Wolves.
They haven’t won in six games across all competitions, though, which is their longest losing streak since the 2021–2022 season’s conclusion.
The club did not bring in reinforcements during the January window, according to chairman Jeff Shi, because he was not willing to take a chance on violating the Premier League’s profit and sustainability regulations. But Wolves and O’Neil will always feel that their realistic chances of finishing in the top half were lost as a result of the decision.
Trossard strikes the crucial blow
Since moving to Arsenal in January 2023 for a reported £21 million from Brighton, Trossard has had ups and downs as a player.
The Belgian has still appeared in more Premier League games as a substitute than a starter for the Gunners, so when things are not going well, it is obvious that he should be replaced.
Still, he scores important goals. He’s already contributed a winner in the Champions League match against Porto, an equalizer in the home leg of Bayern Munich’s quarterfinal, and now this latest effort to bring his season total to 14 in all competitions since the beginning of last month. For the Gunners, only Bukayo Saka has scored more goals.
Leaning back and stretching to reach Gabriel Jesus’ prodded pass was a clumsy attempt. However, it soared straight into the upper corner, beyond the reach of goalie Jose Sa. It turned around an evening that had become a little nerve-wracking for the visitors, who had just let Wolves retake a game they had dominated.
It made sense that Arsenal wasn’t playing at their fluid best after a challenging week.
They still had opportunities. Kai Havertz pivoted cleanly through both sections of the room. Nevertheless, the German shot directly at Jose Sa each time.
Declan Rice had four opportunities, including a first-half shot he sent fizzing just wide and an injury-time effort that forced Sa into a decent save. Yet, for all his obvious qualities, the England midfielder is yet to improve his goals output, something he is certainly capable of.
It took Odegaard to finally finish Wolves off with a close-range effort in stoppage time.
