LEANARDO TROSSARD and Martin Odegaard fired Arsenal back to the top of the Premier League table.
2023/2024 Premier League
0-2
Match Events
0' The match is about to start!
1' CLOSE! Ronaldo’s shot saved by goalkeeper
14' Rice's shot saved by goalkeeper
19' CLOSE! Rice’s shot wide out
29' Yellow Card! Trossard booked
32' Yellow Card! Toti Gomes booked
35' Yellow Card! Kilman booked
45' GOAL! Wolves 0-1 Arsenal (Trossard)
51' Yellow Card! Hwang Hee-Chan booked
55' Havertz's shot too straight
70' Lemina's shot saved by Raya
80' Partey in
95' GOAL! Wolves 0-2 Arsenal (Martin Ødegaard)
Match Report
Gabriel Jesus did well in the area to keep hold of the ball and tee the ball up for his team-mate.
And Trossard's hit gave Jose Sa no chance.
Odegaard sealed all three points from a tight angle deep in injury time.
Arsenal would normally have gone into this game with a swagger.
They had won their last five matches against Wolves and managed to score at least once in each of their last 32 meetings in all competitions against Wanderers.
However, the Gunners were still licking their wounds following damaging back-to-back defeats by Aston Villa and Bayern Munich and looking for their first win in four games.
Those painful defeats left Arsenal's season on the brink of collapse and piled the pressure on Arteta's players.
However, this is the business end of the season and it was down to them to make sure it was business as usual again as they looked to return to the top of the Premier League.
They never quite achieved that but results are all that matter at this time of the season.
Unfortunately for Arteta, his team started like they were still nursing a hangover from their midweek trip to Munich.
Sure they enjoyed plenty of possession and carved out a regular supply of half-chances but created little to trouble Jose Sa in Wolves' goal.
Within the opening minute, Kai Havertz shot on the turn but it lacked power and Sa saved it low to his right.
Gabriel Jesus snatched at another effort, drilling the ball wide and Saka's looping header was easily plucked out of the air by Sa.
Trossard was doing his best to get the Gunners going and twice in the space of five minutes he laid inviting balls back to the edge of the Wolves box.
But on both occasions, Declan Rice used the instep of his right boot and side-footed wide.
The Gunners were looking leggy and lethargic from their trip to Bavaria and Gary O'Neil's depleted Wolves grew in confidence.
Tawanda Chirewa, their 20-year-old forward, tried his luck from 25 yards but the ball deflected off Rice into Raya's arms.
Leandro Trossard miscued from a Ben White cutback and shortly afterwards he was booked for a foul on Joao Gomes.
Arsenal were looking a shadow of the side who had been favourites to lift the title just four games ago.
And they had David Raya to thank for keeping them on level terms when Wolves came within a fraction of breaking the deadlock.
Jakub Kiwior, who looked well off the pace throughout, was far too casual and was robbed by Gomes, who held him off before smashing an angled shot goalwards.
But Raya defied him by instinctively thrusting out his left glove to deflect the ball onto the post.
Gomes held his head in his hands, aware that Wolves' best chance was probably gone.
Rice's frustration boiled over and he was booked for a foul on Bueno, before angrily protesting that ref Paul Tierney had ignored a worse foul by Max Kilman on Havertz.
While Havertz was receiving treatment Arteta called his players to the touchline, gesturing frantically, as he attempted to inject some life into them.
Saliba obviously didn't receive the memo because he played a loose pass straight to Hugo Bueno before tidying up his own mess with a well-timed tackle.
However Arteta's words clearly made an impression on his forwards because out of nowhere the Gunners dramatically seized the lead just before half-time.
There was a large slice of fortune involved but no one in red and white seemed too bothered.
Havertz lofted the ball into the box and Jesus appeared to clip Doherty before the Wolves man hauled him to the ground.
Rather than staying on the turf and claiming for a penalty, the Brazilian bounced back to his feet and, although his first touch was heavy the ball fell invitingly to Trossard.
The Belgian was off balance as he shot but somehow the ball sliced off his toe and sailed over Sa, clipping the inside of the post on its way into the net.
It was Trossard's ninth goal of the season - the most he has ever managed - and it sent Arsenal back to the top of the table.
Hwang Hee-Chan was booked after the break for going in late on Kiwior and was swiftly replaced by Mario Lemina.
The Wolves midfielder tested Raya with a shot which the keeper plucked out of the air.
Arteta replaced Trossard with Gabriel Martinelli as he searched for the comfort of a second goal.
But it was Wolves who were pressing now without really troubling Raya.
Line-ups
Wolves XI: Doherty, Jose Sa, Hwang Hee-Chan, Santiago Bueno, Kilman, Doyle, Toti Gomes, Boubacar Traoré, Tawanda Chirewa, Hugo Bueno, João Gomes
Subs: Sarabia, Lemina, Daniel Bentley, Rayan Aït-Nouri, Nathan Fraser, T. Ojinaka, Fletcher Holman, Ty Barnett, Wesley Okoduwa
Arsenal XI: Trossard, David Raya, Martin Ødegaard, Jesus, Rice, Gabriel, Havertz, Ben White, William Saliba, Saka, Jakub Kiwior
Subs: Jorginho, Partey, Zinchenko, Nelson, Ramsdale, Smith Rowe, Nketiah, Martinelli, Fábio Vieira