Thanks for reading this MBM. Nighty night!
Mikel Arteta speaks to Sky. “Today was about being very patient … they made it difficult, there were no spaces to attack … they were waiting for a mistake to catch us on the break … Granit Xhaka was not feeling good and was sick, and could not play on … unfortunately there were a few players not feeling great … we are feeling it for Gabriel Jesus because his contribution is valuable … the love and respect we feel for him is huge … we will focus on being a better team every single day … we still have huge margins to improve … it’s been a long time since we have been in this position, so fans fully deserve it, the huge transformation they have made with their energy that transmits to the players … the unity from the top of the club to our people, they are the soul of this club … we have to keep winning … we have a big challenge before us.”
Wolves interim manager Steve Davis talks to Sky Sports. “There were good moments in the game, first and second half … we slowed them down really well … our shape was fantastic, hard to get through and over and round … we defended the box … we were happy at 0-0 … obviously there was a decision in the first half that should have gone for us, Guedes is onside clearly … you can see it was a foul and the last man, so it could have been a goal or a red card, because it would have been a penalty … so we feel hard done to, because those moments are important for us at the moment … if that decision had gone for us, it might have been a different story.”
Hot managerial chat still to come … but Ben Fisher was at Molineux tonight, and his report is in. Don’t forget to come back, now.
Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard talks to Sky Sports. “We had to dig deep today … we were a bit slow … but we know the quality we had and stayed patient, and it paid off in the end … we have to stay calm, it’s a long way to the end of the season … there are some good teams around us.”
Aaron Ramsdale is by his side. “Every win is very big … this place is a really tough place to come … it’s a massive win that gives us a boost and a bumper, but things will change over the break, and we have to come back how we finished up … we’ll enjoy every minute of the World Cup and hopefully go and win that, then come back and focus on Arsenal!”
Mikel Arteta’s smile is as wide as the gap at the top of the table. He celebrates with his players in front of some very happy fans. Arsenal weren’t at their best tonight, but still had more than enough for a Wolves side who played to a higher level than their unfortunate position in the table suggests. At the start of the season, their goal was merely a top-four finish. When it resumes after the World Cup break, it’ll be title number 14 in their viewfinder. Four months is an awfully long time in football.
FULL TIME: Wolverhampton Wanderers 0-2 Arsenal
Arsenal go into the World Cup break five points clear of the second-placed champions Manchester City! Wolves will be bottom at Christmas, but at least they’ll have a new manager to unwrap.
| Pos | Team | P | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arsenal | 14 | 22 | 37 |
| 2 | Man City | 14 | 26 | 32 |
| 19 | Southampton | 15 | -14 | 12 |
| 20 | Wolverhampton | 15 | -16 | 10 |
Updated
90 min +3: Julen Lopetegui is pictured in the stand. He doesn’t look overly concerned. Wolves certainly haven’t looked like a relegation-bound side tonight, against the most in-form team in the country. Plenty to work with.
90 min +2: The second of four added minutes. Bueno is booked for excessive yap.
90 min +1: Arsenal run down the clock by making a triple change. Saka, Vieira and Zinchenko are replaced by Nelson, Elneny and Cedric.
90 min: One corner leads to another, then Neves hoicks over from distance.
89 min: Arsenal ping it around. The fans crack out the olés! Zinchenko ships possession and allows Adama Traore to stride off towards the box. Traore lays off to Podence, who aims for the top right. Ramsdale sticks out a strong arm to deflect out for a corner, then bollocks the rest of the team for showboating.
88 min: The Arsenal fans run through their current favourite song: Tequila (Version). “So much depends on the World Cup for Arsenal,” writes Kári Tulinius. “They don’t have the squad depth of Manchester City, so need most of their first eleven fit. I can see a scenario where the Arsenal players have an uneventful World Cup and return raring to go, but equally five or four of them could return injured or exhausted.”
86 min: Podence, to the left of the Arsenal six-yard box with his back to goal, flicks the ball into the air and sends a bicycle kick towards the bottom right. It’s beaten Ramsdale, but it’s also wide of the right-hand post. Ramsdale grins and pokes out his tongue. The Arsenal keeper enjoying life right now.
84 min: Matt Dony will enjoy this. Adama Traore takes advantage of a Zinchenko slip and strides into the Arsenal box from the right. He then launches an absurdly overhit low cross through a crowded area, clearing the danger for Arsenal himself. The visitors go up the other end and win a corner that leads to nothing but eats up some time.
82 min: Nothing comes of the corner. But Wolves come again, Adama Traore bustling his way down the right and cutting back for his namesake Boubacar, who drags a shot wide left from an ambitious distance. “For defenders, there are varied challenges,” begins Matt Dony. “In footballing terms, there must be different fears when they come up against skilful players, or fast players, or direct players, or relentless, scrappy players. But when you see Adama Traore running at you, it’s not a ‘footballing’ fear. It must be an existential, guttural terror. A serious worry for your health and future. The man is incredible. If only he was a little bit better at, y’know, football.”
81 min: Nunes comes on for Toti. Lembikisa makes good down the right and wins a corner.
79 min: Guedes nearly dribbles his way through the middle of the Arsenal defence, having left Saliba behind with an audacious over-the-head flick and spin. But he can’t make space for the shot. Arsenal counter, Odegaard nearly making himself enough space for a shot that might bring him his hat-trick. But he’s closed down too. White eventually drags harmlessly wide.
77 min: Podence rolls a ball down the inside-left channel and releases Guedes into the box. Guedes goes for the spectacular, hitting a first-time shot on the turn … but only flashes the ball into the side netting.
GOAL! Wolverhampton Wanderers 0-2 Arsenal (Odegaard 75)
Young Lembikisa is penned in near his own corner flag on the left, then stripped of the ball by Martinelli. Then there’s some pinball in the Wolves box. Martinelli takes a whack. Blocked by Sa. The rebound falls to Odegaard, who slams into the bottom left from 12 yards. Arsenal are going five points clear!
Updated
74 min: Boubacar Traore flicks the ball this way then that on the edge of his box before clearing his lines. The crowd enjoyed that little moment of sweet, simple skill.
72 min: Ramsdale is booed for having his Adam’s apple flattened into a frisbee. Of course he is. Then Zinchenko curls into the Wolves box from the left. Sa claims under pressure from a couple of red shirts.
Updated
70 min: Happily, Ramsdale is back up quickly. He tells the referee he’d taken that whack in the throat, so there’s no need to worry about concussion. Play restarts.
69 min: Podence wedges a pass down the inside-right channel. Gabriel heads backwards. Ramsdale half-gathers, then spills, and Adama Traore, competing for scraps, clatters into him. Ooyah, ow, oof. Ramsdale stays down and on comes the trainer. No malice there.
68 min: Wolves make a double change. On come Podence and the 18-year-old Lembikisa for Moutinho and Semedo.
67 min: Adama Traore drives his way down the right to make himself a bit of space. From the byline, he loops towards the far stick. Ramsdale claims well, under pressure from the nearby Collins.
65 min: White creams a long pass to release Jesus down the left. Jesus twists and turns his way into the box, but is held up by Kilman. He tries to find Odegaard rushing in from the right with a clever diagonal ball, but Toti extends a leg to concede a corner. Nothing comes of that. A general sense that this won’t end 0-1, but who’ll score the next goal is anybody’s guess.
64 min: Bueno crosses from the left. Semedo and Boubacar Traore get in each other’s way. Wolves aren’t finished yet.
62 min: White crosses from the right. The ball ends up at the feet of Martinelli, in Vieira Country to the left of the six-yard box. He crosses. Sa flaps. Odegaard tries to steer a header into the top right. Not quite. Jesus takes a fresh-air swipe and Wolves clear their lines. A second Arsenal goal would put the tin lid on it, you feel.
61 min: Guedes takes the free kick. He sends in a low drive from the left-hand corner of the Arsenal box. Ramsdale stoops to claim confidently. Guedes was probably hoping for that to take a nick off someone, but it flew through clean.
60 min: Gabriel is booked for sliding in late on Adama Traore, in flight down the left. Just outside the Arsenal box. Free kick in a very dangerous position.
59 min: Semedo whips in a cross from the right. It’s almost immediately blocked by Martinelli … right in the fruit bowl. Ooyah, oof, that’s gotta hurt. After a sip of water and a quick inventory, he’s back up and good to go.
58 min: Such a clever pass from Jesus, too. Do Arsenal care if he’s on a personal goal drought?
57 min: Wolves, bottom of the Premier League, had given as good as they got against the leaders. But now it could be all for nought. Arsenal have taken the lead in 11 matches so far this season. They’ve won ten of them and drawn the other.
GOAL! Wolverhampton Wanderers 0-1 Arsenal (Odegaard 55)
Jesus plays a cute reverse pass down the inside-left channel to release Vieira, who makes it to the edge of the six-yard box before whistling a low cross into the centre. Odegaard races in to slam home. He couldn’t miss. Wolves opened up brilliantly, and Arsenal could be going five points clear!
Updated
54 min: Boubacar Traore clips Vieira to the floor. He wants to watch himself, having already been booked.
52 min: Partey is booked for throwing a cynical leg across Semedo. The actual foul happened nearly two minutes previously, but an advantage (that came to nothing) was given to Wolves, and it took an age for the ball to go dead.
Updated
50 min: Zinchenko attempts to release Jesus down the inside-right channel. Jesus can’t quite gather his long pass on the edge of the box.
48 min: Odegaard floats a ball into the Wolves box and nearly finds Vieira. But Wolves clear, and Adama Traore zips down the right wing at speed, before cutting infield and finding Guedes in acres on the opposite flank. Guedes tries to complete a long-range one-two but his return ball is well anticipated by Ramsdale, who smothers just before Traore can get there.
47 min: Arsenal get into their sterile passing rhythm. Not a particularly dynamic start to the second half.
Wolves get the second half underway. No changes.
Half-time entertainment. Jonathan Wilson explains how the beautiful game could suddenly go the way of your tatty old titfer. Hear him out.
HALF TIME: Wolverhampton Wanderers 0-0 Arsenal
That’s the end of the first half. Wolves will be the happier of the two sides as everyone trudges off for their half-time orange segments.
Updated
45 min +2: Boubacar Traore is booked for hauling back Jesus as the Arsenal man hares down the left. A free kick and a chance for Arsenal to load the Wolves box. Odegaard swings it in, but Collins clears. Jesus grimaces as he rubs his achilles.
Updated
45 min +1: Guedes has been a right old handful, and now he finds himself on the right-hand corner of the Arsenal six-yard box, but with no route to goal. He tries to find another old gold shirt with a forensic cutback, but isn’t successful. Arsenal clear.
45 min: Nothing comes of the needlessly conceded corner. There will be two added minutes.
44 min: Saliba gets away with a huge mistake. He plays a blind backpass down the Wolves left. It hits Guedes, who scampers into the Arsenal box. He should work Ramsdale at the very least, but in opening his body and aiming for the top right, gets his shot all wrong. But it takes a flick off Gabriel and out for a corner.
43 min: Vieira has a dig from 25 yards. It’s blocked easily enough. Wolves are holding their shape nicely, and Arsenal are struggling to find a way through.
41 min: Guedes is half-wrestled, half-clipped to the floor on the edge of the Arsenal D by Gabriel. You’ve seen fouls given for much less, but the referee is in a particularly laissez-faire mood tonight, and allows play to go on. Guedes and the Wolves fans not happy. Even less so when Adama Traore then blazes wildly over the bar.
40 min: White crosses deep from the right. Jesus comes haring in from the left and tries to steer a right-footed shot goalwards. He can only pull it wide left, and nearly adds injury to insult by crashing into the post. He avoids that slapstick fate. Just.
39 min: Martinelli probes down the left but ends up running the ball out of play for a goal kick. Kind of sums up Arsenal’s uncharacteristically impotent play so far.
37 min: Toti is booked for a cynical trip on the in-flight Jesus. It’s a booking all day long, but Wolves aren’t happy about it, in the wake of the non-decisions that were beneficial to White and Odegaard. Two wrongs, etc.
36 min: Saka slips Jesus clear down the inside-left channel. Jesus enters the box, opens his body, and sends a curler meant for the top right pinging off the top of the bar and out for a goal kick. The flag then goes up for an offside. Probably correctly, though there wasn’t much in it between Jesus and Wolves’ last man Toti.
35 min: Kilman beats Zinchenko to a header down the right wing, sending Guedes into space. Guedes dribbles his way into the box … then trips over his own feet. Good football up until then.
33 min: Arsenal’s Partey trick: the long throw. He fizzes one in from the left, and it pings off Neves for a corner. Wolves half clear it. Odegaard sends the ball back in from the left. Toti launches a clearing header upfield. Sa hasn’t had a save to make yet against Arsenal’s effervescent attack.
31 min: Arsenal ping it around in the old-fashioned sterile style.
29 min: Odegaard tugs back Moutinho by the arm. Just a free kick. No booking for that, either. The home fans are getting agitated. Moutinho isn’t best pleased either, to be fair.
28 min: White takes up possession and finds himself also in receipt of some loud booing from the Wolves faithful. Panto season soon!
27 min: White isn’t happy that Wolves are awarded a goal kick. He wanted a corner. He gives the linesman some beneficial advice before throwing the ball in his direction. He gets a long talking-to from the referee, and is pretty fortunate not to go into the book.
25 min: Arteta hugs the touchline, micro-managing his players in the Rafa Benitez style. He very nearly gets in the road of an in-flight Bueno. Let’s hope Richard Keys has something else on tonight and isn’t watching this. We worry about his blood pressure.
Updated
23 min: Vieira makes good down the left before pulling back for Zinchenko, who curls in a cross. Jesus flashes a header wide right. Good chance.
22 min: Jesus slaloms at speed down the inside-left channel from deep, nearly making it into the box. He’s swarmed and crowded out before he can get a shot away. Lovely run, though.
Updated
20 min: White ships possession and Wolves counter down the right. Boubacar Traore slips a pass down the channel for Guedes, who sends a first-time screamer wide and high from the edge of the box. That’s about one inch wide and one inch high. That was close. Wolves are looking dangerous whenever they get up the park.
19 min: Semedo tries to release Adama Traore down the middle, but Traore is miles offside and doesn’t bother chasing. Had he been a little more aware of what was coming, he’d have held back and sprung what passed for Arsenal’s offside trap. Arsenal were at sixes and sevens.
18 min: Zinchenko is caught dawdling on the ball by Adama Traore, who goes barrelling down the middle of the park. Jesus saves his team-mate’s blushes by chasing Traore down and stealing the ball back.
16 min: Xhaka can’t continue. He walks off, blowing his cheeks out, the very picture of a man feeling as though he might boak. He’s replaced by Vieira.
15 min: Saka sends in a flat corner at speed. You could hang your washing on it. What a delivery. Gabriel gets his eyebrows on it, but only sends the ball harmlessly wide left.
14 min: White, Odegaard and Saka triangulate down the right wing. Saka reaches the edge of the penalty box and crosses from a tight spot near the byline. The ball nearly squeaks into the top right, and Sa is forced to turn out for a corner.
13 min: One corner leads to another. Neither are very good.
12 min: Wolves look lively. Bueno bombs down the left and nearly opens Arsenal up with his dribble. Not quite. He’s forced to turn tail. But Wolves come back at Arsenal, and Semedo wins a corner down the other flank.
11 min: Jesus busies himself down the inside-right channel, spinning away from Kilman but unable to get past Toti. Sa claims.
9 min: A nice open feel to the early exchanges, then. Saliba definitely clipped Guedes’ heel. Somewhere in the multiverse, Arsenal are one up but down to ten men. For the want of a yard here, a yard there.
7 min: Semedo rolls a pass down the right for Adama Traore, who scampers into space. Traore curls low for Guedes, clear in the middle. But there’s not quite enough pace on the ball, and Guedes is barged out of it on the edge of the box by Saliba. The referee would have had a decision to make there – Penalty? Red card? – had Guedes not been caught offside.
Updated
6 min: Martinelli drops deep on the left wing. He cuts infield and whips a stunning diagonal pass towards Jesus, free on the penalty spot! Jesus takes one touch before firing into the bottom left. That would have been a hell of a goal had Jesus not been clearly offside, and the flag goes up accordingly. But what vision from Martinelli, and a fine finish by Jesus to boot.
4 min: Xhaka’s back up and appears good to continue. He’ll battle on.
3 min: Xhaka squats on his haunches as he talks to the trainer and takes on some isotonic orange drink.
2 min: Arsenal spend the first 90 seconds pass, pass, passing and getting a feel of the ball. But then play stops as Xhaka doubles over. Looks as though he feels a little queasy. On comes the trainer.
Arsenal get the ball rolling. It’s top versus bottom!
The teams are out! Wolves in old gold, Arsenal in red with white sleeves. Classic looks. We’ll be off in a couple of minutes … one of those being spent in silent reflection in honour of the fallen. The lights dim. The Last Post. A moment perfectly observed.
Julen Lopetegui doesn’t officially take charge of Wolves until Monday, but he’s been given a sensational reception upon being introduced to the denizens of Molineux. Sky ask interim coach Steve Davis how much input the incoming Spaniard has had going into this fixture. “None really. He’s stayed out of the way. Watched a bit of training yesterday. We had a meeting, we spoke about players and general things. He seems a good guy and a good fit for the club. The players have done their best, they’re working as hard as they can, we just need to turn our results around.”
Meanwhile Mikel Arteta adds: “It is a big night and we know how difficult it will be here. We have to perform well and earn the right to win. We just focus on ourselves.”
Newcastle United have just beaten Chelsea 1-0 to reclaim third spot from Spurs, who had earlier leapfrogged them with a 4-3 win over Leeds. On the subject of today’s Premier League results, there were two others that affected Wolves and Arsenal. Nottingham Forest’s 1-0 victory over Crystal Palace means Wolves are now bottom, though they’ll rise to 18th with a win this evening. Anything else, and they’ll be bottom at Christmas. Meanwhile Brentford’s sensational 2-1 win at Manchester City means that whatever happens here tonight, Arsenal are guaranteed to go into the World Cup break as leaders of the title race. But will they be two, three or five points clear of the champions? Much to play for tonight at both ends, yes sir!
| Pos | Team | P | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arsenal | 13 | 20 | 34 |
| 2 | Man City | 14 | 26 | 32 |
| 19 | Southampton | 15 | -14 | 12 |
| 20 | Wolverhampton | 14 | -14 | 10 |
Wolves make two changes to the side beaten 3-2 at home by Brighton & Hove Albion last weekend. Toti and Adama Traoré are in; Daniel Podence and Hwang Hee-chan are out.
Arsenal are in If It Ain’t Broke mode. No changes to the XI named for the 1-0 win at Chelsea last weekend.
The teams
Wolverhampton Wanderers: Jose Sa, Nelson Semedo, Kilman, Collins, Gomes, Bueno, Boubacar Traore, Neves, Joao Moutinho, Adama Traore, Goncalo Guedes.
Subs: Ait Nouri, Daniel Podence, Sarkic, Mosquera, Ronan, Matheus Luiz, Hodge, Campbell, Lembikisa.
Arsenal: Ramsdale, White, Saliba, Gabriel, Zinchenko, Odegaard, Partey, Xhaka, Saka, Gabriel Jesus, Martinelli.
Subs: Tierney, Nketiah, Holding, Cedric, Vieira, Nelson, Elneny, Alencar, Turner.
Referee: Stuart Attwell (Warwickshire).
Preamble
The club that owned the 1950s take on the dominant force of the 1930s. That’s one way of looking at it anyway. Whatever, both clubs are coming at things from a different angle in the 2020s. Mikel Arteta’s upwardly mobile side are looking to reassert The Arsenal as the best in the land. By contrast Wolverhampton Wanderers, under new boss Julen Lopetegui, are simply hoping to retain their top-flight status. Contrasting goals, same importance placed on grabbing all three points. Kick off under the famous Molineux floodlights is at 7.45pm GMT. It’s on!
