Result: Wolves 0-2 Arsenal
Competition: Premier League
Date: 4 July 2020
Venue: Molineux Stadium
Starting lineup: Martinez, Mustafi, Luiz, Kolasinac, Soares, Ceballos, Xhaka, Tierney, Saka, Nketiah, Aubameyang.
Subs: Macey, Bellerin, Holding, Sokratis, Maitland-Niles, Torreira, Willock, Nelson, Lacazette
Bukayo Saka and Alex Lacazette bagged the goals as Arsenal kept alive their chances of qualifying for Europe with a vital 2-0 win over Wolves at Molineux.
Saka lit up a scrappy first half with a brilliant strike just before the break and a backs-against-the-wall performance was capped when Lacazette came off the bench to lash in a second.
The win takes us up to seventh in the table and closes the gap on today’s opponents to three points ahead of Tuesday’s clash against Leicester.
Pre-game
Cedric Soares’ reward for his goal-scoring cameo against Norwich was a first start for the Gunners. The Portugal international replaced Hector Bellerin as one of our wing-backs. Bukayo Saka and Eddie Nketiah were the two other changes from Wednesday night. They replaced Reiss Nelson and Alex Lacazette. Lucas Torreira was a welcome addition to a bench that was missing Nicolas Pepe, whose wife went into labout this morning. Mesut Ozil and Matteo Guendouzi were again left in London.
First half
Against a side in good form and one with a reputation for dangerous counter-attacking football, you always sensed that the Gunners would operate conservatively in the opening stages.
An early scare aside – Martinez was alert to block a Traore effort after 20 seconds – we were compact, competitive and cautious. Our pressing was eye-catching; players often doubling up on danger men to snuff out threats early.
We dominated possession for long spells but Aubameyang and Nketiah looked isolated and we really struggled to create any chances. 26 minutes were on the clock before Aubameyang tested Rui Patricio. It was a tame effort too, a half-hearted hit after the ball fell to him from a corner.
Wolves weren’t much better. As expected, Traore was lively on the ball but veered between dangerous and wasteful. He lashed over high and wide with one ambitious effort and also drew a foul from Luiz that saw the Brazilian end up in the book.
It didn’t really feel like either side was that fussed about scoring so Rui Patricio wasn’t the only one surprised when Nketiah tried his luck with a well-struck low drive. The Portuguese keeper ended up doing well to save the ball onto his post.
We took heart from that moment and with our next attack, two minutes before the break, we broke the deadlock. In the week that he signed a new contract at the club, Saka delivered a moment of quality, pouncing on a loose ball in the box to spin onto a volley that flew into the top corner. It was a lovely finish after we’d scrappily worked the ball from Cedric on the right to Tierney on the left via Aubameyang. (1-0)
Second half
Wolves were bright after the restart. Traore did Kolasinac for pace on the touchline and delivered a cross that Jimenez dived for at the back post. He claimed a nudge from Cedric but referee Michael Oliver dismissed his claims for a penalty.
Possibly wary of Traore’s threat, Arteta threw on Maitland-Niles on for Tierney, who looked like he might need a breather after a lot of football in recent weeks.
Wolves continued to tighten the screw. Luiz did well to block a Jota shot after Cedric had slipped at a vital moment and on 64 minutes Traore missed a gilt-edged chance, dinking over Martinez but also the bar.
Mikel Arteta was very animated in the drinks break as he tried to get final instructions across to his players. It looked like we were about to bring on Willock and Bellerin, in fact, the duo had to wait another five minutes on the touchline before they were introduced for Saka and Soares. In that time, we weathered several set pieces from the home side.
Nketiah had another half chance to double our lead on 75 minutes but headed over after rising well to connect with a Ceballos free-kick. Our young striker ran himself into the ground and was eventually taken off for Lacazette.
Without an away goal in living memory, it really felt like the Frenchman was introduced to make a nuisance of himself. He did more than that. After great work by Willock, he nicked in front of marker Cody, took a touch and banged home off the post. (2-0)
As the Arsenal bench celebrated, Willock should have added a third. Played in by Aubameyang, the goal was gaping but Neves blocked his shot on the line.
Make no mistake about it, this was a brilliant result. An ugly but professional performance against a really decent side. That’s three league wins on the bounce. Keep it going boys.
Massive result. Loved how seamless the substitutions were
excellent game management by arteta. We were 6/10 as a unit today but were excellrntly managed and drilled. We are building confidence towards fa semi’s. TRUST THE PROCESS. btw cant find pepe’s wife/gf anywhere. I didn’t even know she existed.
Trust the process , Pépé is rich therefore his wife/gf exists.
I think when his wife gives birth,he will score a goal in the next match for celebration
Massive result. I was writing this fixture off at the restart of PL. And hoping for 3 points from Brighton. I guess i got it completely wrong…i must drink the kool aide and start believing in the “Process”.
Welcome to the Cult of
Cult of Mikel!
Good. Let them have their baby in peace. She’s obviously not into the limelight thing.
I’d say it’s refreshing you can’t find her plastered all over Instagram like the rest
Not bad at all
https://twitter.com/arsenal_true/status/1137677135018176512/photo/1
Absolutely huge result for us today. Clean sheet and a win, away from home, against the team with the best defensive record post-lockdown break. Lacazette back on the scoresheet, playing away nonetheless, our youngsters delivering the goods, Martinez having an absolute blinder in goal, and perfect game management to hold out against the pressure and see the game off. So proud of the lads today and, dare I say, actually looking forward to the next game!
Arsenal have won three consecutive league games without conceding for the first time since November 2017, while this is the first time they’ve won back-to-back away league games without reply since October 2015.
Pundits and commentators going on and on and on about how good Traore is. Driving me mad!! That hopefully shuts them up for a bit
Massive result, huge confidence boost ahead of Tuesday
Did anyone else love auba’s no look pass to tierney for saka goal. That’s the kind of connection i hope to see everywhere. That’s what mancity do day in & out.
No look pass means he’s aubaminho?
Aubameiguinho hehe
Aubamarosicky
I don’t get why he’s so highly regarded. He’s a worse buff Walcott.
What is wrong with these muthaf*cking commentators
Just like Mcmanamaman endorsing fouls against us last week, this time Laca gets studs raked down his shin and the commentator goes “the defender should know Lacazette exaggerates contact”
It was a blatant foul. WTF
Ferguson made it okay to kick Arsenal off the park way back when. Our football was too advanced.
?? The male fool behind me at the game came in late and was all ‘Arsenal are gonna lose 2-1, Arsenal don’t know a thing about football’, praising Wolves etc. By full time he’d gotten really bitter , he actually clapped for Wolves! ???♂️ , said ‘they played Arsenal out the park’ and next thing was he started spewing Arsenal is a club of imbeciles. I don’t know why he was so pissed ?? I didn’t say a word ? I didn’t share one opinion with him but at full time (when he went full imbecile) I had to walk… Read more »
Good for you. i havent seen a pub open for months now.
Was he an American Wolve in London?
I think Traore really is exceptional, especially when he plays wide on the right–incredible pace, very strong on the ball, improving technically, and very intelligent on his cutbacks and crosses. It makes Maitland-Niles’ performance against him that much more impressive.
Well in boys. St. Totteringham Day Loading…..that’s our pride coming back one game at a time!
Fair play, that was an impressive performance and result from the team today.
I wasn’t very impressed by Wolves, but I’m going to pin that on our game-plan nullifying them.
I saw the old maitland-niles that we all love!!
AMN 5*
Shut Traore down and Phil Neville up.
What’s it going to take for us to get into the champions League? Is fifth possible do you think?
We have a tough set of fixtures upcoming, including Leicester, Chelsea and United, but I still believe we can get there with equal doses of skill and luck. Sheffield and Wolves dropping points has been good. (I’m not factoring in the spuds as they are below us already where they belong).
Very very satisfying performance. Professional, resilient, efficient. Well done lads, well done boss.
This result is huge, we all knew Arteta was on the right track but, this result solidifies that belief because it signifies that the team and players we have don’t deserve mid-table status. Laca reignited, Willock ball carrying, Auba being Auba, Tierney was solid (surprised he was subbed), Cedric was sharp and snappy, Nketiah putting pressure and showing good striker instincts, Bellerin was good when he came on, who did I miss?
Martinez deserves a shout out too. He’s been massive since he came in and filled some gigantic Leno sized boots seamlessly.
He does, he really does, I was thinking today that when Leno comes back he is going to be displaced again but it would not be fair, but then again Leno is Leno. What are your thoughts on this?
emi has suddenly raised his market price from 2m to 12m
A man that has been with us for 10 years and never complained, stepped in when called upon. He has learned a thing or two, seeing cech take the helm, Scezzsezsezesezeszney shipped off, Ospina cast out.
I don’t think we’ll sell him, we obviously admire his professionalism to have kept him for so long.
He’s a senior player now.
Why only 12M, unless you’re talking percentages. Loyalty (to Leno) doesn’t mean you can give a guy a strong clap on the back when he shows really worldclass stuff
Emi is a huge backbone to our winning stretch, his personality and ability on the ball are what comes in mind for me. Leno seems to be a bit so cocky, introverted and holds back a little, thus not maximizing the required inspirations to that foundation for an attack.
If Martinez continue with this impressive performance, Leno will have to fight to regain his spot. That’s how football works, its based on form, not sentiment
Frankly I think he’s better than Leno. Better at crosses and looks far more in command of any situation. He also distributes the better and faster.
Solid performances all round, Really liked Saka’s goal, great instincts.
Yeah, thought was a RVP-esque finish. Back against post turn and shoot!
Emi
EMI has a big presence
Eddie really closed down, sometimes almost like a mad man. I like that.
Wow. What a result and what a performance! This feels like the “blueprint” moment we thought was coming when we beat City 2-0 at the Etihad. Let’s hope this isn’t another false dawn.
That was serious grit and determination out there. Unbelievable performance all round. Get. In.
The fact that we even have a blueprint moment today is huge. One step at a time, but this is massive for the players.
Definitely finishing above Spurs, coyg
Loved how Martinez performed again. He dominated with crosses, which I can’t recall in an Arsenal keeper for a long time..
Love our team today. Arteta had everything right. AMN even made taking Tierney out the right thing to do. Tierney prone to injuries being protected, I think.
I think he put him on cause he’s right footed and he could force Adama inside on his weak foot because of his natural defensive stance.
I think it would have been asking a lot of Tierney, who has played a lot recently but hardly at all for months and months, to try to match Traore’s pace on the outside. Maitland-Niles one of the few who can do that.
Specially a tired traore VR a fresh Ainsley
Excellent from Arteta, subdued the Wolves threat for the most part and made all the right changes at the right time.
Not swashbuckling stuff but then we aren’t going to get to play Norwich every time.
Leicester won’t be looking forward to us anymore that’s for sure.
Amazing result. Mature performance.
Let’s keep it going. The only soft spot was Kolasinac who was struggling all night either with wrong position or with missed headers and passes. Arteta surely notices that.
I thought he was very controlled and resisted pushing on irresponsibly.
Very glass half full. Playing left CB in a back 3 he has no business bombing on. His job is ball retention and recovery and he was pretty woeful at the former.
How can anybody downvote this, he was atrocious – the worst game I’ve ever seen from him. We were almost laughing over here by the end how predictably he was giving the ball way. How many times did he pass it directly to a Wolves player? 7? 8? 10? His confidence just spiraled downward as the game progressed, he was a completely and total liability. I like him as a character, but please sell him, he’s not good enough with the ball at his feet.
I agree, he’s literally only in there because he’s left footed and Holding isn’t. Hopefully today causes Arteta to fix the only selection he got wrong today next match.
get your opinion, often not switched on to our opponents attacks and wild under pressure in our defensive box, don’t think you can coach this out of him, he had a good spell with assists a season ago but his bread and butter is defending and hes never got that right in PL, still If ever i needed a bodyguard i would employ him..
The game management from the team in the first half and by the manager in the second half is what this team has been lacking for a long time. I hope they sustain this for a long time.
Also, I’m a proponent of the 4 at back system but I can’t lie, this team looks more comfortable playing with 3 at the back
Well things are looking a lot brighter after those first two games. Looks like we might have left it a little too late for Champions League now that United are suddenly unfortunately looking like a decent side. If we are to have any chance though I think we have to win all of the last five games. The next two games are huge so it’s a big ask and we would have to rely on others dropping points. Given we can only reach a maximum of 64 points I’m not sure that’s enough. Still, l’m always happy to eat humble… Read more »
Fantastic result at a stadium in which only Spurs, Chelsea and Liverpool have managed to win. The most important part was how solid we looked. Their only real chance(Traore chip) came from a poor pass by one of our players. Other than that, Wolves never really threatened.
Hats off to Tierney and Maitland Niles for totally nullifying Traore. Traore actually switched sides midway through the first half cause he couldn’t get past Tierney. The Academy boys all had fantastic games, Ceballos and Auba put in massive shifts. 3 points and a clean sheet.
Let’s keep it going!
If we continue at this rate Martinez will soon have more clean sheets than Leno
Bloody Lovely stuff. Solid performance!!
Really enjoyed that. We looked really organised bar a few moments. Only criticism is that Saka does not play as good on the right, but given the lack of creativity in midfield, it’s hard for the front three.
Arteta Knows.
Sorry to say this but the midfield has looked sharper without Guendouzi. He draws fouls which is cool but it slows down play. The passes are more crisp and the pressing energy is strong.
Guenwhozi?
Swap him for Partey!
I agree, Guendouzi is slow and turns too much, he isn’t useful in anyway imo.
Really impressed by Saka’s postmatch interview – seems a very humble, composed and positive sort of guy. Buzzing to have him signed on for the next few years.
I was even more impressed with the interview he gave after signing the contract. Really considers the question and doesn’t go through the motions with cliché answers. Very bright and seems particularly humble and well grounded.
Brilliant result and what a performance from Martinez.
Congratulations Pépé! Maitland-Niles was the motm for me, and I really hope he signs a new contract. He looked out most assured in the tackle, and got forward well. Loved his fight and tenacity in the corner towards the very end as well. We looked really slow and ponderous throughout, until the game opened up after the second water break, but perhaps that’s more down to Wolves’ organization than a lack of creativity from us (though I’m sure it’s a but of the latter as well). Overall happy that we’re getting the foundations right, and oddly enough, Phil Neville put… Read more »
This was a George Graham-esque performance.
We defended really well in a tight first half, giving Wolves nothing. Then we nicked that goal just before the break and never looked back. Second half we soaked up the pressure and then got that second, which killed the game.
Congrats to Saka and Laca who both took their goals well. But the solid defending was the key to winning this evening.
Three PL wins in a row? Who would have thought this after Brighton? Fourth place is gone, but with this form we have a chance of winning the FA Cup.
Wh…what? Are you feeling OK? There wasn’t a single negative statement in that entire post.
I always give credit when it’s due.
You also give discredit when it is due. This makes sense completely.
Agree with everything you say, except the first and last lines. George Graham would have done his nut with Kolasinac; that was not a George Graham defensive display. As for the Cup Semi Final, without Ozil I can’t see us unlocking that City defence – and we will have to score at least two or three to offset City – who will score for a fact. These youngsters may be able to manage it against the likes of Norwich and Wolves. City will be a different proposition entirely.
Ozil is history at Arsenal. Arteta has given up on him and won’t play him again. He’ll be gone at the end of the season.
Masterclass management by Arteta today, nice we are not talking about Luis & Mustafi who I might add both had good games, great to see Torerria back, hope we can sign Dani as another season in PL i think he has potential of being a top top player, we still have players coming back and our managers leadership of leaving Gendousi & Ozil out of our squad speaks volumes, early days I know we are going to have setbacks but very pleasing to see a proper Arsenal performance.
These kids continue to impress. Long may it continue.
Excellent shape throughout. Arteta had to sacrifice some forward play unless we want to play wide open expansive football with Mustafi and Luiz as the foundation. Im absolutely buzzing to be honest. Was expecting the worst. Artetas 3 at the back is much better than Emerys. Very rare game where all good things happen.. Even Laca scored and he done it as if he wasn’t on an over year long drought. If we beat Leicester anything can happen on the backend of this season.
I was at the Emirates for the listless draw against Wolves earlier this season, an example of Emeryball at its finest. This was so much more enjoyable!
The three points are awesome. We really can qualify for the Champions league.
According to some Arsenal fans/supporters Wolwes are a superior team, with a superior recrutiment and the right squad balance. While Arsenal has the wrong team balance, can’t compete becuause most players isn’t good enough and the recrutiment is sh*t. Still this sh*t Arsenal team with sh*t players and an umbalanced squad won. I will put my trust in Arteta, he is far superior to any fan sentiment or blog opinion. Why whine and be negative when Arteta is not. Why be an ahole just because you are an Arsenal fan?
Wow, very pleasantly surprised. A clean sheet a win, lovely
I dont get your terminologies about this game. The first was not scrapily worked from Cedrac to Tierney, i watched the goal and there was about 6 to 7 touches with a wolves player touching the ball before the deflection into saka’s path. And an ugly win ? No it wasn’t a beautiful win i say. I was one who predicted they would win and am glad they did
Looks like theblight at the end of the tunnel is slowly beginning to shine through now. We are lucky to have 2 very good keepers…yes Emi is also awsome and has been growing in stature as he gets more game time….and yes we have talented kids…if they can fit in so seemlessly and dare i say even increase the overall output when they came in?, esp as we already have kids on the pitch.hats off to Arteta again….i know, i might be getting ahead of myself, but, pardon me, cant help it, and you shouldnt blame me, given the team… Read more »
Credit where it’s due, Luiz was very solid and composed today. Surprised no one as mentioned that…
Good win. Very cagey match but Arteta won the tactical battle. Looks like he has finally found some security with this backline/formation. Most encouraging and welcomed 3rd clean sheet on the trot. We were under the cosh just after second half and into 70++ minutes before Arteta first brought in the more physical AMN to cope with Nuno Espiritu santos shifting Traore rigt wing with Jota up top. Tierney had run his race and AMN I thought did a decent job containing Traore in conjunction with Kolasinac and Auba. Much of their threat came from them slicing diagonally into the… Read more »
Thanks for a great 4th of July. Motm has to be Mustafi. Funny how things turn around.
We won because we had the patience and poise to not provide Wolves counter attack with turnover ammunition. Wolves didn’t hard press us up top. Instead they played what in hockey is called a neutral zone trap. They tried to clog and over play the passing lanes after causing the ball carrying center backs to stop their forward movement. Luiz and Mustafi regularly faked passes in one direction and then either passed in another direction or dribbled forward into the space that opened in front of them. Ceballos regularly accepted passes in tight quarters and moved play forward by spinning… Read more »