Arsenal ended a tough week on a high beating Wolves 2-0 at Molineux to return to the top of the Premier League table.
Leandro Trossard broke the deadlock just before the break and after plenty of huffing and puffing the Gunners put the result beyond doubt in stoppage time when Martin Odegaard found the net from a tight angle at the second time of asking.
It wasn’t pretty but at this point of the season, that doesn’t really matter. We got the points and now attention turns to Chelsea on Tuesday.
Here’s what the managers, players, stattos and pundits made of a tense evening in the Midlands…
Mikel Arteta on getting the points and a solid defensive performance…
It was a very good response, so proud of them. We reacted in the right way. We deserved to win the game and got another clean sheet again. Obviously disappointed to lose against Bayern, small margins but we have five games to go and we are top again. We’ve been really consistent defensively and that’s the platform needed to win games in this league. All we can do is win our games and when you see the form that we are in, in the calendar year, it is unbelievable and you are still not top but it’s the quality of this league.
Source: BBC Sport
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Gary O’Neil on his side limping to the end of the season…
It’s not often you are pleased and proud after a defeat but in our current situation, to produce energy and fight like that was an incredible effort. The negative would be the second goal. The lads didn’t deserve to lose 2-0. We had a bench full of kids and even the ones we consider as senior players, Toti, Joao [Gomes] and Boubacar [Traore], haven’t got a lot of experience, Tommy Doyle has probably only made 10 Premier League appearances. It’s an incredibly young team and squad that gave one of the best teams in the country and run for their money.
Source: BBC Sport
Wolves (0.14) 0-2 (1.61) Arsenal
— The xG Philosophy (@xGPhilosophy) April 20, 2024
Martin Odegaard on ending a tough week on a high…
It was a tough week for us, a few tough results and emotionally it’s been really hard, but we had to keep going. Today was all about bouncing back and getting the win. And we did. So, I’m really happy. Obviously we wanted to go further in the Champions League and also the game before we lost [to Villa] so it is hard, but I think in football the good thing is you always get a new chance and [there’s] still a long way to go, it’s still tight in the race so today was all about getting back to business and we did.
Source: Sky Sports
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Mikel Arteta on why managers get angry by fixture congestion…
We get annoyed because we love our players and we have to protect them. They are the protagonists and, especially when you play European competitions, the other teams have two, three, four days more than you. At the end it’s about the fairness of the competition and we need to make sure that the players are healthy and they have enough time to recover and perform the way they can.
Source: Viaplay Fotball
Arsenal have kept six consecutive clean sheets away from home in the league for the first time in their history. Tottenham away next.
— Orbinho (@Orbinho) April 20, 2024
Martin Odegaard on scoring after a frustrating wait…
Yeah, finally. It was about time. I’ve been looking for the goal for a while now, so it was good to get it again.
Source: Sky Sports
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Leandro Trossard on his best goal tally in a Premier League season…
I came into a squad with so much quality, so I would say it’s also maybe easier for me to play with such players as they can find you in tight spaces. I think the link-up has been brilliant since I’ve been here, and I’ve enjoyed my time here a lot. So I think that all in one word, is great.
Source: Arsenal.com
Leandro Trossard has scored nine Premier League goals this season, his best return in a season he has played in the competition.
Last season he got one goal and 10 assists for us. This season it's one assist and nine goals.
— Orbinho (@Orbinho) April 20, 2024
Arteta on Trossard’s impact…
He’s a little magician, he can score with any service, he’s a big threat, so composed, so cool, he can play in different positions. Just a joy to have him in the team.
Source: Post-game press conference
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Theo Walcott on Odegaard’s importance to Arsenal…
He’s always involved in the big moments. Arsenal built their team around him and you can see why they did.
Source: Sky Sports
Martin Ødegaard's strike against Wolves was his 50th goal involvement in the Premier League. pic.twitter.com/l7e6BD9mwT
— Opta Analyst (@OptaAnalyst) April 20, 2024
Jamie Redknapp on Arsenal’s improvement…
I think Arsenal will win the title next year, no matter what happens.I think they’ve got the capability, they are improving every year, they’ll add a couple of players in the summer, I think they are getting better and better. I don’t care what happens this season,they would be my favourites next season.
Source: Sky Sports
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Martin Keown on a big second half performance…
In the second-half, Arsenal totally dominated. It was really important, for the neuatral invested in this title race as well as Arsenal fans. It seemed like the disappointment of midweek was oxygen for them today.
Source: Premier League
The #Arsenal have kept 10 away clean sheets in consecutive league campaigns for the first time ever
— Tom Ede (@TomEde1) April 20, 2024
Martin Keown on the run-in…
It’s over to Liverpool now [Jurgen Klopp’s side play Fulham tomorrow]. Arsenal play against Chelsea in just a few days’. And then the big one, I mean, they’re all big ones, against Spurs [on Sunday]. And Spurs have been on a mid-season break, haven’t they? Arsenal would have played four games before Spurs put their boots on again, so you’d like to think that they’d be nice and fresh. Personally, I prefer to keep active, as long as we’ve not got any injuries. But Chelsea is a huge game now on Tuesday.
Source: Premier League
Incredible away clean sheets! Very proud of them!
Good win, two huge games coming… Well 5 actually. All must wins.
Jammie fecking Rednapp can’t bring himself into giving us a chance this season? We don’t want his backing for next season either, sour spursy cunt
I was actually just thinking how relative to someone who’s dad is Harry Redknapp he’s remarkably not grotesquely hideous… and relative to someone who played for Sp*rs (but only relative to that) he’s remarkably not a halfwitted buffoon. You might say he’s done the best he possibly could with the dreadfully unfortunate lot he’s been given in life…
Good 3 points after a difficult week. Thought Joao Gomes looked like a good little player. Anyone know much about him? Can’t say I’ve watched many Wolves games this year, but looked like a player that could fit in at a bigger club
I agree, i thought he looked pretty handy. I’d be interested, on the condition, of course, that he’d be willing to change his name to Gabriel
When he played for flamengo, he was a beast in midfield. He is young, and keep improving, i would love if we could bring him in
Hi guys, Kindly see this chant I have created for Martin Odegaard, I hope someone here picks it up and shares with mates – especially the Ashburton Army, the clock end and other groups going to the game. (it’s a shame I can’t myself because I am in Nairobi Kenya). It’ll make me so happy to hear it and to know that I can make a small contribution to support our boys even from far! Cheers! (To the tune of Spiderman song): Odegaard, Odegaard Super Captain Odegaard He can dribble, he can pass See him shoot, see him score agaaain…… Read more »
Love it!
This twitter account is run by someone who loves pushing arsenal songs, and seems to have had a few get off the ground:
https://twitter.com/clockendben30
If you have access you can check out this article, there’s a few more people mentioned: https://theathletic.com/5405070/2024/04/11/arsenal-fan-chants-emirates/
Good luck!
O’Neil may be right about the second goal but it only came as a result of Ødegaard’s refusal to stop. Both teams looked fatigued by that point but somehow Ødegaard just kept digging. I honestly don’t know how he did it.
Incredible effort!
Started more with Rice, tbh. To drive at the Wolves defence like that in added time was incredible. He was clearly gassed, but he kept going. Him and our captain have such immense engines!
No coincidence rice started bursting forward once partey entered the fray, havertz up top and either partey or jorginho in the middle for me going forward.
I know we have chavs, spuds, ManUre and nEverton lol but can’t think of the fifth team we’ve got to play!!! Suffice to say I dislike all of the aforementioned teams!!! But which one from spuds, chavs and manure is the most revolting – tough call I’m sure you’ll agree!!!
Bournemouth…
Not sure but if we are still neck and neck on the last day, City will be away to Spurs! Will we be Tottenham supporters then?! 🤯
Nope! We’ll be Arsenal supporters haha which means city just need a good ol fashioned stumble and crumble. They’re due one!
Want our destiny solidly in our hands before the last game so that I wish a proper demoltion of the Spurs. Their fans wanted us beaten by Bayern than getting a fifth place in CL. They knew they are never going to get any close to that fifth place, I guess.