North London, Emirates Stadium. Arsenal hosted Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday afternoon. The match ended 2-0 to Mikel Arteta’s men. The Gunners went into this match as clear favourites, having had no problem beating Wolves in their last six matches, and having lost only once in thirteen such matches.
Arsenal fans wondered until the very end what line-up Mikel Arteta would field. David Raya, brought in permanently after a successful loan from Brentford, stood between the posts. Ben White, William Saliba, Gabriel Magalhães and Oleksandr Zinchenko formed the defensive block in front of him. The midfield featured team captain Martin Ødegaard, Thomas Partey and Declan Rice. Bukayo Saka appeared on the right wing, and Gabriel Martinelli started the match on the other side. Kai Havertz was Arsenal’s most advanced player. It was the position of centre-forward that was the subject of much discussion. After a good pre-season, Gabriel Jesus was expected to play from the start.
For Wolverhampton, Jose Sa started in goal from the start. Matt Doherty, debutant Yerson Mosquera, Toti and Rayan Ait-Nouri played in defence. Joao Gomes and Mario Lemina came ahead of them. Rodrigo Gomes, signed from Benfica in the summer, and Jean-Ricner Bellegarde appeared on the wings. In attack, Hee-Chan Hwang and Jorgen Strand Larsen, who joined from Celta Vigo, appeared.
The key presence of Bukayo Saka
First, the assist for Havertz’s goal in the 25th minute, and then the goal in the 74th minute. The Englishman’s performance was at a high level from the very beginning and it is clear how important a link he is in Arsenal’s attack. Bukayo was not only decisive in offensive actions, but also helped in defense and often brought the ball out of his own half. Choosing Havertz was also the right choice on Arteta’s part. The German found himself in a great situation, where he headed the ball into the net.
Although it wasn’t Arsenal’s standout performance, it’s worth noting David Raya’s clean sheet and treating this match as a first step towards the title race. The 2024/25 season will be Arsenal’s most important and fans will expect convincing performances from their favourites.
Alarming losses
In both the first and second half, Arsenal players lost the ball unexpectedly. Partey recorded the most inglorious passes to the opponent, but Saliba and Gabriel were also not immune. This is certainly an element of the game that will catch the eye of the Arsenal manager. The Gunners must maintain concentration and work on the quality of their passes in their own half. Today, Wolverhampton were unable to use this, but the next opponents may have this element of the game in mind.
Arsenal nevertheless finish the match with 6 shots on target and 54% ball possession.
O’Neil’s team has a false start
Wolverhampton had just three shots on goal against Arsenal throughout the match. Wolves were unable to capitalize on the opportunities Arsenal players presented them with and had trouble making key decisions. Their most dangerous situation came after Larsen’s shot in the 36th minute, but David Raya made a great save. The visitors looked their best at the start of both halves. At that point, it seemed they were capable of thwarting Arsenal’s plans, but ultimately they failed to threaten the hosts.
Quite often O’Neil’s players had to reduce their play to fouls to stop the Gunners. The team also did not help with the new signings, although there were high hopes for them. Wolves will face Chelsea in the next round. Although it is hard to believe that they are favourites in this match, they will be aiming to take at least a point from the Blues.
