Arsenal–Wolverhampton 1–2 (1–2)
– Raúl is undergoing an MRI now. He is conscious, Wolves manager Nuno Espírito Santo said after the match.
– He speaks and is present, the manager adds.
STRONG IMAGE WARNING: See collision at the top!
Four minutes into the match between Arsenal and Wolverhampton, there was a serious clash.
Raúl Jiménez and David Luiz collided when Arsenal had a corner kick. Jiménez went up in the air to head off Willian’s corner kick, and behind him came David Luiz at full speed. Both players were left on the ground after the collision.
– It is rare that I have seen such a force in a collision. We are used to people banging their heads together, but this was enormously powerful, says TV 2’s football expert Erik Thorstvedt during the break.
The Arsenal player bled from the head, but was allowed to continue the match after being bandaged around the head.
During the break, the Brazilian was still taken off.
– He passed all tests after the incident, therefore he could continue the match. During the break, he said that he struggled to go into head duels due to the bandage and cut his forehead, so we took him off, says Arsenal coach Mikel Arteta.
Jiménez, who was apparently unconscious on the ground, suffered the worst, while more and more health personnel gathered around him.
– I immediately realized that it was serious. Fortunately, he is with the right people now. We hope and pray that everything goes well with him, says Wolves captain Conor Coady after the match.
Coady was close when it slammed, and reacted quickly when he saw his teammate.
– I realized it right away. It’s not something we want to see. I pray and hope everything goes well. I hope it goes well with both Raúl and David Luiz, says Coady.
Finally, the Mexican was laid on a stretcher and rolled out of the arena. The pictures of the striker showed that he received oxygen and was wearing a neck collar. At 21.42, Sky Sports reported that the striker was conscious and that he was responding to the treatment he received at the hospital.
After the match, the Wolves manager confirmed this.
Wolverhampton state that they will return with more information as soon as they have it.
Purposeful first half
Mikel Arteta has struggled to get the Arsenal machinery up and running this season. After nine league games, they stood with four wins, one draw and four losses. Against Wolverhampton, the statistics became even gloomier.
After 27 minutes, the visitors leveled the scores after Leander Dendoncker made it through the middle and struck home the 1 – 1 goal. The return ended in the legs of Pedro Neto who got the ball in goal.
Only three minutes later Arsenal responded. Gabriel went up on a corner kick and stabbed in the equalizer.
The Wolves took just ten minutes to respond. Once again, it was Pedro Neto who tried. This time, Bernd Leno returned, and then Daniel Podence was lightning fast to grab the ball. After lobbing it over an Arsenal defender, he hammered it into goal.
After the situation where Raúl Jiménez had to leave the field, ten minutes were added in the first half.
The crisis continues in Arsenal
In the second half, very little happened. None of the teams managed to create the big chances. Thus, Arsenal is in 14th place after ten league rounds. In total, they have taken 13 points out of 30 possible. Mikel Arteta’s team has also scored only ten goals in ten games.
Thus, Arsenal has its worst league start since the 1981/1982 season.
For Wolves’ part, they climb up to 6th place, just four points behind league leaders Tottenham.
–
