There is something stirring in the red half of north London. A clinical victory – Arsenal’s fourth in all competitions – thanks to two early goals from Bukayo Saka and Martin Ødegaard sent Mikel Arteta’s side four points clear at the top of the table and strengthened their quest to seal a first league title for two decades.
Following a sluggish start, Arsenal has managed to stay close to their competitors. However, with the return of Ødegaard from injury, they have picked up their performance and are now in top form. The team’s captain was outstanding in their recent match against Wolves, who showed great determination under the guidance of manager Gary O’Neil. Despite a late goal from Matheus Cunha, Wolves were unable to come back from Arsenal’s dominant display in the first 15 minutes. The game ended in a frantic finish after a mistake from Oleksandr Zinchenko led to Wolves’ consolation goal.
Arteta praised Oleksandr despite his mistake that led to the goal, acknowledging that every player has their own strengths and weaknesses. He also mentioned that mistakes can happen to anyone and it is important to learn from them in order to improve as a team.
Former midfielders turned managers, Arteta and O’Neil have developed an unexpected camaraderie throughout their careers. During last year’s World Cup winter break, they coincidentally crossed paths while staying at the same hotel. Prior to the start of the match, they showed mutual respect for each other, but once the game began, Arteta’s intense determination in his gaze showed that his team was ready to compete.
Fans were eager for more goals after witnessing Arsenal’s 5-0 win over Lens on Wednesday. It took just six minutes for Saka to fulfill their wishes, as he broke free from a tight space on the touchline and assisted Gabriel Jesus before receiving a return pass from Takehiro Tomiyasu and scoring with his right foot. This was the first time Arsenal had scored within the first 15 minutes of a Premier League home game this season, and they quickly added another goal thanks to Ødegaard.
A fantastic one-two between Jesus and Zinchenko was the catalyst for the goal, with the Ukraine full-back’s cutback played perfectly into Ødegaard’s path to sweep home from 14 yards. It was breathtaking stuff on a freezing afternoon in north London.
Wolves had returned to the capital still smarting from the 3-2 defeat to Fulham on Monday after a controversial late penalty in their latest run-in with VAR. But there was no respite for them as Leandro Trossard could have made it 3-0 had it not been for a good save from José Sá. That proved to be the Wolves goalkeeper’s last act as he was replaced by Dan Bentley with what O’Neil confirmed was a back injury.
Despite not playing their best attacking game this season, Arsenal’s defence has been reliable, with Gabriel and William Saliba successfully handling the threats from Cunha and Hwang Hee-chan during the first half. There was only a brief moment of concern when Zinchenko lost the ball to Nelson Semedo, but Gabriel Martinelli was able to cover for him. In a matter of seconds, Martinelli was able to create a scoring opportunity that unfortunately hit the post, and Jesus missed two chances to extend the lead. Zinchenko’s mistake almost gave Wolves a chance to get back in the game, but goalkeeper David Raya was quick to prevent it.
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Arsenal’s only potential downfall was their complacency, but they were determined to secure a win against Wolves in the second half. However, they were unable to do so. Despite O’Neil’s team scoring in 12 consecutive league matches, they were more threatening after halftime. It wasn’t until Zinchenko made a mistake three minutes before the game ended that they were able to score, thanks to Cunha’s precise shot that left Raya with no chance. Ødegaard showed impressive skill in setting up Eddie Nketiah, who had the opportunity to calm the home team’s nerves with a goal, but unfortunately his shot hit the post.
The Wolves manager, O’Neil, was hoping for a penalty in stoppage time when Gabriel blocked Semedo’s cross. However, he had no complaints as Arsenal held on. O’Neil stated, “Despite the loss, the team should take away the fact that we were able to keep the game close and make Arsenal nervous.”
Source: theguardian.com
