Wolves 0 Arsenal 2 (Trossard 45, Odegaard 90+5)
Gary O’Neil’s injury-struck Wolves were beaten by title-chasing Arsenal under the Molineux lights, despite a performance packed with effort and commitment.
Leandro Trossard scored the opening goal on the stroke of half-time, cutting across the ball and finding the top corner, beyond the desperate dive of Jose Sa. The Old Gold made light of the busy treatment room throughout the 90, and Joao Gomes came closest for O’Neil’s men when his first half strike was turned on to the post by David Raya.
However, it was the visitors who finally secured the points in injury time. Martin Odegaard’s initial cross had been cut out by the Wolves defence, but he picked up the loose ball and fired between Sa and his near post to seal the win.
With six games remaining, the season appeared to be catching up with O’Neil’s squad, which was missing more key personnel due to fatigue and injury, but those still available impressed, staying in the game and having moments to earn something themselves.
The first sniff of a chance fell to the visitors, but Kai Havertz’s sweeping volley provided a comfortable save for Jose Sa early on, while the goalkeeper was also equal to a back post Bukayo Saka header, after Jakub Kiwior had got a cross in down the Arsenal left.
Unsurprisingly, Arsenal had the better of possession in the first 15, and were getting shots away, but they were still causing few problems for Sa, who got down low to collect a Declan Rice shot from the edge of the box.
The lack of clear-cut chances began to give Wolves belief and they started getting on the ball, with Tommy Doyle at the heart of it all, and when Tawanda Chirewa, making his full debut, and Hee Chan Hwang exchanged passes, the former had a shot deflected into the hands of Raya.
While that attempt was straightforward for the Gunners stopper, the next required his best. Gomes brilliantly outmuscled Kiwior off the ball down the right and charged in on goal, and with only Hwang as support, he went himself and the Brazilian’s strike needed turning on to the top of the post by Raya.
Hugo Bueno was next to try his luck, after William Saliba gave possession away cheaply, but the Wolves man fired wide from the edge of the box. However, in the final minute of the half, it was the Gunners who edged ahead.
A deep cross found Jesus, who gave Doherty the slightest of nudges, and that left Wolves in trouble. It fell to Trossard, who deliberately sliced his effort, which took the ball away from Sa’s dive and in off the inside of the post.
Half-time | Wolves 0-1 Arsenal
The beginning to the second half was all Arsenal, who were hunting the crucial second goal and Wolves were hanging on. Sa was grateful when Havertz’s effort, over his shoulder, flew straight into his hands, while Ben White dragged his strike well of the mark.
Like the first half however, Arsenal invited Wolves back into the game, and as confidence grew amongst the hosts, chances arrived. The introduction of Mario Lemina off the bench helped and he fired an effort into the hands of Raya with his left foot, then Boubacar Traore lashed a cleared corner wide from distance.
For Arsenal, White had an effort saved by Sa, although the flag was later raised. Wolves did get in a number of dangerous areas, with Doyle and substitute Rayan Ait-Nouri both getting in down the right, but the crucial ball let them down.
As the game reached its conclusion, Saka tip-toed into the Wolves box and lashed over the crossbar. But while Wolves tried to get themselves up the pitch in the closing stages, the Gunners killed it off when Havertz found Odegaard and, after his cross was cut out, the Norwegian squeezed in the ball between Sa and his near post.
Full-time | Wolves 0-2 Arsenal
Wolves | Sa, Doherty (Ait-Nouri 75), S Bueno, Kilman, Toti, H Bueno, Gomes, Traore, Doyle, Chirewa (Sarabia 75), Hwang (Lemina 51).
Unused subs | Bentley, Holman, Barnett, Ojinnaka, Okoduwa, Fraser.
Arsenal | Raya, White, Saliba, Gabriel, Kiwior, Rice, Odegaard, Havertz, Trossard (Martinelli 72), Saka, Jesus (Partey 80).
Unused subs | Ramsdale, Smith Rowe, Nketiah, Jorginho, Vieira, Nelson, Zinchenko.
