Arsenal make their best substitution all season

Leaving Molineux with three points was all that mattered on Thursday. Arsenal have a torrid record against Wolves in recent seasons and the two-point gap between the teams before kick-off was testament to the work Bruno Lage has undertaken.

Having joyfully watched on as Southampton claimed a superb comeback win over Tottenham in north London and Burnley took points off Manchester United, the importance of this game could not be understated.

On all other occasions this season where Arsenal have had chances to capitalise on their rivals’ failings, they’ve come up short.

That finally changed in the Black Country despite the Gunners’ best efforts to handicap themselves with yet another stupid red card, and they can thank one man in particular for helping them get there.

Arsenal make their best substitution all season as Rob Holding puts in outstanding display in 1-0 Premier League win over Wolves

Ideally his presence wouldn’t have been required had Gabriel Martinelli have kept himself on the pitch, but seeing red shortly after Emile Smith Rowe had come on meant that Rob Holding had to be introduced.

Everyone could give a warm welcome back to the 5-3-1. But what a solid 5-3-1 it is.

Much like at Anfield in the first leg of the Carabao Cup semi-final, Arteta opted to rely on the collective strength of his defence to see the game out, switching to a back five with Holding at the heart of it. All three of the Gunners’ central defenders were on the pitch at the same time, and while all three played huge roles, Holding was immense.

In just 19 minutes he made nine clearances (no one else made more than six all match), won all three of his duels, had one interception and most notably produced one goal-saving block on the line when Wolves looked destined to score. Amid the drama of those final minutes it may have been unfairly missed that he played his best game for the club in recent memory. And it was only a cameo.

It’s his natural habitat. Limited in a number of areas, as is well known, throw Holding into a low block situation and he’ll gobble up crosses for breakfast. Arsenal implored their opponents to go wide and whip deliveries into the area, feeding the Englishman’s addiction as if it was served on a silver platter.

As far as substitutions go Arsenal will not make a better one all season long. In the context of the season, if a top four spot in the Premier League is clinched then this game is one to look back on as pivotal in achieving that.

Holding won’t be more than a third or fourth choice central defender, but when it’s backs against the walls moments in matches he makes a strong claim to be one of the more reliable options in the division. Low Block Holding was outstanding in the 19 minutes he played. That amount of focus is hard to find from defenders, let alone substitutes.