Wolves 0-1 Arsenal: 4 talking points as Gunners secure crucial win

Arsenal secured a tense and hard-fought 1-0 win over Wolves at Molineux, with a scrappy Gabriel goal with 25 minutes gone in the first half being enough for Mikel Arteta’s side to take a valuable three points.

It was a rather uneventful first 20 minutes with neither side wanting to make a mistake and instead playing within themselves. Benjamin White had his goal-bound shot blocked as the Gunners began ramping up the pressure, which told after 25 minutes.

Gabriel Martinelli whipped in his corner, White headed a clearance back in and after a collision between Alexandre Lacazette and Wolves keeper Jose Sa, the ball found its way to Gabriel who poked home.

After the home side’s stint of pressure, Arsenal regathered themselves and was the better side as they went into half-time with a slender but deserved 1-0 lead.

Wolves 0-1 Arsenal: 4 talking points as Gunners secure crucial Premier League win despite Gabriel Martinelli red card

Wolves started the second half on the front foot and put the visitors under pressure. With the Gunners using every trick in the book to waste time, the frustration around the ground was built into a crescendo.

The turning point came with a little over 20 minutes left in the second half. Martinelli was shown his marching orders in bizarre circumstances with bookable two incidents in ten seconds to leave Arsenal again down to 10 men.

However, as they have now become accustomed to, the Gunners’ defense was stout and for all of Wolves attacking forays, they were unable to create any clear-cut chances and Arsenal escaped with all three points.

The game provided plenty of talking points. Here they are.

1. Another Game, Another Red Card

Unfortunately for Arsenal, this has gone beyond a worrying theme and into a regularity. For once, however, it was not Swiss midfielder Xhaka or any of the usual suspects who was shown their marching orders. A brain fade from Martinelli left Arsenal in a deep hole with 20 minutes remaining.

Luckily for the young Brazilian, his teammates were able to see the game out, but this is now a serious issue.

The team cannot keep being reduced to 10 men. That’s six matches in 2022 and four red cards. Given the importance of the game, Arsenal again nearly shot themselves in the foot. It’s happened with Xhaka twice, once in the League Cup and against Manchester City in the Premier League. Even on his very ground last season red cards have been Arsenal’s undoing.

Make no mistake about it, although Arsenal secured the three points, they were lucky. With only a top-four spot to aspire to this season, such moments of madness can’t happen as each game. Arteta said the final 16 matches are all cup finals. You rarely win a cup final with ten men. These games are of the utmost importance.

Try and keep 11 men on the pitch.

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2. Defense Again Comes Through

Once the Achilles heel of Arsenal is now a bonafide strength. Year after year the club was criticized for having a soft underbelly and could not cope with barrages of pressure. Now the narrative has shifted completely.

As we have seen this season, it was again all hands-on deck for Arsenal’s defense. Gabriel, Benjamin White, Kieran Tierney, and Aaron Ramsdale were all outstanding in keeping their team’s lead intact. Substitute Rob Holding also made several interceptions and clearances to keep Wolves at bay in one of the best cameos off the bench from any player you’ll see all season.

The defensive steel that the team now possesses is a real weapon. Wolves controlled the possession for the last 20 minutes of the game and with the home crowd fully behind them and wanting blood after the Gunners’ numerous time-wasting tactics, the rear-guard stood firm and saw it out.

Just two years ago, it is feasible to think that Arsenal would have wilted under that pressure and there would have been a real chance of them coming away from the game with nothing, let alone three points. The unity Arteta so often speaks about was evident.

While they have been lauded this season and rightly so, they are being put in this position time and time again from poor mental errors from their teammates. But as they have shown, when their backs are against the wall, this Arsenal defense is nearly impenetrable.

That’s now 11 clean sheets in the Premier League in 22 games. 11 in 19 if you count the first choice back five coming into the team.

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3. Arsenal Take Top Four Opportunity

A lot was riding on this game for the Gunners. Manchester United and Tottenham both dropped points the day prior, so there was a huge chance to take advantage of slip ups that did not appear likely. Spurs at home to Southampton and United away at Burnley should have been bankers.

In years gone by, such opportunities werre not always taken, and the club was left lamenting its failures.

Not this time. With the top four race heating up, the Gunners have games in hand on all their challengers bar Spurs, hence why a win, away from home, was so crucial.

With the victory, Arsenal is now just one point behind West Ham in fourth but has two games in hand, they are level on points with Manchester United in sixth but have a game in hand and are three points clear of Tottenham but are a game in hand and have a +8 goal difference over their London rivals.

Should Arsenal win their two games in hand, they would remarkably only be two points behind Chelsea in third. When looking back on the game against Wolves, the importance of the win is now crystal clear.

Even if it’s ugly, scrappy, and painful to watch, three points are three points.

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4. Cedric Has Fine Game in Tomiyasu’s Absence

The 30-year-old right-back has very often been criticized for his performances, but against Wolves, he was as good as he’s been in a red and white shirt. While still clearly just backup to Takehiro Tomiyasu, Cedric did not put a foot wrong all night.

He tracked runners, got forward and offered support, often whipping in delightful crosses, one of which should have resulted in an assist with Lacazette failing to make contact from a fine delivery.

But, most of all, he was defensively sound and did not get beat down this right side.

With Wolves dominating possession in the second half, Arsenal was pinned back, but the Portuguese stuck to his task and was one of the better players on the night. Not often one for earning praise, he showed what he was capable of on a tough night for Arsenal.

Arsenal will look to the transfer market for a younger backup option, but at least for the remainder of this season, Cedric has shown that he can fill in for Tomiyasu when called upon. Against Wolves, he was simply superb and if that level is attainable between now and May then it offers great reassurance.