Arsenal moved five points clear at the top of the Premier League table thanks to a 2-1 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers.
The Gunners had lost to Aston Villa last weekend and knew they needed to bounce back against the worst team in the league. They were made to work hard for the victory, claiming all three points thanks to two second-half own goals.
Despite taking the win, and holding onto top spot, Arsenal fans may have left the Emirates Stadium with more worries.
In this article, we’ll cover
Arsenal’s toothless attack
Arsenal struggled in front of goal against Wolves, despite having 70.2% possession. They were up against a team set up to frustrate and limit Arsenal’s big chances. And it worked.
The Gunners had six shots in the first half at the Emirates, but failed to hit the target once. It’s the first time they’ve failed to have a shot on target in the first half of a Premier League match this season. Arsenal also failed to have a shot in the first half of a Premier League home match for the first time since December 2024.
It’s not as though Arsenal’s six shots were bad, either. They generated 0.43 Expected Goals and had one big chance. That fell to Gabriel Martinelli with a free header from a corner, but the Brazilian could only direct the ball back across and past the far post.
The Gunners really struggled to get Viktor Gyokeres involved. Back in the starting XI, the Swede had just five touches in the first half, attempting one pass. He also wasn’t one of the four Arsenal players to have a shot.
Set-piece again, ole, ole
Arsenal did finally get the breakthrough midway through the second half. And, surprise, surprise, it came from a set-piece. It was a lucky goal for Arsenal, as Bukayo Saka’s corner hit the post before rebounding in off Sam Johnstone’s back. But Arsenal had been working towards it.
The Gunners had taken things up a notch a few minutes earlier, from another set piece. Declan Rice fizzed a free-kick just over the crossbar, with Johnstone getting a fingertip to it to push it out for a corner. It statistically didn’t go down as a shot on target, but it boosted Arsenal’s spirits. Rice did get Arsenal’s first shot on target moments later, testing Johnstone with a good curling effort in the 68th minute. It was their longest wait for a shot on target in a home league game since February 2016.
Arsenal had more shots after the goal to try to extend their lead, but they still didn’t really trouble Johnstone. The Gunners ended the game with 16 shots with just two hitting the target. Their 1.02 xG translated to just 0.07 xG on target. And let’s not forget their two goals didn’t even come from their two shots on target.
Wolves their own worst enemies
You cannot use Johnstone’s unfortunate own goal as a stick to beat Wolves’ backs. And the same for Yerson Mosquera’s late own goal. Even when you consider that Wolves have scored four own goals this season, the most in the Premier League. It was just bad luck on those two occasions.
But Wolves’ performance at the Emirates is another example of why they’re very likely to be relegated come the end of the season. Some were praising Wolves for their game, and the fact that they almost nicked a point. And it may have been deserved. But Wolves also had their chances to take the lead in the first half.
Hwang Hee-chan wasted a good chance on the break in the first half, with a long run perhaps catching up to him at the worst time. When you set up as Wolves did, you need to take those chances. But it was more than just that miss. Wolves players made the wrong decision on a few key occasions at both ends of the pitch. There was one moment in the first half when Andre could have played a teammate through but his pass was poor. That’s not something that’s necessarily going to change with a coach.
Even Wolves’ response to going behind raised some eyebrows. Wolves reacted like a team trying to limit the deficit, rather than push to get back into the game. It was only when Arsenal sat back late on that Wolves got up the pitch, and netted their equaliser. Even at this stage of the season, Wolves need to be taking risks to gain points if they are to harbour any hopes of staying in the Premier League.