With victories over Wolves at Molineux, goals from Leandro Trossard and Martin Odegaard were sufficient to propel Arsenal back to the top of the league.
The Belgian scored his 14th goal of the season, a misdirected effort that sailed into the top corner of the net, just before the end of the first half of a game that saw few clear-cut opportunities.
The captain then calmed any Gooner jitters in stoppage time
The only genuine threat of the match came from a brilliant save by David Raya that deflected a Joao Gomes shot onto the post. A club-record seventh consecutive clean sheet on league travels made sure we got the outcome we needed to reclaim the top spot and move on from our European exit this week. The woodwork squeaked.
Kai Havertz hooked a volley at Jose Sa, sparking a series of early-half chances that included an almost identical pair for Declan Rice. The game was just seconds old when the action started.
They both came to him on the edge of the box five minutes apart. He should have done more with the second opportunity when a better sight of goal materialized, but instead he threaded it just past the post. His first sighter was side-footed straight at the keeper.
Having lost three of their previous five league games, Wolves appeared to be a team lacking confidence. However, their fans were the ones holding their heads in their hands after a superb save by David Raya at the halfway point. After taking Jakub Kiwior’s ball in the left-back slot and hesitatingly taking it into the box, Joao Gomes chose to give it a try from six yards out because he had few other options.
His hard shot appeared to be going into the net, but Raya reacted quickly to palm the ball onto his post before the Arsenal defense scampered it away. Leandro passes the initiative.
Thankfully, Arsenal managed to take the lead with a few minutes remaining in the half, indicating that their warning shot was taken seriously. Bukayo Saka clipped the b
all into the area where Gabriel Jesus, defying Matt Doherty’s challenge with good power, stood up and laid the ball in Trossard’s path while being nudged to the ground by the defender.
The ball touched the post and nestled into the top corner after the winger swung a leg at it, giving Arsenal the lead we so desperately wanted and earned at halftime.
After the interval, Wolves maintained control of the game by defending their positions, throwing bodies at the ball, and trying to score. This continued until Havertz attempted a volley from a central position once more, but his shot only found the custodian.
In the first twenty minutes of the half, that would be the only real chance we would have. We could hardly afford to give Wolves a sniff, but they did have one w
hen Mario Lemina, a substitute, cut inside and tried his luck, but Raya was again equal to the task. Skipper shuts it. The Arsenal defense stood strong en route to a third straight shutout at Molineux, so that would be the only reason to be concerned. In fact, as the game neared its end, we appeared more likely to score.
Stoppage time saw Saka squirm into the area, beat two players, and then smash a shot high. Rice then saw a long-range attempt called back, and the goalie was able to stick up a strong hand to deny Gabriel Martinelli.
Then, with five games remaining, Havertz found Odegaard in the area, who saw his first attempt blocked. Despite a tight angle, he squeezed the ball between the near post and the goal to seal his team’s return to the top of the Premier League. This was the final straw that broke the resistance.
Next up The Premier League action is coming thick and fast as we face Chelsea on Tuesday. Then, on Sunday, April 28, we journey across north London for our second north London derby of the season against Tottenham Hotspur.
