Arsenal v Wolves - Ødegaard, Odin's Hammer?

Top of the table Arsenal played host to a 12^th place Wolves team who were looking to find their form in the new month after dropping two of three fixtures in November. Unfortunately for them, Arsenal started with a level of precision and intensity that would rival Pep’s Barcelona sides from the last decade.  Arsenal scored with their first two attempts inside 15 minutes.

Bukayo Saka kicked off the scoring after a sloppy but effective passing combination up the right side involving Saka, Jesus and Tomiyasu. Seven minutes later, Zinchenko made a brilliant run up the left side of the pitch and fired a pass right into the path of Arsenal’s wunderkind, Martin Ødegaard. He hammered it into the bottom right with a one-timer leaving keeper José Sá stunned and hobbled by the lightning flash. Thunder rumbled around the Emirates! Sá was replaced by Dan Bentley shortly after the goal.  But Wolves failed to break into the Gunner’s box until the 30-minute mark.   And then it was only a harmless cross.

Wolves came out in the second half with a renewed sense of urgency.  They took a firmer grip on possession and a couple chances turned away by Raya without too much concern. Arsenal held strong and Wolves wear themselves out before forging back on the offensive. The Gunner fullbacks are an integral part of their attacking strategy as they patrol the touchline from end to end. Zinchenko & Tomiyasu consistently overlap the wingers, giving Saka and Martinelli the freedom to cut into the box where they’ve prove to be deadly so far this season.

With the game all but wrapped up in the 86th minute, Zinchenko played an ill-considered, lazy ball into his own box.  It was intercepted by Mattheus Cunha who immediately fired it past Raya’s outstretched hand to pull Wolves within one goal.  That silenced the home crowd.  A justifiably furious Arteta brought on fresh legs to see out the game through an excruciating, seemingly endless period of stoppage time. The Gunners held firm and came away with a deserved three points to put them four points clear at the top of the table.  They’ll famcy themselves to continue this form against a putrid Luton Town next week, while Wolves will try to bounce back against a stumbling Burnley.