Arsenal v Wolverhampton Wanderers (2021-22)

General

Image gallery

Arsenal v Wolves (2021-22)

Arsenal Wolves 2 1
HT:0–1 Report
Event	Premier League 2021-22
Date	Thursday 24 February 2022
Venue	Emirates Stadium, London
Player of the Match	Rúben Neves
Referee	Martin Atkinson
Attendance	59,888
Weather	5 °C (41 °F)
← Arsenal - Brentford Wolves - Leicester City Arsenal - Watford Wolves - West Ham →

Arsenal v Wolverhampton Wanderers was a match which took place at the Emirates Stadium on Thursday 24 February 2022. It was due to be played on 28 Decemeber 2021 but was postponed due to Covid.

An own goal from Wolves goalkeeper Jose Sa helped Arsenal complete a dramatic late turnaround in their pursuit of a top-four Premier League place.

For long periods Hwang Hee-chan's early effort had looked like being decisive for the visitors.

However, Arsenal substitute Nicolas Pepe levelled from Eddie Nketiah's pass towards the end of a dominant second period in which the hosts had continually pressed for an equaliser.

And as the clock ran down Alexandre Lacazette's effort was inadvertently touched into his own goal by Sa to spark wild celebrations inside the Emirates stadium.

The result sees Mikel Arteta's side move up to fifth in the table, just one point behind fourth-placed Manchester United, with two games in hand, while Wolves who were hoping to further their own Champions League ambitions sit in seventh.

Bruno Lage's side had gone into the contest searching for their sixth win in seven top-flight matches and a fifth successive away victory in the top flight for the first time in 42 years.

They looked well on course when their South Korea international Hwang stole in front of Arsenal goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale to score from a tight angle early on from Gabriel's misplaced back pass.

But while they defended resiliently for long periods, Hwang's miss just after the break and Pedro Neto's errant late shot with the score at 1-1 proved costly.

While Wolves may point to missed opportunities they can ultimately have few complaints over the manner of their defeat.

With Arsenal enjoying more possession and registering more than four times as many shots in the contest, Lage's side were made to pay for their inability to retain the ball long enough to relieve the pressure they faced, particularly after the break.

Romain Saiss, Conor Coady and Ruben Neves all made telling clearances over the course of the match and will feel aggrieved that their efforts did not bring at least the reward of a point.

Arsenal though should be lauded for their persistence and the belief they retained that they would finally break through a stubborn Wolves defence.

Wolves goalkeeper Sa had been rarely tested until he repelled Lacazette's 72nd-minute effort at point-blank range but from there the visiting goal came under increased threat.

Pepe's deserved equaliser came at the end of a flowing move down the right, with Ivory Coast winger expertly placing the ball past Sa and Gunners midfielder Martin Odegaard hit the woodwork before they found a late winner.

Match

Details

24 February 2022 19:45 GMT	Arsenal	2–1	Wolves	Emirates Stadium, London Attendance: 59,888 Referee: Martin Atkinson
	Pépé  82' José Sá  90+5'	HT:– Report	Hwang Hee-chan  10'

Arsenal

Wolves

32 Aaron Ramsdale 17 Cédric Soares 76' 04 Ben White 06 Gabriel 03 Kieran Tierney 90+2' 05 Thomas Partey 34 Granit Xhaka 07 Bukayo Saka 08 Martin Ødegaard 35 Gabriel Martinelli 71' 09 Alexandre Lacazette Substitutes: 01 Bernd Leno 16 Rob Holding 19 Nicolas Pépé 71' 20 Nuno Tavares 90+2' 23 Albert Sambi Lokonga 25 Mohamed Elneny 30 Eddie Nketiah 76' 69 Zak Swanson 82 Omari Hutchinson Manager: Mikel Arteta

01 José Sá 23 Max Kilman 16 Conor Coady 27 Romain Saïss 22 Nélson Semedo 61' 08 Rúben Neves 28 João Moutinho 03 Rayan Aït-Nouri 26 Hwang Hee-chan 75' 09 Raúl Jiménez 10 Daniel Podence 90' Substitutes: 05 Fernando Marçal 07 Pedro Neto 75' 11 Francisco Trincão 17 Fábio Silva 19 Jonny 61' 21 John Ruddy 24 Tote Gomes 32 Leander Dendoncker 90' 39 Luke Cundle Manager: Bruno Lage

Man of the Match: Rúben Neves Assistant referees: Lee Betts James Mainwaring Fourth official: Kevin Friend

Match rules 90 minutes, no extra time or penalties. Three points awarded to winner, none to loser. One point awarded to each in the event of a draw. Nine named substitutes Maximum of three substitutions

Match Stats

• Match Stats

Overall	Arsenal	Wolverhampton Wanderers
Goals scored	2	1
Total shots	26	6
Shots on target	5	2
Ball possession	55%	45%
Corner kicks	5	4
Fouls committed	8	9

See also

• 2021-22 Premier League: Match day 26

External links

• Match report at BBC.co.uk
• Match report at Premier League.com