Arsenal holds on to narrow win to extend Premier League lead

Arsenal grabbed another Premier League victory on Saturday at home against Wolves. The Gunners entered the day atop of the Premier League table by one point over reigning champions Manchester City.

Wolves, although they have different expectations compared to Arsenal, sat a respectable 12th in the standings. The visitors traveled to north London without a few key players though. This included star winger Pedro Neto, midfield duo Joao Gomes and Mario Lemina, as well as defender Rayan Ait-Nouri.

Arsenal grab two goals inside 13 minutes of the match to continue Premier League title charge

As expected, Arsenal came out of the gates on Saturday looking very confident. In fact, Bukayo Saka put the hosts ahead after just six minutes in the match. The stellar winger combined some neat passes with Gabriel Jesus and Takehiro Tomiyasu before putting the ball into the back of the net. Jesus initially flicked a pass to Saka, who in turn played a give-and-go with the Japanese defender. Saka then easily passed the ball beyond a diving Jose Sa in goal.

As nice as the opening goal was, Arsenal’s second strike was even better. Jesus, Oleksandr Zinchenko, and Martin Odegaard joined forces to create an incredible team goal for the Gunners. The Ukrainian defender started the move by playing a low ball towards Jesus. The forward then smartly sent a perfectly placed pass back to his teammate inside the box. Zinchenko picked his head up and found Odegaard free at the edge of the area. The dynamic midfielder then hit a curling effort into the net to double his team’s advantage.

Things then went from bad to worse for Wolves in the 22nd minute. Although they did not allow another goal just yet, the visitors were forced to make an early change because of injury. Sa limped off of the pitch after suffering some sort of lower back setback early in the game. Backup Dan Bentley entered the fray for the injured Portuguese shot-stopper.

The game would eventually go to halftime with the hosts holding on to a two-goal lead. Arsenal, however, had a few solid chances to add to their positive scoreline before the break. Gabriel Martinelli struck the far post with a shot in the 37th minute. Jesus then sent a wild shot over the bar from close range a minute later after finding himself open in front of goal.

Wolves make it interesting with late goal

With the Gunners fairly comfortable, the second half started with a bit of lull. Wolves did finally grab their first shot on target in the 53rd minute of the match though. Matheus Cunha stung goalkeeper David Raya’s hands from close range. Nevertheless, both teams could not create much going forward in the early stages of the period.

While Wolves had to make an injury substitution in the opening half, Arsenal was forced to make their own change in the second period. Tomiyasu had to be replaced in the 79th minute after seemingly suffering a lower body issue. The Japanese defender was, however, able to walk off of the pitch on his own. Regular starter Ben White was called on to finish the game at right back.

The visitors grabbed a goal back in the 86th minute from a fantastic finish by Cunha. Zinchenko sloppily gave up a loose ball inside his own area. The Brazilian forward pounced on the mistake and sent a gorgeous curling effort into the top corner as Raya attempted to make the save.

Although Arsenal took their foot off of the gas in the second half, they would manage to hold on for the 2-1 win. The three points extended their lead in the standings before City, Liverpool, and Aston Villa are all set to play their round of fixtures on Sunday.

Photo credits: IMAGO / PA Images : IMAGO / PA Images