LEANDRO TROSSARD and Martin Odegaard fired Arsenal back to the top of the Premier League to breathe life back into their title challenge.
But it was the Gunners’ ability to keep the door closed at the back which could ultimately win them the league in May.
Mikel Arteta’s defensive triangle of David Raya, William Saliba and Gabriel kept a clean sheet for the sixth successive away league match for the first time in the club’s history.
It was enough for Arsenal to end their winless run of three games as they ground out a gritty but unspectacular win.
But it could turn out to be worth its weight in Old Gold by the end of the season.
Arsenal would normally have gone into this game with a swagger.
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They had won their last five matches against Wolves and managed to score at least once in each of their last 32 meetings in all competitions against Wanderers.
However, the Gunners were still licking their wounds following damaging back-to-back defeats by Aston Villa and Bayern Munich and looking for their first win in four games.
Those painful defeats left Arsenal’s season on the brink of collapse and piled the pressure on Arteta’s players.
However, this is the business end of the season and it was down to them to make sure it was business as usual again as they looked to return to the top of the Premier League.
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They never quite achieved that but results are all that matter at this time of the season.
Unfortunately for Arteta, his team started like they were still nursing a hangover from their midweek trip to Munich.
Sure they enjoyed plenty of possession and carved out a regular supply of half-chances but created little to trouble Jose Sa in Wolves’ goal.
Within the opening minute, Kai Havertz shot on the turn but it lacked power and Sa saved it low to his right.
Gabriel Jesus snatched at another effort, drilling the ball wide and Saka’s looping header was easily plucked out of the air by Sa.
Trossard was doing his best to get the Gunners going and twice in the space of five minutes he laid inviting balls back to the edge of the Wolves box.
But on both occasions, Declan Rice used the instep of his right boot and side-footed wide.
The Gunners were looking leggy and lethargic from their trip to Bavaria and Gary O’Neil’s depleted Wolves grew in confidence.
Tawanda Chirewa, their 20-year-old forward, tried his luck from 25 yards but the ball deflected off Rice into Raya’s arms.
Leandro Trossard miscued from a Ben White cutback and shortly afterwards he was booked for a foul on Joao Gomes.
Arsenal were looking a shadow of the side who had been favourites to lift the title just four games ago.
And they had David Raya to thank for keeping them on level terms when Wolves came within a fraction of breaking the deadlock.
Jakub Kiwior, who looked well off the pace throughout, was far too casual and was robbed by Gomes, who held him off before smashing an angled shot goalwards.
But Raya defied him by instinctively thrusting out his left glove to deflect the ball onto the post.
Gomes held his head in his hands, aware that Wolves’ best chance was probably gone.
Rice’s frustration boiled over and he was booked for a foul on Bueno, before angrily protesting that ref Paul Tierney had ignored a worse foul by Max Kilman on Havertz.
While Havertz was receiving treatment Arteta called his players to the touchline, gesturing frantically, as he attempted to inject some life into them.
Saliba obviously didn’t receive the memo because he played a loose pass straight to Hugo Bueno before tidying up his own mess with a well-timed tackle.
However Arteta’s words clearly made an impression on his forwards because out of nowhere the Gunners dramatically seized the lead just before half-time.
There was a large slice of fortune involved but no one in red and white seemed too bothered.
Havertz lofted the ball into the box and Jesus appeared to clip Doherty before the Wolves man hauled him to the ground.
Rather than staying on the turf and claiming for a penalty, the Brazilian bounced back to his feet and, although his first touch was heavy the ball fell invitingly to Trossard.
The Belgian was off balance as he shot but somehow the ball sliced off his toe and sailed over Sa, clipping the inside of the post on its way into the net.
It was Trossard’s ninth goal of the season – the most he has ever managed – and it sent Arsenal back to the top of the table.
Hwang Hee-Chan was booked after the break for going in late on Kiwior and was swiftly replaced by Mario Lemina.
The Wolves midfielder tested Raya with a shot which the keeper plucked out of the air.
Arteta replaced Trossard with Gabriel Martinelli as he searched for the comfort of a second goal.
But it was Wolves who were pressing now without really troubling Raya.
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Then as the match spilled into injury time it was Sa who had to rescue Wolves, saving from Rice and Martinelli before Odegaard finally put Wolves to the sword.
The Arsenal captain took the ball from Havertz and although his attempted return pass was blocked, he was first to react and squeezed the ball home from a tight angle to seal the Gunners’ 23rd Premier League win of the season.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
