Wolverhampton Wanderers 1-4 Arsenal: Gunners Punish Wolves Woes

Wolverhampton Wanderers 1-4 Arsenal Line-ups/stats

Premier League Results/Standings

 Wolverhampton Wanderers will go into the international break sitting in the bottom three after gifting the game to Arsenal with two first half own goals. Having out-played Arsene Wenger’s men for the opening exchanges, Ronald Zuber and Jody Craddock put through their own net in the matter of minutes and Arsenal never looked back. Adding further goals through Cesc Fabregas and Andrei Arshavin, putting them in second place in the table and cementing the title credentials.

Wolves made three changes from the side that drew with Stoke, bringing in Richard Stearman, Nenad Milijas and Sylvan Ebanks-Blake for George Elokobi, Michael Kightly and Chris Iwelumo. Arsenal who were still without nine first-teamers, also made three changes from their side that beat AZ Alkmaar in midweek, with Bacary Sagna, Aaron Ramsey and Eduardo replacing Emmanuel Eboue, Samir Nasri and Alex Song.

Wolves hadn’t beaten Arsenal since a 3-2 win at Highbury in 1979, and went into the clash with Arsene Wenger’s free-scoring team looking for at least a point to take them out the bottom three.
The home side started well, and were not afraid to take the game to the visitors. Forcing an early hesitance in the Arsenal box from a corner that Kieran Gibbs eventually cleared. Then referee Steve Bennett played a good advantage after William Gallas's foul down the Wolves left - going back to book the Arsenal defender - and from the resulting corner an under pressure Sylvan Ebanks-Blake headed wide.

Wolves continued to look the brighter in the opening twenty minutes and came close again through Christophe Berra. Milijas once again was the provider with a free-kick from the left that found Berra with a free header but the former Hearts man misjudged his header and it was nodded back to his team-mates rather than towards goal.
Arsenal were then forced into an early change, as Abou Diaby was forced to leave the game due to an calf injury and was replaced by Alex Song.

The deadlock was broken in the 27th minute and against the run of play. A simple corner was fired in by Cesc Fabregas, beat a posse of players at the near post and fell knee-high inside the six-yard box. As Ronald Zubar and Eduardo both went for it, it came off the Wolves defender and without a man on the post flew into the net.

The goal completely changed the game and wasn’t before long Arsenal doubled their lead. A Wolves attack broke down in the Arsenal half leaving them two on one as Eduardo and Aaron Ramsey headed towards goal. The Welshman teed up Eduardo and he lifted a glorious chip via the head of Jody Craddock, over Wayne Hennessey and into the net. Although Eduardo will try and claim the goal, it looked like another own goal frustratingly from the hosts.

Arsenal were now rampant and made it three right before half-time. Bacary Sagna clipped in a cross into the box, Robin van Persie directed the ball into the path of Fabregas and the midfielder took a touch before rolling it past Hennessey. Mick McCarthy could hardly believe his side were going into the break 3-0 down.

With the game already won the second half became something of a non-entity, with Wolves struggling to get the ball off Arsenal for long periods. On the hour mark Mick McCarthy brought on Michael Kightly for Segundo Castillio to try and spark something out of the game for Wanderers but minutes later it was Arsenal who netted again through Andrei Arshavin.

A Fabregas corner was flapped at by Hennessey and the ball fell to an unchallenged Arshavin on the edge of the box and his first time shot slides into the bottom corner to make it 4-0.

Tomas Rosicky and Samir Nasri were given run outs late in the game and Wolves did finally have something to show for their efforts when Craddock headed in a late consolation from Kightly's corner. His third goal in two matches.

It was a comfortable victory in the end for Arsenal, who are now 13 unbeaten in competitions. Wolves however will be disappointed with how they let the visitors into the game with some major faults of their own doing. 

Ash Rose, Goal.com UK