Two things Arteta got wrong – and two he got right as Wolves beat Arsenal
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Arsenal's near two-month unbeaten run was ended by Wolves as they beat the nine-man Gunners 2-1 at Molineux.
Mikel Arteta's side had all of the ball in the opening exchanges and deservedly took the lead through a brilliant Nicolas Pepe solo goal.
It looked as if it would be a routine night in the rain, but despite a host of chances, failed to build upon their early lead.
And they were punished in the final second of the opening 45 when David Luiz was dismissed for inadvertently tripping Wolves striker Willian Jose.
Ruben Neves thumped the penalty home and just minutes into the second half, his midfield colleague and international compatriot Joao Moutinho completed the turnaround with a stunning strike from distance.
The Gunners were still in the game, but their night went from bad to worse when an innocuous ball over the top saw Bernd Leno handle it outside the box, as he saw the second red card of the evening.
It was a night of individual mistakes on the pitch for Arsenal, but Arteta may be ruing a couple of his own on the trip back to the capital.
Cedric on the run
Going up against Adama Traore is a thankless task for pretty much any full-back in world football.
The standard approach is to double up on the flying Spaniard to force him inside and negate his blistering pace.
But with the selection of first, Nicolas Pepe and then Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in front of Cedric Soares did leave the right-back exposed at times.
Traore was able to knock and run beyond Cedric on a number of occasions and there was perhaps a thought that defensively, Saka could have provided some more cover.
Luiz does it again
David Luiz red card rule explained as Arsenal star slammed for "third time" committing offence
Arsenal were in complete control as the final first-half second ebbed away. But after losing Willian, Luiz compounded his error by making contact with the Wolves forward in the box.
It was accidental but it was yet another mental error, the type of which have punctuated his stay in English football.
Gabriel has been out of the team since testing positive for Covid-19, but in his early showings has provided real hope the Gunners could have a long-term option.
His performance after coming on at the break was similarly impressive and will now have the opportunity to wrestle the centre defender position back.
Bukayo is back
Saka was a major concern heading into the trip to Molineux, with Arteta admitting the England international hadn’t trained in the build-up.
But after missing the draw with Manchester United, Saka was thrown back into the starting XI and looked the best player on the pitch for large portions of the first-half.
On another day, he would have netted a stunning hat-trick, only to be denied by the post, Rui Patricio and the VAR officials in Stockley Park.
Saka has played a lot of football this season, but his performance in the Midlands has shown he is more than ready to take the mantle as Arsenal’s talisman.
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Sticking with Pepe
There may have been a temptation to bring club captain Aubaemyang straight back into the starting line-up after clearing quarantine measures following his return to the country.
Ultimately he stuck with Pepe, who continued his recent resurgence with a good performance, before the red card changed the game.
The goal he scored showed the kind of quality that made him one of the most sought after players in Europe when he was initially signed back in 2019.
His silky skills were front and centre, but his cool, right-footed finish may have pleased Arsenal fans even more. He continues to respond to Robert Pires' claim that he "wasn't cut out for English football".
The decision on who will start against Aston Villa this weekend is a very interesting one.
- Arsenal FC
- Wolves FC
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