FT: Wolves (0.64) 0 - 1 (1.45) Arsenal
Phew... what a match. Going into this one I was a little worried, I am not gonna lie. Wolves have boasted one of the best defenses in the PL this year and it was another away day for the Arsenal - which we all know is not particularly our strongest suit. Couple this with Arsenal's *1 goal scored in all of 2022* and not having played for 2.5 weeks and you are looking at a potential recipe for disaster. Having watched my fair share of Wolves since getting promoted, thanks to a buddy of mine, I knew what Wolves could offer going forward and how difficult it would be to break them down. Speaking of which, it is kinda head scratching Wolves' attack has not really kick started itself under new manager, Bruno Lage (fingers crossed Neto is not fit enough for the reverse fixture on the 24th).
Our goal came in the 25' and I thought we were a bit lucky, but that's what happens when you don't defend set pieces well. A miss timed header that sailed over Neves' head and Coady unable to properly clear his lines, the ball fell to Benjamin White who serviced the ball back for a true striker and poacher goal scored by none other than Gabriel. Glad we have one of those, a poaching striker who scores... oh wait? Luckily the refs didn't botch the foul shout involving Laca and Wolves' GK, that came later.
The game I thought was largely entertaining, even having ended at 1-0. It started brightly for both sides and there seemed to be a good tempo to the match. ENTER CHAOS. Ah yes, is it truly Arsenal without a little dash of this? Gabi Martinelli is sent off in the 69' by referee Michael Oliver for something I have never ever seen in my life. A double yellow for delaying the thrower and then during the advantage the foul on the dribbler. Now, I can see in isolation a yellow card was deserved for either or, more so the foul than the throw - that stuff happens all the time. If the ref wants to play advantage then so be it, but the rules clearly state if a foul is committed in the same sequence and is not denial of an obvious goal-scoring opportunity then the player is not cautioned. But let's back up even further than that to the rule that states if a player unfairly distracts or impedes the thrower. The player should be cautioned and if the throw-in has been taken, an indirect free kick is awarded. So, in conclusion, neither of these happened and the ref on the day has shown again the sheer incompetence that is so clearly habitual nowadays. And I am not just bitchin' about things going against Arsenal, but for all teams. This kinda crap happens every week somewhere across the league. Hopefully Arsenal appeal to the PGMOL or whoever determines this stuff and they actually find their senses and Martinelli can be back for Brentford, but don't hold your breath.
It is hard to not think there is something behind our "bad luck" you know. I constantly see other teams get away with things we wouldn't in a million years. The classic "if that was Xhaka you know...". Arsenal have made the second least amount of fouls in the PL (189), yet have the most red cards (4). Make it make sense. Another interesting stat I saw was from the Daily Cannon. Apparently Michael Oliver has reffed nearly 40% of Arsenal's matches, whether it being from the center spot or in the VAR booth. Seems oddly high, no? I didn't cross reference this with other refs and teams so maybe I am pulling at straws here, but the more I see the more I start to wonder...
Anyway, Rob Holding came on after the sending off and was superb - 9 clearances in 19'. I imagine that is hard to do coming off the bench and just having to being totally locked in. I know they are professionals, but let's just appreciate it for a second. He was practically straight into the fire and Wolves were coming with wave after wave of attacks. I was literally on the edge of my seat with that pit in my stomach thinking they are gonna nick something late. Luckily for us they didn't, we got all 3 points, the defense + Rambo were superb, and we had Neves complaining at full time about us celebrating. Cry more, pal.
Oh yeah, Laca missed a 1v1 in the 72' to pretty much seal it for us. Difficult angle, yes, but you have to hit the target at least... We must get quality guys up front in the summer if we ever want to mount a challenge for the title.
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