GUNNERS MAULED
Jota runs riot as Wolves dent Emery’s top-four hopes
The latest round of Champions League hot potato left Arsenal nursing severe scorch marks and Unai emery surely wondering if his players actually want to finish in the top four.
After a weekend when Manchester United, Chelsea, Tottenham and Arsenal all missed opportunities to seize the initiative, emery’s team were at it again at Molineux. They lost for a second time in four days and this time in truly chastening style.
Arsenal displayed some of their worst traits to prompt concern for the run-in, but Wolves deserve huge credit for once more leaving a big club bloodied and bruised.
They have their own european aspirations and this victory jumped Nuno espirito Santo’s team three places to seventh.
Losing the FA Cup semi-final in such a heart-wrenching way could have seen their campaign fade away but this was a display of guts and quality to prove they will keep going to the end.
They now have 16 points from 11 matches against top-six sides, and with Liverpool at Anfield on the final day it is tempting to think that total might yet rise, with dramatic consequences.
Three goals in 19 blistering first-half minutes did the damage here, and the scoreline was a just reflection of their superiority, even if Arsenal claimed a late consolation. Crystal Palace scored three against Arsenal on Sunday and here it was a Wolves team with intuitive understanding of their roles exposing the defensive frailties. In a season of milestones, this was their first victory over Arsenal in 40 years.
‘I’m very proud of the way we work, the way the players engage themselves,’ Nuno said. ‘We give everything we have each game.’
emery admitted his own plans were left in shreds. ‘ The second and third goals killed us,’ he said.
‘We needed to be more calm, to respect them for their moment. We needed to impose our result against them but they were better than us, they were more strong in their game plan. I am angry with myself.’
Pierre-emerick Aubameyang missed out after a ‘ small sinus procedure’ so it meant a rare away appearance for Mesut Ozil, just his sixth in the league this season.
emery decided the German’s creative output against a team as defensively sound as Wolves outweighed his occasional ambivalence to tracking back.
The first 20 minutes actually suggested sound judgment by the Arsenal manager, with Ozil pinning Wolves back. But as the hosts stood firm, Arsenal became edgy.
A turning point came when Diogo Jota dispossessed Ainsley Maitland- Niles then charged down the line, past two, to raise the volume at Molineux. From there Wolves were rampant.
A counter-attack saw Doherty set up Joao Moutinho, who hit a curling effort just wide. Then Willy Boly flicked on Ryan Bennett’s long throw and Raul Jimenez shot over.
Arsenal were reeling and when Jota teed up Jonny Otto for another surge, Nacho Monreal had to make the foul. It presented a free-kick opportunity to Ruben Neves and anticipation rose.
The ball was central and Neves took a straight run-up yet still managed to get tremendous bend, striking a sublime shot over the wall and into the far corner beyond Bernd Leno’s dive.
Wolves won a corner when Jota wriggled to the byline and Leno pushed his cross behind off the upright. Arsenal’s defence of the set- piece was embarrassing. Moutinho took it short then had enough time to exchange a double one-two with Jonny as Arsenal laboured to close down.
Jonny had space to deliver the ideal cross and with Sokratis playing everyone onside and Leno coming for a kamikaze clearance, Doherty rose unchallenged to nod in to the empty net.
Before the interval Jota got the goal his belligerent display deserved. Granit Xhaka played the ball back blind, freeing the Portuguese forward to charge at goal. Jota went past henrikh Mkhitaryan and cut a low shot that Leno should have saved, but didn’t.
The second half was less eventful. Jimenez drove a shot wide when put through by Jonny and Bennett delivered an outstanding block to deny Alexandre Lacazette.
Arsenal got one back with 10 minutes left when Sokratis rose to head in Xhaka’s corner but the result was not in doubt.
WOLVES (3-4-1-2): Patricio 7; Bennett 8, Coady 7.5, Boly 7; Doherty 8.5, Neves 8, Dendoncker 7.5, Jonny 8.5; Moutinho 8 (Gibbs-White 90min); Jimenez 7 (Traore 82), JOTA 9 (Cavaleiro 78). Subs not used: Ruddy, Saiss, Vinagre, Costa. Scorers: Neves 28, Doherty 37, Jota 45+2. Booked: Doherty, Bennett. Manager: Nuno Espirito Santo 9. ARSENAL (4-2-3-1): Leno 4; Maitland-Niles 5, Sokratis 4, Koscielny 5, Monreal 4; Torreira 4 (Guendouzi 59, 5), Xhaka 4; Mkhitaryan 4 (Kolasinac 58, 5), Ozil 5, Iwobi 4 (Nketiah 71, 5); Lacazette 4. Subs not used: Cech, Mustafi, Elneny, Willock. Scorer: Sokratis 80. Booked: Monreal, Xhaka, Torreira. Manager: Unai Emery 4. Referee: Stuart Attwell 8. Attendance: 31,436.