WOLVES’ WIN OVERSHADOWED AFTER LUIZ AND JIMENEZ’S CLASH OF HEADS
MIKEL ARTETA’S problems deepened as Arsenal’s rotten run of Sunday form continued. This ought to have been an occasion of celebration for Wolves. it had been more than 40 years since they had won this fixture, back in 1979, when Andy Gray and kenny Hibbitt were among the goals and their perms were in full flow.
This time it was Pedro Neto and Daniel Podence who supplied the goals to claim the victory and hoist Nuno espirito Santo’s team up to sixth in the Premier League.
But any jubilation at the whistle was muted by concern for Raul Jimenez who was injured in a clash of heads with David Luiz and whisked away to hospital.
The game was less than five minutes old when Jimenez and Luiz collided, and a sickening thwack rang around the empty stadium.
Luiz was attacking an Arsenal corner at the near post. Jimenez leapt to head clear Willian’s setpiece but was felled by the impact.
His Wolves team-mates, immediately worried, frantically summoned on t he medical t eam and t he game was paused for more than 10 minutes.
Luiz sat up quite quickly and climbed up on to his knees, his forehead covered in blood.
Arsenal’s physios worked to clean him up but there was more concern for Jimenez, still motionless inside the six-yard box, surrounded by about a dozen medics as he was treated on the pitch.
He was given oxygen and lifted on to a stretcher, which was fixed on to a trolley and then wheeled around the track surrounding the pitch, down the tunnel and to hospital.
Fabio Silva came on to replace Jimenez up front and the contest continued, tentatively at first, the atmosphere even more surreal than before.
Luiz was allowed to continue, his head swathed in a heavy bandage, but he headed a few and blood was beginning to seep through the bandage and he was replaced at half-time, by which time Arsenal were trailing.
There were 27 minutes on the clock when Wolves scored their first. Adama Traore stormed down the right past kieran Tierney and his cross was met in the air by Leander Dendoncker, whose header thumped against the bar.
Neto was first to react, checking his run to swerve around ballwatching Dani Ceballos, and tucked the rebound into the net from close range. Arsenal have not kept a clean sheet at home in eight
Premier League games, their worst run since 2007 when they failed to shut out the visitors in nine successive games.
Arteta’s team reacted, however, and were level within three minutes.
Another corner, taken by Willian, this time short to Hector Bellerin. Willian collected a return pass and delivered a deep cross.
Dendoncker misjudged the flight and Gabriel climbed to head an equaliser past Rui Patricio.
It was impossible not to wonder if the Wolves players had the Jimenez injury on their minds as they hesitated and failed to attack the ball in the air.
Nuno (below) saw his side respond to the setback. Bernd Leno dived low to his left to save another header by Dendoncker from a corner but the Arsenal goalkeeper was soon picking another out of his net.
Neto drove forward through the centre of the pitch and unleashed a fierce drive from just outside the penalty area, which took a slight deflection.
Leno made the save but could neither hold on to the shot nor clear the danger and Podence pounced, flicked the ball past Gabriel and finished.
Wolves were always threatening on the counter- attack and might have scored another before t he interval, as Neto and Silva combined on the break. The crisp move ended with Traore crashing a shot into the side-netting. Traore winced and lifted his hands to his head. He knew it was a wonderful chance to extend the lead. He winced again, early in the second half, when he was booked for a dive, trying to win a penalty as he jinked past Gabriel. The pattern was set. Arsenal took risks in search of a way back into the game and Arteta made changes from the bench in an attempt to find a catalyst. Wolves retreated and defended deep and remained dangerous when they broke, especially through Neto.
Rob Holding, on for Luiz, headed over, and a mistake by Wolves keeper Patricio almost undid their good work when he took a poor touch as he prepared to kick and gave the ball to Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
Aubameyang seized possession but was forced wide. When he finally produced an effort at goal, it lacked fizz and Wolves captain Conor Coady was back in position to keep it out.
Reiss Nelson volleyed over and the pressure increased. Aubameyang headed wide from a cross by Bellerin. Arsenal’s captain and main goal threat has not scored from open play in the Premier League since the opening day of the season.
The statistics do not make good reading at the Emirates. They have lost five out of 10 and their last three at home, all on a Sunday evening.
A year to the day since Unai Emery was sacked, Arsenal are still a long way from where they want to be.
ARSENAL (4-2-3-1): Leno 5; Bellerin 6, Gabriel 6, Luiz 5 (Holding 46), Tierney 6; Ceballos 5, Xhaka 6 (Lacazette 80); Willian 5 (Nelson 65), Willock 6, Saka 6; Aubameyang 5. Subs not used: Runarsson, Soares, Elneny,
Nketiah. Booked: Bellerin, Holding. WOLVES (4-2-3-1): Patricio 6; Semedo 6, Boly 6, Coady 7, Marcal 7; Dendoncker 7, Moutinho 7; Traore 6, Podence 7 (Neves 70, 6), Neto 8; Jimenez 6 (Silva 15 (Kilman 78)). Subs not used: Ruddy, Hoerver, Ait Nouri, Vitinha. Booked: Boly, Traore, Silva, Coady.
Man of the match: Pedro Neto Referee: Michael Oliver.