Arsenal grind out Wolves win to go top

Arsenal shrugged off the disappointment of its Champions League exit to move back to the top of the Premier League with a 2-0 win at Wolves on Saturday.

Leandro Trossard and Martin Odegaard struck at the end of each half to take the Gunners one point clear of Manchester City, which has a game in hand.

Arsenal's season was in danger of coming completely off the rails after a three-game winless run.

Mikel Arteta's men lost in the Premier League for the first time in 2024 after crashing to a 2-0 defeat at home to Aston Villa on April 14, in between the two legs of its Champions League quarterfinal elimination by Bayern Munich.

However, it bounced back to keep the pressure on champions City, who beat Chelsea 1-0 to reach the FA Cup final earlier on Saturday.

"It's a massive win for us," said Arsenal captain Odegaard.

"It was a tough week for us, a few tough results and emotionally really hard, but we had to keep going. Today was all about bouncing back and getting the win. There's still a long way to go, it's still tight in the race, so today was all about getting back to business."

Arteta made just three changes from the side that lost 1-0 in Munich on Wednesday, and it took some time for the sluggish Gunners to find their stride.

Wolves boss Gary O'Neil claimed his side has been struck by the worst injury crisis he has encountered in his professional career.

Yet, the undermanned host was nearly in front when David Raya was forced to turn Joao Gomes' powerful effort onto the crossbar.

Arsenal had only fleetingly threatened before the break, despite its dominance of possession.

But, it got the slice of fortune it needed to reignite its challenge for a first title in 20 years on the 45-minute mark, when Trossard's mishit shot clipped in off the far post.

There was little in the way of goalmouth action in the second period, as fatigue took hold of Arsenal, which was playing its fourth game in 11 days.

AFP