Wolves 0-1 Arsenal (Gomes sent off 70’ | Calafiori 74′, Lewis-Skelly sent off 43’)
MOLINEUX — When it happened, from the stands you were wondering if Michael Oliver somehow viewed Myles Lewis-Skelly as the last man, despite being 80 yards away from the Arsenal goal.
From the replays, you could decipher Oliver perhaps saw Lewis-Skelly’s challenge as slightly high, having caught Matt Doherty on the top of his foot, but a red? Utterly absurd.
It was cynical, it was late, it stopped a counter-attack, but it was a stretch to call it “serious foul play”, which was the official line from the Premier League’s Match Centre after VAR backed the on-field decision.
“Unfortunately we’re getting used to it,” Mikel Arteta ended one answer with afterwards, while he added to Sky Sports: “It is that clear that I leave it to you guys. I am absolutely fuming but I leave it with you. Because it is that obvious. I don’t think my words are going to help.”
This questionable decision was all the more ironic as just minutes before Wolves fans had chanted “Premier League, corrupt as f—” after Oliver had blown for a foul and booked Joao Gomes.
Then the tables turned. “Michael Oliver, it’s all about you,” the Arsenal supporters sang after half-time, aware that league leaders Liverpool were 3-0 up against Ipswich at Anfield.
The gap was widening in front of their very eyes, and their players – many of whom having swarmed Oliver after he showed Lewis-Skelly the red – took a while in the second half to settle back down and focus on the task at hand.
After all, 10 of Arsenal against 11 of Wolves still made for a relatively even affair. Wolves boasted the league’s worst defensive record heading into the weekend, and had also conceded the most from set-pieces this season.
Coming up against the set-piece kings in Arsenal, it was no surprise to see the Gunners pepper the box, but the closest they came before Lewis-Skelly’s sending off was two Kai Havertz headers from two Leandro Trossard crosses – one saved, the other just wide.
When Wolves were all at sea – their passing out the back was at times just plain awful – Arsenal failed to capitalise, and though victims of arguably the league’s worst decision of 2024-25, the Gunners were not blameless. They should have been ahead by the time the job got tougher.
It quickly became apparent then how important the last half-hour was for both Arsenal and Wolves. The disparity in numbers made it closer as a contest, and after Havertz squandered a third headed opportunity, the man who could eventually replace him in this position fluffed his lines.
After seeing his first attempt saved, Wolves’ Matheus Cunha flashed a shot wide from the resulting corner, and suddenly it was end to end, the tension rising as both supporters channelled their focus no longer on Oliver, but on giving their players a boost over the line.
Well, for a few minutes at least. In the 70th minute, Gomes was shown a second yellow for a challenge that was worse than Lewis-Skelly’s, restoring parity and thus giving Arsenal back the advantage with 20 minutes to go.
It didn’t take them long, and from Gabriel Martinelli’s cross, Semedo’s attempt to head clear fell kindly for substitute Riccardo Calafiori, who expertly darted the ball towards the far corner.
It was a superb finish and sparked limbs not only in the away end but the away dugout as well, the Gunners fully aware a dogged 1-0 win would garner just as many points as Liverpool’s cruise at Anfield.
That’s how it ended, 1-0 to the Arsenal, helping them maintain the six-point gap behind Liverpool, who still have a game in hand.
And so from the ridiculousness of that red card, a huge three points secured barely an hour later, and should their supporters, should Arteta, should the players feel as though they are being conspired against, now is the time to deepen that sense of “us against them”, to hammer home a siege mentality that could yet help them catch Liverpool.
“I am extremely proud of the players. You can talk about courage, spirit, but also intelligence, the way they faced the situation was unbelievable,” said Arteta.
“I think it’s that obvious we don’t need any comment today, and hopefully the right thing will happen (an appeal overturning the red.
“We put so much work and hours and passion and dedication into what we do, regardless of what happens you have to have that desire to win. It’s our job to deal with certain things, and unfortunately we’re getting used to it.”
This could be the fire Arsenal needed in a title race that is far from over.
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