Arsenal is no stranger to ten men. It often leads to donating points to opponents.
But on this occasion it produced a resilient performance despite a matter beyond their control, with Myles Lewis-Skelly shown a ridiculous red card by referee Michael Oliver just before half-time for a foul on Matt Doherty.
Should they train with ten men, given their worst disciplinary record in the league?
'We don't have time to train, so with the time we have, I expect to train with at least 11!' boss Mikel Arteta laughed. “Unfortunately it's happened too many times this season, but it's not something we talk about.”
Arsenal's spirit in dealing with Lewis-Skelly's setback was all the more impressive. Instead of feeling sorry for themselves, they dug in.
Fans always claim their team is being targeted, but Saturday's decision was so bad you can sympathize with a fan who thinks that.
However, it does not excuse the threats that have been made since. Oliver had his home address leaked on social media and there were other disgusting reports about him.
Sadly, such abuse is no longer a surprise, not even an expectation. But 8,000 likes on one disgusting post? It is a damning reflection of how normalized such vitriol has become in society and needs to be addressed.
Referee organization PGMOL said last night that the police had been informed and an investigation had been launched.
In a managerial capacity, the game showed how much Arteta has grown. In his post-match TV interview he said he was 'furious' about the red card.
Fifteen minutes later, during his press conference, he had calmed down so much that he replied: 'I think it's clear that we don't need any comment. Hopefully the right thing will happen after today.”
In November 2023, his rant after Anthony Gordon's controversial winning goal
for Newcastle, which underwent three separate VAR checks, led to Arsenal hiring a criminal lawyer to quash the FA's misconduct charge, calling the decision a 'disgraceful' and 'embarrassing'.
This incident at Wolves was far-fetched and must have made Arteta bite his tongue. That he did that deserves recognition, as many a manager would have struggled to keep his composure.
Wolves received an injection of belief with their one-man advantage as, with the match tied at 0-0, they looked for a much-needed result after three successive defeats in the league.
Matheus Cunha's strike from outside the penalty area just before the hour mark was well saved by David Raya and the Brazilian should have scored from the resulting corner but fired the ball wide.
Defender Riccardo Calafiori, who had recently lost his place to Lewis-Skelly after a muscle problem, took the winner with a well-taken finish. But in a broader sense, it was the way the Gunners were able to achieve a victory in such difficult conditions away from home that lived up to expectations.
Goals, a mean defense and three points are the typical barometers by which title-chasing teams are judged.
The ability to achieve results despite adversity is also a big part of the package.
Without this, a team will eventually break loose in a Premier League that is more competitive than ever, as evidenced by the unlikely progress of Bournemouth and Nottingham Forest.
Three points ahead of Wolves does not fully solve Arsenal's problems as it has dropped
12 points away from gaining positions so far this season, but illustrating a clear improvement on the first half of the season.
At the time, the Gunners would have found a way to lose this encounter or at best walk away with just a point.
They will need the resilience that was demonstrated on Saturday.
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