Mikel Arteta’s men did not deliver the scintillating attacking play we have become accustomed to seeing from them this season, but still secured all three points against Wolverhampton.
Along with the rock-solid centre-back pairing of Saliba and Gabriel, Leandro Trossard can take a large part of the credit for that, after his shot went over the post to send Arsenal into the lead.
– It looks as if he slips it, but if that is the intention then it is a magnificent goal, commented Viaplay’s Andreas Toft.
Ødegaard: – A blow to the face
Arsenal went into Saturday’s clash with two straight losses in the bag. First they lost to Aston Villa and lost the top of the table, before Bayern Munich sent them out of the Champions League on Wednesday.
Martin Ødegaard opens up about how the last few days have been:
– It has been a heavy week for us. With both the loss in the league and in the Champions League, it was a real blow in the face to be honest, Ødegaard shares candidly to Viaplay after the match.
Viaplay’s experts pointed out that the Arsenal players looked tired during the match. The Norwegian believes that all the traveling should have its share of the blame.
– It’s getting worse. There is a lot of travel and many days in hotels. But we have a good team helping us, so just managed to get to today.
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In the quarter before the end, Gary O’Neil took action, replacing Rayan Aït-Nouri and Pablo Sarabia.
The substitutions gave the home team a clear boost, and the “wolves” pushed for an equalizer towards the end.
– It’s not pretty to watch now, but if Arsenal manage to secure the victory here then everything will be worth it, Alan Smith commented for the BBC.
The Arsenal defense managed to hold tight, and a minute before the end, Ødegaard was able to put the nail in the coffin with a smart finish from an almost dead angle.
– They have had to work for it and struggle for it, and then it tastes extra good, comments Nils Johan Semb.
The experts in the Viaplay studio after the match were impressed by the Ødegaard detail that led to scoring.
– It is not only well put, but also well seen! He tricks Sa and puts it on the inside, points out Sigrid Heien Hansen.
– You must have a usable overview and masterful technique to master it there! It’s so nice to see, adds Lars Tjærnås.
The BBC refers to it as a “hugely important” victory, in what is building up to be a highly dramatic end to the title game in the Premier League.
Top of the table
The victory goes to Ødegaard and Co. up at the top of the table – one point ahead of Manchester City, who have a game to spare.
Third-placed Liverpool also have a game to play against Arsenal, and could end up a point with Arsenal if they beat Fulham on Sunday.
Now another important week awaits for Arsenal, with two bidding cities. On Tuesday, Chelsea will visit in a hanging game, on Sunday there will be a neighborly clash in North-East London at Tottenham’s ground.
Wolverhampton will try to get back on track with a home game against Bournemouth on Wednesday.