It seemed to be the only goal of the game until Martin Ødegaard in overtime put in the rebound after his own finish. He did so from an almost blind spot.
Mikel Arteta’s side came off the back of a dreadful week with a home loss to Aston Villa in the Premier League and an away loss and Champions League exit to Bayern Munich.
Another setback on Saturday would have been fatal in the battle for league gold, but now the team is back at the top of the table, admittedly with a game more played than Manchester City, who are one point behind, and Liverpool, who are three points behind.
– It has been a heavy week for us, with some tough blows in the face, but we have stood together and got up. We played a tough away game today and take three points. It’s delicious, said Ødegaard in an interview with Jan Åge Fjørtoft on Viaplay.
Through thick and thin
– I am proud of the group. We are a family that supports each other through thick and thin and I think we deserved to win, said the Arsenal captain.
The article continues below the advertisementThe article continues below the advertisement
Arsenal did not find their way back to the festive football from earlier this year, but delivered a disciplined work session that hardly left the opposition any chances.
– I think it was quite impressive. Wolves are a good team and tried to hurt us on the counter but we were in good control. We could have scored more, but we are happy to have kept the clean sheet again,” Trossard told the BBC.
It was not a particularly convincing first half Arsenal delivered at Molineux, but the team went into the break with a lead, and that is usually a guarantee of success. The team are now unbeaten in their last 41 PL games with a half-time lead, and have won 38 of them.
The article continues below the advertisementThe article continues below the advertisement
Glued at the junction
The leading goal came in the last regular minute of the half. Gabriel Jesus took down a cross from Kai Havertz and went into a duel with Matt Doherty. It was arms and legs from both, before the Arsenal player gained control and fought the ball out to Trossard. The Belgian looked to have a shot, but still glued the ball into the crossbar.
The article continues below the ad
– I had to shoot quickly, so I used my toe. I tried to get it inside the bars and it went great. We needed it,” Trossard told the BBC.
It was one of two big chances in the first half. In the 30th minute, Wolverhampton came very close to scoring when João Gomes won the ball in a duel with a passive Jakub Kiwior and sped into the box. His shot from an acute angle was beaten by David Raya onto the post, and the rebound was cleared before any Wolves player could reach it.
Otherwise, there were only half-chances at Molineux until the game clock passed 90 minutes. Apart from the two mentioned, the closest to a real chance was Havertz with his volley in the first minute of the match, but José Sa in the home goal saved without any major problems.
Kept zero again
Havertz also had the biggest half-chance in the second half. He pounced when the ball was headed back in after a free kick, but the shot went straight to Sa.
The article continues below the ad
In overtime, it loosened up for Arsenal, and Ødegaard’s goal that punctuated the game was the third great Arsenal chance in extra time. He was played by Havertz.
Arsenal were largely in full control at the back. The team kept a clean sheet away from home for the sixth time in a row in the Premier League. The previous late goal was in the 2-1 win over Nottingham Forest on 30 January.
Wolverhampton have had good home results against top teams this season and among other things beat Manchester City, but the team is badly affected by injuries at the moment and has not won in five games.
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.