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Arsenal hosted Wolverhampton Wanderers at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday, just days before they are set to welcome 2,000 fans for Thursday's UEFA Europa League (UEL) clash against Rapid Vienna.
The game was quickly brought to a halt after players from both teams suffered head injuries. The gravity of the collision led to a 10-minute delay in the game, and Raul Jimenez was sent straight to the hospital for treatment.
After the action resumed, Pedro Neto broke the deadlock in the 27th minute before Gabriel Magalhaes equalised three minutes later from a header. Wolves then regained their lead in the 42nd minute, thanks to Daniel Podence.
Although Arsenal enjoyed a greater amount of possession throughout the 90 minutes, their shots on target paled in comparison to Wolves.
The Gunners have now lost three consecutive home matches while Wolves go up to 6th in the English Premier League table standings.
Here are five talking points from the game at the Emirates Stadium.
#5 Raul Jimenez's injury a concern for Wolves
Barely five minutes into the game, Raul Jimenez and David Luiz were involved in a clash of heads while Arsenal took their first corner. Both players spent a long time receiving on-field treatment, with Jimenez coming off worse from the challenge.
The 29-year-old Mexican is Wolves' top scorer this season, with four goals in nine matches. Jimenez received nearly 10 minutes of on-field treatment and eventually had to be stretchered off the pitch. It looks certain that he will miss a couple of upcoming matches. Meanwhile, Luiz was replaced by Rob Holding after half-time.
Following their win over Arsenal, Wolverhampton Wanderers will play Liverpool, Aston Villa, and Chelsea. Losing Jimenez at this stage of the season is both worrying and costly for Nuno Espírito Santo's side.
#4 Arsenal score their first goal from open play in a while
Before Gabriel's equaliser for Arsenal, the Gunners have gone over eight hours without scoring from open play. They have only scored once in the last five Premier League games, and that goal came from a Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang penalty against Manchester United in early November.
Excluding Sunday's goal against Wolves, Arsenal only have one Premier League goal in their last five matches and are now one of the lowest goalscoring teams this season. Only the bottom four teams (West Bromwich Albion, Burnley, Fulham and Sheffield United) have netted on fewer occasions than Arsenal.
Despite the lack of goals in the Premier League, Arsenal are scoring thick and fast in the Europa League. In their last four UEL matches, the Gunners have netted a total of 12 goals.
Hopefully, Mikel Arteta is able to channel some of the confidence his team has in European games to the Premier League.
#3 Arsenal's future under Mikel Arteta looks uncertain
Are Arsenal even going anywhere under Mikel Arteta?
Yes, the manager might have won the FA Cup title and the Community Shield, but apart from those glimpses of what Arsenal can do, Arteta hasn't quite lived up to expectations of the Gunners faithful.
With 13 points in 10 matches, Arsenal's home form is looking atrocious, goals are simply not coming from any of the players, and there is a serious lack of creativity within the team.
The winter transfer window will open five weeks from now, on 4th January 2021, and Arsenal would surely be desperate to sign some players to save their season.
#2 Is Aubameyang becoming the next Mesut Ozil?
This game has raised more questions than answers. It is clear that since Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang signed his contract extension in the summer, he has lost his magic touch in front of goal.
The 31-year-old scored 22 goals in each of his last two seasons in the Premier League, but 10 games into the 2020/21 season, Aubameyang has only netted twice. Additionally, moving him to a more central position by dropping Alexandre Lacazette hasn't quite helped the situation as Arsenal are still not scoring.
During the match, the Arsenal captain pounced on a mistake by Wolves keeper Rui Patricio at the edge of their box. To the utter dismay of fans, Aubameyang missed the golden opportunity to score an open goal and level things for Arsenal.
Many are now starting to compare Aubameyang to Mesut Ozil, who also lost his form after choosing to remain at Arsenal. Due to footballing reasons, he has been left out of all games since June and looks set to leave the north London club at the end of this season.
Regardless of how well Aubameyang has performed in previous seasons, nothing is working for him this time around. It is shocking to see how fast a player's form can drop within such a short span of time.
#1 Differing dreams for Arsenal and Wolves
After their victory over Arsenal, Nuno's team are now 6th in the Premier League table with 17 points. They are just a point away from 4th-placed Leicester City and four points behind joint league leaders, Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool.
While tough battles await them in December, Wolves can take this victory in their stride and continue to make their way up the table. As for Arsenal, they are due to play the north London derby next weekend as Arteta looks to salvage his managerial career.
Just a year ago, Unai Emery was sacked by the Arsenal board after a poor run of results both in the Premier League and in Europe. History is now repeating itself for the 38-year-old manager but he will probably be given more time and more leeway than his predecessor.
