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Premier League top-four contenders Arsenal and Wolverhampton Wanderers locked horns at the Emirates Stadium on Thursday night.
The Gunners struggled with their finishing all night long, but ultimately managed to nick a 2-1 comeback win in the dying embers of the match. Nicolas Pepe’s strike and a Jose Sa own goal was enough for the north Londoners to secure all three points in front of their supporters.
The nail-biting victory saw them move within a point of fourth-placed Manchester United despite playing two games fewer than the Red Devils.
Despite playing at home, Arsenal lacked the confidence to move the ball around with ease. After just 10 minutes of play, Gabriel’s abysmal backpass to Aaron Ramsdale was intercepted by Wolves’ Hee-Chan Hwang, who finished calmly. Shellshocked by the goal, the Gunners tried their best to get back into the game, but their decision-making in the final third let them down.
The equalizer finally came in the 82nd minute, when Edward Nketiah set up fellow substitute Nicolas Pepe inside the Wolverhampton box. The Ivorian made no mistake turning it in from close range.
The winner came five minutes into injury time in the most heartbreaking fashion for Wolverhampton Wanderers. Alexandre Lacazette’s strike took a deflection off goalkeeper Jose Sa and went into the left corner of the Wolverhampton net. The Emirates burst out elated as they took a pivotal step towards securing Champions League football.
Here are five Gunners stars who helped them nick a narrow 2-1 win over Wolves on Thursday night:
#5 Eddie Nketiah
Introduced in Cedric Soares’ place in the 76th minute, Eddie Nketiah was like a live wire on the pitch at the Emirates on Thursday. He chased every ball and tried to make himself available to his teammates.
His most notable contribution came only six minutes after he was introduced. Having received the ball from Martin Odegaard, Nketiah dashed forward down the right-inside channel and cut the ball back to Nicolas Pepe inside the box.
Pepe cleverly applied the finishing touch to restore parity for the hosts. Apart from the assist, Nketiah also made a key pass and recovered the ball twice in his 19-minute cameo.
#4 Nicolas Pepe
Right-winger Nicolas Pepe could not break into the starting XI against the Wolves on Thursday night. However, that did not stop the Ivory Coast star from scoring Arsenal’s equalizer.
Under pressure from Romain Saiss, Pepe brilliantly received Nketiah’s offload on his right foot, swiveled, and applied the finishing touch calmly with his left foot.
An outstanding finish by the 26-year-old to turn the tide in the Gunners’ favor.
#3 Thomas Partey
Having conceded an early goal, Arsenal were in desperate need of some composure in the middle of the park. Former Atletico Madrid man Thomas Partey emerged as their savior, doing everything in his power to give his side stability.
Partey’s distribution, as always, was simple and immaculate. He did not try anything fancy and never put his side in danger. He also carried the ball brilliantly and won most of his duels (6 of 11).
The Ghana international completed 51 passes with 89.5 percent accuracy, delivered five of his six attempted long balls, and completed three out of four dribbles.
Additionally, the 28-year-old proved himself to be quite a handful going forward. Regularly popping up in threatening areas, Partey provided three key passes and attempted two shots.
#2 Alexandre Lacazette
Alexandre Lacazette did not have the best of games in an Arsenal shirt on Thursday night, yet we couldn’t help but keep him on the list.
Despite being lackluster in front of goal, the Frenchman proved his mettle as a leader, incessantly instructing his team to keep their chins up.
The former Lyon man was once again great in possession and combined well with his teammates. But the thing that stood out the most was Lacazette’s eagerness to get on the scoresheet.
He roamed in and around the opposition penalty box in search of opportunities, although his decision-making regularly let him down. He attempted eight shots on Thursday, only two of which hit the target while three were blocked.
The 30-year-old’s finest moment of the match came five minutes into added time when he forced Jose Sa’s own goal. Latching on to Pepe’s pass, Lacazette dashed down the right and dispatched a shot towards goal.
The scuffed effort took a deflection of Sa’s right hand and ended up in the back of the net. Own goal or not, one cannot help but laud Lacazette for his perseverance.
#1 Martin Odegaard
Former Real Madrid man Martin Odegaard ran the show for Arsenal on Thursday night. His movement was silky-smooth, vision was praise-worthy, and the way he applied pressure on Wolverhampton midfielders was undoubtedly impressive.
Odegaard, who operated as a No.10 against Wolves, regularly popped up in threatening areas and carved their defense open more often than not. In the 82nd minute, the Norwegian found Nketiah with a lobbed through ball from the right side of midfield.
The 22-year-old then fed Pepe, who finished with composure. Had it not been for Odegaard’s vision, the Gunners would have had a hard time unlocking Wolverhampton’s defense.
Apart from playing a key role in the equalizer, Odegaard provided two key passes, hit the woodwork once, and completed three out of four dribbles.
A captivating display by one of the brightest players in the Premier League.
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