Wolverhampton Wanderers 2-1 Arsenal: 5 talking points as Wolves condemn 9-man Arsenal to defeat | Premier League 2020-21

#3 The Wolves defense is severely underperforming

Wolves' defense was having a lot of trouble dealing with the Arsenal attack in the first half.

Even though Wolves walked away from this game with three crucial points, a large part of their win is down to Arsenal’s implosion. In fact, until both teams had retained their full complement of players, the Gunners had been thoroughly dominant and had been good value for their lead.

Wolves had taken to the field in this game with a back four - a system that they have deployed with increasing regularity this season, despite previously having a lot of success with a back three.

This alternating between systems, combined with unfortunate injuries and key departures, has seen the usually strong and resolute Wolves defense be quite below-par this season.

They have kept only five clean sheets in 22 games thus far. This, combined with a lack of goals at the other end, sees Wolves languishing in the bottom half of the table.

In contrast, their in-form opponents, Arsenal, had managed the same feat in their past seven fixtures alone, taking their personal clean sheet tally to eight for the season.

Wolves’ defensive frailties were exposed by Arsenal’s explosive wingers, with Saka giving Max Kilman and Pedro Neto problems down the left. On the other hand, Pepe gave Nelson Semedo a torrid time on the right, as was seen for Arsenal’s goal.

Were it not for the two red cards, Wolves might have been in for a much stricter examination today and would do well to focus on their defensive structure for future games. The current performances are not likely to hold up well against quality attacks.

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#4 Bukayo Saka is making a strong case to be Arsenal’s player of the season

While Pepe got the goal, Saka lit up the pitch with a dazzling first-half display.

Amidst the furor surrounding the Luiz and Leno red cards, it would be easy to forget that Arsenal had actually been dominating the game until the penalty incident and were looking set to claim a win.

A massive reason for their positive start was Bukayo Saka’s performance. The young Englishman delivered a sparkling performance on his return to the starting lineup following an injury absence.

Such was Saka’s impact on the game that he saw a shot rebound off the post, one smartly saved by Rui Patricio, and one effort chalked off by VAR even before the clock hit 10 minutes.

Saka’s excellent and mature showings across all competitions at the young age of 19 have caught the eye of the England manager Gareth Southgate.

With Nicolas Pepe finding form at the right time and offering a similar threat from the opposing flank, Arsenal are set to be a formidable threat going forward, with Saka leading the charge for the Gunners.

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#5 Arsenal’s positive momentum takes a huge hit

Mikel Arteta is left with a lot to think about after the disappointing defeat.

Mikel Arteta’s men went into this game seven games unbeaten in the league, having conceded just two goals during this period. And the form book suggested a win for the Gunners against an out-of-sorts Wolves side.

As the first half played out, it felt like Arsenal would be extending their positive run of results. Not only did they take a deserved lead, but the Gunners also looked fairly comfortable in defense.

However, David Luiz’s sending off on the stroke of half time and Ruben Neves’ subsequent penalty conversion changed the complexion of the game.

3 & 6 - Since making his @PremierLeague debut for Arsenal in August 2019, David Luiz has received more red cards (3) and conceded more penalties (6) than any other player in the competition. Calamity pic.twitter.com/TLmGdvKP4w

— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) February 2, 2021

Having barely gotten used to being without Luiz for their next three fixtures, Arsenal’s woes were compounded by the sending off of their goalkeeper, whose excellent form has been integral to their recent success.

As such, it will be interesting to see how the Gunners cope with the absences of Luiz and Leno in their next few games and how much of an effect it will have on their performances.