Arsenal put their Champions League disappointment firmly in the past to beat Wolves at Molineux and move back to the top of the Premier League.
Having blown their chance to leapfrog Pep Guardiola’s side six days ago by losing at home to Aston Villa, then been knocked out of the Champions League by Bayern Munich on Wednesday, it was a welcome triumph for Mikel Arteta’s men.
Leandro Trossard’s strike in the last minute of the opening period may not have been the most eye-catching of the Belgian’s career but it was perfectly timed.
It came at the end of a half where Arsenal seemed to have got stuck after a bright start and nearly fell behind to Gary O’Neil’s injury-ravaged side.
The visitors dominated the second half too but were unable to carve out the clear chances that would have allowed them to take the game out of reach.
Captain Martin Odegaard added the second deep into stoppage time at the end of the game, turning in from a tight angle after his initial cross had been blocked.
“I really liked the performance, the result, the clean sheet,” said Gunners boss Arteta. “But especially the way the team has individually shown that they still have another step forward to make and resilience that is needed in these moments to step in and say ‘I’m here, I’m gonna make myself count and impact the team’.”
The result means Arsenal are now a point clear of City, with a better goal difference but having played a game more.
They have the chance to apply some significant pressure to the defending champions when they entertain beaten FA Cup semi-finalists Chelsea on Tuesday.
“If you look at the amount of games we’ve played in the last few weeks, the types of games that we have played and the attitude and the way they played it’s top,” Arteta added.
“It’s within them. They want to win, they want to compete at their best and their effort is unquestionable. The results are something but I’m really happy for the approach and the mentality of the team.”
