Arsenal Analysed: The secrets to our win at Wolves

Saturday saw us claim a hard-fought three points against Wolves at Molineux, as Riccardo Calafiori's strike ensured all the Gooners in the away end went home singing 'One-nil to The Arsenal.'

We had to do it the hard way after playing the whole of the second half with 10 men, so how did we manage to overcome this adversity to get the win? Adrian Clarke has the answers:

Rice stood tall

From an individual perspective, Declan Rice’s performance was a real standout. On an afternoon where calm leadership was required, our record signing grew in stature, taking this match by the scruff of the neck. Driving himself and those around him forward as often as possible, the 26-year-old dominated his Wolves counterparts.  

No one made more passes (55), or created more chances (3) than Rice, who was also a forceful presence without the ball. Raising his output when the side was reduced to 10 men, the midfielder’s defensive stats and running data were exceptional:

Rice displayed explosive speed on a couple of breakaways, including one burst into the box that saw a fierce strike saved by Jose Sa. Covering more distance than anybody else, and always involved, he took on bags of personal responsibility to ensure we earned all three points.

Quality crosses

This was an afternoon where our crossing was largely on point. Leandro Trossard’s two-footed class has shone brightly of late, and it did so once again at Molineux, especially when he whipped a delicious left-footed ball across the face of goal in the 24th minute. Kai Havertz met it beautifully but was denied by a fine save.

A Trossard inswinger, and a brilliant wide free kick from Rice also provided gilt-edged opportunities, but it wasn’t to be Kai's day.

Our winning goal came from another wicked delivery, this time from Gabriel Martinelli on the right. The pace of the cross forced a mis-header by Nelson Semedo, which Calafiori gobbled up superbly with a wonderful half-volley on the stretch, showing a fabulous technique to despatch a high tariff strike.

Remarkably, it came from one of just two crosses from open play that originated from that side of the pitch, as almost all our crosses stemmed from the left wing.

Arsenal’s crosses and key passes

Martinelli mixes it up

We are accustomed to seeing Bukayo Saka keep his width by taking most of his touches very wide on the right wing. Those who have filled in for him of late, have followed that pattern too.

At Molineux we saw something a little different from Martinelli, who tip-toed infield on several occasions to link play, providing a new dimension inside the opposition half. I loved how he drifted inside undetected to help us knit together a lovely first half move, and from his switch of play, Trossard’s cross found the head of Havertz:

In the second period, when we had a man disadvantage, I also thought his game awareness was outstanding. Below you can see how he moved inside, dragging left-sided central defender Emmanuel Agbadou with him, to free up empty space for Rice to stride into. The Brazilian opened his body up well to feed Thomas Partey’s pass in behind Agbadou for the onrushing Rice:

I hope we see more varied movement from him like this in the weeks to come. This was his heat map from the game, and it shows a greater number of involvements in central areas, compared to normal:

Whether it is joining in as a No.10 or as a second striker, this varied movement could be a real positive for us moving forward.

Mental strength

Myles Lewis-Skelly’s highly controversial red card just before half-time could have led to enormous frustration and derail the side mentally, but that didn’t happen. Inspired by a calm approach from the manager, there was a quiet but steely determination about the team as soon as they stepped out for the second half.

Believing they could still win the match with 10v11, it was great to see the players take such a proactive approach, pushing Wolves back into their own half. This action areas map shows where the ball was between the 45th and 60th minute, and this positive mindset led to great frustration among home supporters:

We didn’t score during this period, and Wolves did have one or two promising moments shortly afterwards, but our ‘can do’ attitude at the start of the second half spoke volumes about the team’s self-belief. Being on the front foot sent a message to the hosts that they would be in for a challenging 45 minutes.

Shutting out the opposition

This was the first away clean sheet we have recorded in 10 Premier League games, dating back to our 1-0 win at Tottenham in September. Achieving the shutout, having been reduced to 10 men for so long, will have delighted everybody involved.

In truth, we gave Wolves next to nothing all game long. During the period between Lewis-Skelly’s red card on 43 minutes, and that earned by Joao Gomes after 70 minutes, there was very little to be nervous about. This flying save from David Raya following a deflected Matheus Cunha shot was the closest we came to conceding:

When you look at the xG map from 43 minutes to 70 minutes, there are just two shots from inside the box we had to deal with, and only one of those came in open play. While it was 10v11 we had three chances that amassed 0.38xG (purple), compared to six tame efforts from the home side that totalled just 0.22xG (black).

Wanderers may look back and regret not making the most of their man advantage, but it was our solidity from back to front that kept them at bay.

Thanks to smart game management, tremendous confidence, a good shape, and a sprinkling of real quality when we needed it, this turned out to be a routine 1-0 win, earned in difficult circumstances, and the nature of this team victory has a galvanising effect within the group.