Wolves 0-1 Arsenal: Gunners move up to fifth despite Gabriel Martinelli’s bizarre red card

After the talk of problems and solutions in the wake of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s departure, Gabriel Magalhaes and some late defiance provided the latter for Arsenal at Wolves.

As Mikel Arteta acknowledged the debate about the wisdom of Arsenal letting a striker and their former captain leave last month without replacing him will rumble on and fluctuate based on results.

In an attacking sense there were no firm conclusions to be drawn at Molineux, either way, about Arsenal’s prospects up front for the remainder of the season or indicators of who may be proved right, Arteta or the doubters who think he has gambled.

Defender Gabriel scored the only goal as resolute Arsenal won at Molineux to go fifth in the Premier League

But centre-back Gabriel at least did a good passing impression of a striker to score a winner, showing the instincts of a seasoned No.9 to poach the winning goal inside the six-yard box.

Having kicked off searching for their first win of the year, Arsenal would not have been overly fussy about how they secured a first victory since Boxing Day.

However, they perhaps had grounds for complaint following Gabriel Martinelli’s controversial second half red card – Arsenal’s fourth in six games – shown by referee Michael Oliver after two bookable offences just seconds apart from the Brazilian who was allowed to play on and commit the second almost immediately after the first.

Still, Arsenal held on, refusing to buckle under intense late Wolves pressure.

The way Arteta hugged his coaches and his players embraced each other and celebrated in front of their supporters at full time it appeared they had won much more than three points.

Arsenal defender Gabriel bundled home Alexandre Lacazette’s flick-on for the only goal in the 25th minute

It was certainly a sign of the effort that was required.

A line can now been drawn under a miserable, frustrating January and they can begin to look forward and upwards again.

The three points took them above Manchester United, up to fifth and left them one point off the top four.

The Gunners had drawn four successive blanks and found the net just once in 2022.

Arsenal forward Gabriel Martinelli was sent off for two infringements in the same passage of play in the second-half

Wolves, meanwhile, kicked off as the third lowest scorers in the league. An opening low on chances was perhaps little surprise then.

That is not to say there were not a few near misses, mostly in Arsenal’s defensive areas to start with.

From a Ruben Neves cross Thomas Partey, back from suspension, got his bearings wrong but Leander Dendoncker was unable to punish his failure to deal with the delivery.

There was another brief nervous moment when Gabriel’s awkward clearance presented Marcal with a shooting chance that was snuffed out.

The Arsenal forward attempted to stop a throw-in and then bundled over Chiquinho a few seconds later

It was not until midway through the half that Arsenal threatened for the first time when Bukayo Saka’s cut back led to two blocked efforts.

Soon after, they led. They might have when Cedric Soares whipped in a teasing cross from the right that Alexandre Lacazette could not quite stretch far enough to head in.

Wolves cleared the danger for a corner but their respite was only temporary. Gabriel Martinelli swung in the set piece, Ben White kept it alive and Gabriel tapped in from a yard out.

In the middle of the action before the goal Lacazette clattered into Jose Sa as he attempted to convert White’s knockback leaving the Wolves keeper prone on the ground while play continued and leaving the goal unguarded for Gabriel to score into.

The visitors were hanging on at the end as Wolves surged forward in search of an equaliser

Sa required treatment too but referee Michael Oliver was satisfied that Lacazette’s challenge did not constitute a foul and the goal was given.

Fuelled by that sense of injustice, Wolves were quickly back on the front foot and might have caused Arsenal bigger problems had Francisco Trincao not been so wasteful from two promising crossing positions.

In the end, all they had to show for their response to going behind was a tame header from Raul Jimenez and off target efforts from Nelson Semedo and Ruben Neves.

Striker Alexandre Lacazette goes down in the box but the referee waved away appeals for a penalty

Arsenal, meanwhile, could have doubled their lead. Lacazette’s blocked near post header was half a chance while, from his second opportunity in quick succession, he might have done better than shoot straight at Sa from Saka’s cutback.

Wolves manager Bruno Lage had challenged his players to prove they’re not happy to just settle having racked up an impressive 34 points before Arsenal’s visit.

They began the second half like a side unhappy with their contribution, playing with a little more urgency.

A blocked shot from Daniel Podence and header over from Dendoncker awoke the Wolves crowd again. Their frustration at Arsenal’s game-management tactics as they protected their lead kept them involved.

Daniel Podence was at the heart of Wolves’ best moves but they could not find a way through the defence

And they gained further encouragement when Martinelli was dismissed. Oliver waved play-on when Martinelli pushed Podence over as he took a throw-in. But when the Brazilian fouled Chiquinho as he chased back towards his goal Oliver brandished two yellows Martinelli’s way and Arsenal were down to 10 men. Again.

To compound matters Granit Xhaka turned the resulting free-kick into his own net only to be saved by an offside flag and Lacazette blew a glorious chance wide.

In his match and the circumstances surrounding Arsenal, it would have been an ideal time for the French striker to take it.

Instead Arsenal were forced to cling on and needed Ramsdale saves from Marcal and Podence plus a desperate goalline clearance from Ben White to get over the line following Wolves’s inevitable late siege.