Arsenal vs Wolves: Live Updates, Team News, and Match Preview
Arsenal start the new Premier League campaign playing host to Wolverhampton Wanderers with the aim of improving on their second-place finish last season and lift the trophy.
Mikel Arteta’s side finished just two points behind reigning champions Manchester City but took the title race down to the final week which was a signal that they have the capability to challenge Pep Guardiola’s serial winners for the duration of the campaign.
The Gunners have been active in the transfer market this summer, confirming the permanent move of goalkeeper David Raya and bringing in Riccardo Calafiori who should bring extra stability to an already solid defensive line. It’s been a window of slow evolution for Arsenal who will be hoping a positive pre-season translates to success in the league.
For their part, Wolves have parted ways with influential winger Pedro Neto but Gary O’Neil’s side performed well in 2023/24 finishing 14th without too much discomfort. They’ll be hoping for a higher finish this time around and a good result against Arsenal will send them on their way.
Arsenal vs Wolves Preview
Arsenal fans will be expecting a lot from their side this season, having pushed Manchester City in the last two campaigns.
It went down to the final match of the season, but it was still in City’s hands. The Gunners will want to go one better and secure their first league title since 2004.
Arsenal vs Wolves: Team News
[Arsenal have named their team for their Premier League opener:
Arsenal XI: Raya, White, Saliba, Gabriel, Zinchenko, Partey, Rice, Odegaard, Saka, Martinelli, Havertz
Subs: Ramsdale, Calafiori, Timber, Jorginho, Nelson, Nwaneri, Trossard, Jesus, Nketiah
Wolves XI: Sa, Doherty, Mosquera, Toti, Ait-Nouri, Bellegarde, Lemina, J Gomes, R Gomes, Hwang, Strand Larsen
Subs: Bentley, S Bueno, Podence, Cunha, Dawson, Doyle, Sarabia, Chiquinho, Guedes](https://www.sportingnews.com/ca/soccer/news/arsenal-vs-wolves-confirmed-lineups-predicted-starting-11-team-news/35146c934d3832ca9b073e1c)
Arsenal vs Wolves: Kick Off Time
Arsenal vs Wolves: Pre-Match Updates
Mikel Arteta has challenged Arsenal to improve once again this season, but sensed the motivation in his players during a club gathering on the night Manchester City clinched the Premier League title.
Arsenal enjoyed a record-breaking 2023/24 campaign, winning more games than ever before in the division and yet missed out on silverware to Pep Guardiola’s side by two points.
The title race went to the final day and City won a fourth consecutive league crown but Arsenal staff, including co-chair Josh Kroenke, players and their families gathered on the same night at a venue in central London to reflect on the near-miss and a burning desire to go one better was already evident.
Arteta claimed: “I don’t see that we are close to that full potential. We are still far.
“The only thing we can ask of ourselves is to be the best version of ourselves and maximise that potential. The rest is not in our hands.
“Can I do the best every day of my capabilities at the service of the team and can I be consistent in any context?
“That’s what we can do. We do that, then we are a great team, to achieve what? Let’s see, depending on what others do.
“I think it is going to be a really, really competitive league.”
Arteta fired a warning to Manchester City by insisting Arsenal are “still far” from their full potential.
Arsenal have pushed City all the way during the last two campaigns and missed out on the title by just two points last season.
The Gunners were able to register more wins than ever before in the Premier League, achieve the club’s second-best points total and break numerous other records.
It still failed to end a 20-year wait for another league crown but Arteta feels there is plenty of growth in a squad which has been boosted by the summer arrival of Riccardo Calafiori and the return to fitness of Jurrien Timber.
Arsenal vs Wolves: Match Preview
Gradual progress, incremental improvement. Arsenal have been on a serious upward trajectory over the past few seasons, and now there’s only one place left to go. Of course, that final step is always the most difficult, yet it is also the end ambition, the goal, the whole point of a new direction, new investment and new reason for optimism.
Mikel Arteta – like most bosses who go up against Pep Guardiola-led teams – remains unproven in that most important context. If last year was about showcasing they could stay the course and be in a genuine title fight into the final week or two of the season, then 2024/25 must be about underlining the reasons why Arsenal can take the final step – and, of course, about actually taking it.
Two points off the title as they were last year feels close, and yet... it never feels that close to Manchester City, somehow. This is after all a team who have twice won the league recently by single-point margins, have hit record tallies along the way and have become experts in seeing out the season.
It’s time for Arsenal to deliver – and one uncomfortable question holds the key.
Arsenal vs Wolves: Match Updates
These two teams have met 164 times, with the first meeting taking place in 1904. Arsenal have won 64, losing 32 and drawing 28.
Their most recent meetings ended 2-0 and 2-1 to Arsenal last season, with Wolves last winning in February 2021.
Overall Arsenal have won seven, drawn one and lost two of the last 10 fixtures between the two.
Arsenal vs Wolves: Match Report
So Mikel Arteta and Arsenal begin the season with a commanding performance at home to seal three points against Wolves. Much like Liverpool earlier today, the Gunners were under the cosh at times but their superior quality eventually shone through.
Gary O’Neil won’t be too disheartened with that performance, especially having lost Max Kilman and Pedro Neto recently, but they’ll need to find a finishing touch against lesser sides if they want to improve on last season’s 14th-placed finish.
Arsenal vs Wolves: Key Moments
First Half
- 3’: Arsenal win a corner after their cross is put behind.
- 7’: A promising attack for Arsenal breaks down on the edge of the Wolves box as Rice can’t get Odegaard’s pass under control.
- 9’: Brilliant from Odegaard to win the ball in midfield and clip a backheel into the path of Havertz. The German is bearing down on goal, but he sort of trips up over the ball and can’t get a shot away.
- 12’: White has a shot from outside the box, but it’s blocked and runs to Sa.
- 14’: Arsenal are beginning to turn the screw now, and a lovely touch from Saka in the box ends with him squeezing a shot through the Wolves bodies and forcing a low save from Sa.
- 17’: Wolves haven’t been poor and have settled fine, but Arsenal’s dominance is starting to show through.
- 20’: Arsenal win a corner and it does seem like it’s only a matter of time here.
- 23’: Joao Gomes is the first to be booked this afternoon, as he scythes down Martinelli.
- 25’: GOAL! They make it look easy, but it’s great work from Arsenal. From that free-kick, they recollect possession and recycle it to Saka on the wing. He’s in plenty of space and decides to swing in a cross – it’s an absolute peach, forcing Sa to commit off his line, and Kai Havertz is there to nod past into an empty net!
- 27’: Gabriel brings down Bellegarde not far from the edge of the Arsenal box.
- 29’: Bellegarde is fouled once more as he looked to skip past Gabriel. The Brazilian is lucky to escape a yellow there.
- 35’: Just 29 goals conceded last season for Arsenal, and they don’t look like conceding their first of the season this afternoon.
- 39’: Some great movement from Havertz nearly leads to a great counter-attack opportunity, but he’s fouled by Toti Gomes, who is booked.
- 42’: Saka was briefly down after that shot, but he’ll be okay to carry on.
- 45’: There’s just one minute of added time here as Martinelli is once again narrowly prevented from getting a shot away.
Second Half
- 46’: No changes for either side at half-time.
- 48’: So good from Odegaard to skip past two challenges and slip the pass towards Saka, but Lemina does equally well to dispossess the Englishman.
- 50’: Another great chance for Arsenal as the square pass lands at the feet of Havertz. He opens his body up to try and tuck it into the far corner, but ends up scooping a shot well wide.
- 52’: Some nice play from Wolves in and around the box ends with Strand Larsen unable to get the ball out of his feet.
- 55’: Arsenal’s turn to attack and Saka swings in a corner that Gabriel meets, but Sa collects the loose ball from the header.
- 58’: Ait-Nouri is everywhere as he tries to link together a Wolves attack, but he’s dispossessed on the edge of the Arsenal box.
- 62’: Wolves are certainly providing more attacking threat than they did in the first half, and Ait-Nouri fires narrowly wide from distance after Partey was guilty of not being alert enough in possession.
- 65’: Wolves come again on the attack, and some sustained possession ends with a corner as Mosquera’s corner is put behind.
- 68’: Almost a huge mistake from Saliba as he accidentally lays off a pass straight to Cunha, but the Brazilian can only direct his shot straight at Raya.
- 70’: A powerful drive from distance from Odegaard forces an Arsenal corner. Timber unleashes a shot from distance after receiving the corner near the edge of the box, but it goes wide and over.
- 73’: GOAL! The Saka special. Arsenal take a free-kick quickly, and they ship it to Saka on the edge of the box. He cuts back, drives inside and unleashes his trademark low shot, and it flies past Jose Sa for 2-0!
- 77’: It seems like that is game over for Wolves, and though they did have a 10-minute spell of great possession and attacking intent, it looks like they’ll leave the Emirates with nothing.
- 80’: Arsenal bring off Saka for Leandro Trossard, while Wolves brought on Daniel Podence for Rodrigo Gomes earlier.
- 83’: Partey is penalised for a foul and Wolves may have a chance with the free-kick.
- 88’: Wolves fans think they have a shout for a penalty as Hwang goes down under the challenge from Timber, but nothing doing for the referee.
- 91’: There’ll be five minutes of added time at the Emirates, as Trossard delivers the eighth Arsenal corner. It’s another that’s headed out and then cleared.
- 93’: Not a lot happening now as Arsenal look to close the game out. Cunha clips a lovely cross in though, and Sarabia pings a lovely volley that is too close to Raya.
Arsenal vs Wolves: Post-Match Reactions
Arsenal forward Kai Havertz was the first to speak to the media, and he said Arsenal “can be happy but there was some room to improve”.
“The first 20 minutes were good. We had good chances. We then lost a bit of control of the game and our press didn’t work. Always 100% we defended deep very well. We didn’t give them a lot of chances and it is three points.
“Saka is unbelievable. There are not a lot of players like him on the planet and he is still so young. He can get better. It is very rare to see a young player like this perform every week at the highest level.”
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta, is next in front of the cameras. He says: “I am really happy. With the first game you have some uncertainty in how you will respond.
“We had our moment after 1-0 when we were not in control but after Saka’s goal we were much more comfortable. The way the boys go about their job is unbelievable, so very happy.
“We knew Wolves could change the game and they did in the second half but with our changes we became a bit stronger.
“We certainly are. We had a really good pre-season. There are things to improve for sure, but overall very happy.
“The lack of control in the second half [we can improve], we gave so many simple balls away. We also had to finish situations better but overall very happy.”
Arsenal winger Gabriel Martinelli also spoke to the media after the game, and called today’s match “what we wante”.
“We got the win and we are really happy with that.”
On Bukayo Saka, he adds: “We know his quality and Kai’s quality as well. They are really important for us and we trust them and we know they can decided games in a moment.
“We believe in ourselves and we know our quality and will go for it.”
He calls Mikel Arteta “a really nice guy”, adding that “everyone loves him and we are just lucky to play under him”.
“You guys can see how we play from the outside. We are just happy to have him as our manager.
“This is the most difficult league in the world and we know how hard it is to play against City. We have to go game by game,” he adds when asked about a title charge.
Arsenal vs Wolves: Conclusion
A promising start for Mikel Arteta's side as they begin their title pursuit with a comfortable win against a spirited Wolves team. Arsenal's star duo Saka and Havertz, who both got on the scoresheet, showed their class, and the team as a whole looks ready for a long and challenging season. While Wolves will be disappointed with the result, they will be encouraged by their performance in the second half, which saw them create several chances and put pressure on the Arsenal defense. This was just the first game of a long season, but for Arsenal, this was a promising start.
