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Premier League | Gameweek 14

Dec 2, 2023 at 3pm UK

Emirates Stadium

Arsenal
2 - 1
Wolves

Saka (6'), Odegaard (13')
Saliba (68')

FT(HT: 2-0)

Cunha (86')
Hee-chan (88'), Cunha (90+9')

Gary O'Neil taking positives from Wolverhampton Wanderers resilience against Arsenal

By Darren Plant, Senior Reporter | 02 December 2023

O'Neil taking positives from Wolves resilience against Arsenal

Head coach Gary O'Neil feels that Wolverhampton Wanderers can "take a lot" from the character shown during the 2-1 defeat at Arsenal in the Premier League.

Head coach Gary O'Neil has hinted that he is prepared to take the positives from Wolverhampton Wanderers' 2-1 defeat at Arsenal on Saturday afternoon.

Wolves went into the game versus the Premier League leaders at the Emirates Stadium without their first-choice midfielders as a result of Mario Lemina and Joao Gomes serving one-match bans.

Rayan Ait-Nouri was also missing due to an ankle injury and goalkeeper Jose Sa was forced off with a back issue after just 23 minutes against the Gunners.

At that point, Wolves were already two goals behind with Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard putting Arsenal ahead inside the opening 15 minutes.

Although Wolves did not threaten in the final third as they may have wanted, they did not concede another goal, and made things interesting through a late Matheus Cunha strike.

Despite pushing hard during six minutes of added-on time, the West Midlands outfit ultimately came up short, losing in the capital by a one-goal margin for the second time in five days after previously being edged out by Fulham.

Arsenal's Bukayo Saka celebrates scoring against Wolverhampton Wanderers on December 2, 2023 © Reuters

While O'Neil admitted that he was disappointed with how Wolves started the game, the Englishman felt encouraged by the resilience shown after going behind.

Speaking to Match of the Day, O'Neil said: "When you concede two early goals, you know it might be a long afternoon. We knew we'd suffer against Arsenal because everybody does. We knew we'd be able to get a foothold and get back into the game. We had to change our goalkeeper as well, which makes it even more difficult.

"The first goal was disappointing. There were so many bodies around Saka. For him to wriggle through and for us to look hesitant in the penalty area is disappointing.

"The second goal was a great goal. We should have prevented it, but it happens. We stuck to the plan, tried to be aggressive and maybe didn't carry as much of a threat as we would have liked, but not many teams do against Arsenal.

"We managed to hang in and create a bit of a scare, and the lads should take a lot from that."

Wolves now sit in 13th position in the Premier League standings, eight points above the relegation zone but with 18th-placed Burnley the visitors to Molineux on Tuesday night.