Ødegaard on the double as Arsenal grind it out to stretch lead at the top
CAPTAIN'S PERFORMANCE: Arsenal's Martin Odegaard celebrates scoring his second goal of the game at Molineux. Picture: Nigel French/PA Wire.
Martin Ødegaard’s second-half double put Arsenal five points clear at the top of the Premier League.
Manchester City’s shock 2-1 defeat at home to Brentford earlier in the day confirmed Arsenal would be top at Christmas and opened the way for Mikel Arteta’s side to increase their lead.
It might not have been their best or most fluent performance of the season.
But title-winning teams grind it out when they have to, and this is just what Arsenal did as Ødegaard became their top scorer in the league with six goals.
Arsenal lost midfielder Granit Xhaka to injury in the 16th minute but his replacement Fabio Vieira proved a more than adequate replacement, helping to set up the second goal.
The Gunners started with the intention of stretching their lead against a Wolverhampton outfit that started the game at the foot of the table and were watched by new head coach Julen Lopetegui from the directors box.
Wolves caretaker head coach Steve Davis used his final game in charge to switch to a back three to provide added insurance against the joint second highest scorers in the Premier League.
Heavily outpassed, they regularly strung 11 men behind the ball during the first half which made it difficult for Arsenal to penetrate or find spaces to threaten.
Gabriel Jesus had the ball in the Wolves net in the sixth minute, but his clinical volley was ruled out for offside after Gabriel Martinelli crossed from the left.
Bukayo Saka’s deflected cross then needed to be palmed behind by Wolves goalkeeper Jose Sá.
From the resulting corner swung in by Saka, Gabriel glanced well wide of the target.
But Wolves, who have struggled desperately for goals all season and are without four strikers, proved a threat on the counter.
When Martinelli carelessly lost control of the ball, Nelson Semedo galloped forward and slotted in Goncalo Guedes for a rising shot that just cleared the angle of post and bar.
Arsenal returned to the attack and Jesus should have done better with a twisting header that drifted wide from Ødegaard’s cross.
Arsenal went desperately close to taking the lead in the 35th minute.
Saka threaded Jesus through and the Brazilian, looking suspiciously offside, cut inside before his curling shot grazed the top of the bar and sailed over.
Arsenal gifted Wolves a rare sniff of goal just before half-time.
A poor back pass from William Saliba allowed Guedes one on one with goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale but the striker’s shot – bending towards the far corner of the net – was deflected wide.
Arsenal finally breached Wolves’ defence in the 54th minute. The goal, tapped home by Ødegaard, owed so much to Jesus’s superb reverse ball into Vieira, who supplied the low cross.
Toti Gomes made a fine interception to Jesus after an outrageous 70-yard pass from Saliba.
Ødegaard grabbed his and Arsenal’s second goal in the 76th minute.
Wolves substitute Dexter Lembikisa gave the ball away to Vieira, who cut inside before finding Martinelli for a shot blocked by Sá’s boot only for Ødegaard to rifle the ball into the bottom corner.
Boubacar Traore sent an angled drive swerving away from goal, while substitute Daniel Podence flashed an overhead kick just wide and saw a drive deflected over as Wolves tried to hit back.
But Arsenal, as champions do, held firm.
(3-5-2): Sá 6; Kilman 6, Collins 6, Gomes 7 (Nunes 80 minutes, 6); Semedo 6 (Lembikisa 68 minutes, 6), B Traoré 6, Neves 6, Moutinho 6 (Podence 68 minutes, 6), Bueno 8; A Traoré 6, Guedes 7.
Substitutes: Aït-Nouri, Sarkic, Mosquera, Ronan, Hodge, Campbell.
Booked: Gomes, B Traore, Bueno.
(4-3-3): Ramsdale 7; White 7, Saliba 8, Gabriel 7, Zinchenko 7 (Soares 90+1 minutes, 6); Ødegaard 8, Partey 6, Xhaka 6 (Fábio Vieira 16 minutes, 6, Elneny 90+1 minutes, 6); Saka 7 (Nelson 90+1 minutes), Gabriel Jesus 7, Martinelli 7.
Substitutes: Tierney, Nketiah, Holding, Marquinhos, Turner.
Booked: Partey, Gabriel.
: Stuart Attwell 6/10
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