Wolverhampton Wanderers 0-1 Arsenal Player Ratings: Riccardo Calafiori secures all three points on an eventful evening at Molineux

With two sides on the opposing ends of the table, the showdown between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Arsenal had a lot on the line. Whilst the visitors looked to close the gap on League leaders Liverpool, the hosts looked to put together a string of positive results to get further clear of the relegation zone.

For the most part, the game started off with the Gunners in the ascendancy, however, the hosts were not too shy either and had a few breakaways of their own. As such, there were moments when Wolves came close to scoring against the run of play whilst the visitors failed to put away some very good chances. That said, things got even worse after Myles Lewis-Skelly was sent off for a rash tackle near the end of the first half.

As such, the second half was much more eventful with both sides going to ten men after Joao Gomes was sent off for a rash tackle as well. Soon thereafter, Arsenal substitute Riccardo Calafiori snatched the only game of the goal and an important away win for the Gunners to close out the game. Here are Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Arsenal player ratings.

Wolverhampton Wanderers Player Ratings vs Arsenal 

Goalkeeper

José Sá: 6/10- Had a nervy start to the game but grew into the game much more as it went on. Made a very good save from close range to deny Arsenal an opener in the first half. 

Defenders 

Matt Doherty: 7/10- Fared pretty well against the Arsenal attackers for the most part and kept things clean from his end as much as possible. Drew a great foul from a breakaway which led to a red card for the visitors.

Santiago Bueno: 6.5/10- Solid in possession and tasked with getting the team playing out of the back. Did get involved in a few defensive moments but mostly relied on his peers to do the work for him. 

Emmanuel Agbadou: 7.5/10- Strong, physically dominant and imposing with his presence on the pitch. Did have a few moments where he found himself hassled and hurried in possession but mostly managed to keep things clean at the back.

Midfielders

Nélson Semedo: 7/10- Showed good enthusiasm and initiative in charging up the flanks. Did get drawn into making needless tackles and giving away cheap fouls though. 

André: 7/10- Made quite a few tackles in midfield, turning over possession for his side from time to time. Was combative and diligent, keeping things from developing in his half. 

João Gomes: 5.5/10- Had a poor performance all things considered and always bordered on getting sent off. Struggled to make a real impact and was mostly reserved for bumping into players and making rash tackles, which eventually led to his sending off.

Rayan Aït Nouri: 6.5/10- Grew well into the game in the second half, offering much more threat off the left-hand side, making a few enticing passes into the box as well. Could have tracked his runner slightly better despite his center half having an exceptional game.

Attackers

Pablo Sarabia: 6/10- Struggled to make an impact despite some good deliveries from set pieces. Should have done better with his half-volley opportunity in the first half which he skied away into the crowd. 

Matheus Cunha: 6.5/10- Help supplement the play on many occasions but struggled to release the ball on time on many occasions. Showed a lot of dissatisfaction with his teammates at times for not adjusting to his ideas. Went close to scoring twice in the second half.

Jørgen Strand Larsen: 6/10- Had a difficult game, struggling to get involved. Popped up in unexpected positions to help supplement the attack. Was very unlucky to get injured 30 minutes into the game.

Substitutes

Hee-Chan Hwang: N/A

Jean-Ricner Bellegarde: N/A

Rodrigo Gomes: N/A

Tommy Doyle: N/A

Gonçalo Guedes: N/A

Manager 

Vitor Pereira: 6/10- Will feel hard done by some of his players for the result despite having a good game plan overall. Could have benefitted without having a player sent off which was the key moment in the game for his team.

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Arsenal Player Ratings vs Wolverhampton Wanderers

Goalkeeper

David Raya: 7.5/10- Had a few moments where he was hassled but dealt with any danger quite handily and stepped up once his team went a man down. Was instrumental in helping the side play out from the back and make up for the numbers. 

Defenders 

Jurrien Timber: 6.5/10- Had a much scrappier game than usual, getting tangled in some fiery duels throughout the game. Was on top of things defensively for the most part but couldn’t put anything together in the opposition half. 

William Saliba: 7/10- Safe, secure, and solid as he normally is, putting in a great performance. Dealt with threats quite well and played on the front foot with the ball at his feet, comfortably carrying it out of defense.

Gabriel Magalhães: 7/10- Ever present in defence, mopping up danger well. Was once again a threat from set pieces, and only had a few misplaced passes as potential mistakes. Otherwise a very spotless game overall. 

Myles Lewis-Skelly: 6/10- Started the game well and kept things ticking, inverting into midfield from time to time as well. Was quite unlucky in getting sent off for what seemed a yellow card offense at best.

Midfielders

Thomas Partey: 7.5/10- Put in a solid shift in midfield, supplementing play in midfield and often getting stuck in with a big tackle. Got involved higher up the pitch in the second half as well. Showed good fluidity in possession as well. 

Declan Rice: 8/10- An absolute engine in midfield for the visitors, carrying the ball over great distances and getting his side up the field. Was involved offensively, and defensively and did incredibly well to make up for the absence of a player. 

Ethan Nwaneri: 6/10- Struggled to make an impact or find enough space in the packed Wolves midfield. Did look to break positively whenever he got the opportunity and was unlucky to have been withdrawn at halftime. 

Attackers

Gabriel Martinelli: 6/10- Floated in a few good crosses but was mostly kept out of the game by Agbadou who constantly disrupted any progress and completely shut him out of the game at times. 

Leandro Trossard: 7/10- The best attacker for the visitors by a mile, putting in an all-rounder performance from back to front. Created some superb chances in the first half and got stuck in with the defence in the second half as well.

Kai Havertz: 6/10- Absolutely woeful at times, but only helped by being a constant outlet for his side on the break. Got into great positions to score but could not find the finishing touch needed. Struggled to hold the ball up or get past a defender when in possession.

Substitutes

Riccardo Calafiori: 7/10- Looked keen to make things happen and provided an outlet whenever possible. Was involved on both ends of the pitch and popped up with the difference maker on the night. 

Kieran Tierney: N/A

Manager

Mikel Arteta: 7/10- Did not let the red card affect the game and put out his side with a mission to push the initiative regardless. Made a much different and ambitious call than in previous games which was instrumental in seeing his side get the win.

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