The Gunners took advantage of Man City's defeat earlier in the day to open up a big lead at the top of the Premier League ahead of the World Cup
Arsenal head into the World Cup break with a five-point lead at the top of the Premier League. With Manchester City slipping up against Brentford earlier in the day, Mikel Arteta's side knew they could ram home their advantage at the top of the table with victory over Wolves.
And they did exactly that, with a second-half brace from captain Martin Odegaard sealing a 2-0 success at Molineux.
A superb bit of play from substitute Fabio Vieira, who had replaced an ill Granit Xhaka in the first half, set up the first for Odegaard on 55 minutes, before the Norway international slammed home a second 15 minutes from time after some fine work from Gabriel Martinelli.
Arsenal were far from their best on Saturday, but they found a way to get the job done and have now picked up a staggering 37 points from a possible 42 this season.
Getty ImagesThe Winners
Martin Odegaard
Arsenal's captain delivered just when his side needed him most. This was far from a vintage performance from Mikel Arteta's side, with Wolves' tightly packed defensive line proving tough to break down. But Odegaard's brace in the second half finally opened up the home side and saw the Gunners open up a five-point lead at the top of the Premier League. His first goal may have been a tap-in, but his second was expertly put away. He now has six goals in 14 Premier League appearances this season. A fine return for the playmaker.
Fabio Vieira
You could see the pent up frustration pour out of Vieira as he celebrated the huge part he played in Martin Odegaard's goal. It's been a difficult few weeks for Vieira, who has come in for some criticism following a series of poor performances in the cup competitions. But he seized his opportunity after replacing Granit Xhaka, producing a wonderful piece of play to help break the deadlock on the hour mark. It was a moment of real quality from Vieira, who lifted the ball perfectly over Jose Sa to give Odegaard the simplest of tap-ins. While the rest of his team-mates celebrated in front of the away fans, Vieira stood on his own and punched the air as he looked towards the coaching staff. It looked like a moment of joy, frustration and relief rolled into one.
Mikel Arteta
Arsenal will have a five-point lead at the top of the Premier League at Christmas, and it's difficult to put into the words just how good a job Mikel Arteta has done in north London. The club was a mess when he arrived and getting to this point has been far from easy. But Arteta has done it his way and Arsenal are now reaping the rewards. Whether they go on and continue to set the pace when the Premier League returns after the international break remains to be seen, but Arteta deserves huge credit just getting Arsenal to this point.
AdvertisementGetty ImagesThe Losers
Manchester City
Pep Guardiola's side would have looked at today's fixtures and felt like it could be a day when they could take advantage in the battle at the top of the Premier League. But instead, they ended the day five points behind Arsenal and just two points ahead of Newcastle, who continued their excellent run with a fine 1-0 win over Chelsea. City's shock home defeat by Brentford gave their nearest challengers a real chance to take advantage, and it's a chance they grasped with both hands.
Ben White
This was a rare off day for the Arsenal defender. White has arguably been Arteta's most consistent performer this season and deserved his England World Cup call-up, but he struggled to find any sort of rhythm against a Wolves side that gave Arsenal very little space to run into. The right-hand side has been an area Arsenal have exploited all season thanks to the excellent understanding that White, Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard share. But the link-up was just a bit off it at Molineux, with White uncharacteristically sloppy when in possession at times.
Granit Xhaka
There will have been a few nervous people in Switzerland watching on as Granit Xhaka stood hunched over just one minute into the game. The midfielder, who will be the Swiss captain at the World Cup, did not look in a good way as he was tended to by the Arsenal medical team. He managed to stay on for 16 minutes before signalling that he couldn't continue, with Fabio Vieria coming on to replace him. It looked like Xhaka was suffering with some sort of sickness as he pointed to his stomach while walking past Mikel Arteta on his way back to the changing room. Hopefully it will not be anything that puts his World Cup in jeopardy, but there will no doubt be some concern in Switzerland right now about the condition of their skipper.
Getty ImagesArsenal Ratings: Defence
Aaron Ramsdale (7/10):
Didn't put a foot wrong and spent the last 20 minutes winding up the Wolves fans.
Ben White (5/10):
A rare off night. Not at his best.
William Saliba (6/10):
Got away with a couple of sloppy errors.
Gabriel Magalhaes (7/10):
Great block to deny Guedes after Saliba's error.
Oleksandr Zinchenko (6/10):
Tough night trying to deal with the pace of Traore on the counter.
Getty ImagesMidfield
Thomas Partey (6/10):
Not at his best, but kept things ticking over.
Granit Xhaka (N/A):
Lasted just 16 minutes. Clearly not right.
Martin Odegaard (8/10):
Popped up with two bigs goals. Came alive in the second half.