Arsenal was beaten 2-1 by Wolves this evening after a penalty by Ruben Neves and a sensational strike from Joao Moutinho cancelled out Nicolas Pepe’s fine Arsenal opener.
That loss keeps Arsenal further away from the top four after 22 matches.
The Gunners started brightly with a fine Pepe strike, but red cards to David Luiz and Bernd Leno made it almost impossible not to lose.
Here are the Arsenal player ratings.
Bernd Leno – 3
Had a good start to the game, but he then went on to get a completely avoidable red card and more or less ended all hope of salvaging something from the game.
Hector Bellerin – 6
Had his work cut out against the tricky Pedro Neto, but he was solid defensively and supported the attack well before the red cards.
Rob Holding – 6
Gave more reasons why he is Arsenal’s best defender, but couldn’t do anything about both goals.
David Luiz – 5
Unlucky to have gotten the red card, but it doesn’t always have to be him.
Cedric Soares – 5
Started with a lot of confidence, but Adama Traore frustrated him as the game went on.
Thomas Partey – 6
Battled well against Wolves’ impressive midfielders, but he needs to do more with his final delivery.
Granit Xhaka – 5
Left frustrated by the red cards, but he and Partey had started the game in fine form.
Bukayo Saka – 7
Was Arsenal’s brightest spark again in the first half, but VAR denied him the game’s opener. Had to do more defensive work after the red cards.
Emile Smith Rowe – 6
He is getting better at picking spaces in opponents’ defences, but the red cards also affected his impact.
Nicolas Pepe – 7
Brilliant persistence to score the opening goal, he couldn’t do so much in the second half with limited support after the dismissals.
Alexandre Lacazette – 6
He looked dangerous as Arsenal’s primary forward, shocking to see him sacrificed after the red card.
Substitutes
Gabriel – 6
Came into the game and made Arsenal better at the back. He should start the next match.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang – 5
This is the toughest game for him to come off the bench to change, and he could do nothing to the score.
Runar Alex Runarsson – 6
Doesn’t inspire confidence, especially when asked to play with his feet but he did make two good saves.
Manager
Mikel Arteta – 6
Not really his fault what unfolded, not too sure about his substitutions but he was on a hiding to nothing after Luiz and Leno sending offs.