Arsenal 1-2 Wolverhampton Wanderers: 5 talking points as the Gunners lose at home once again | Premier League 2020-21
Arsenal hosted Wolverhampton Wanderers at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday, just days before they are set to welcome 2,000 fans for Thursday's UEFA Europa League (UEL) clash against Rapid Vienna.
The game was quickly brought to a halt after players from both teams suffered head injuries. The gravity of the collision led to a 10-minute delay in the game, and Raul Jimenez was sent straight to the hospital for treatment.
After the action resumed, Pedro Neto broke the deadlock in the 27th minute before Gabriel Magalhaes equalised three minutes later from a header. Wolves then regained their lead in the 42nd minute, thanks to Daniel Podence.
Although Arsenal enjoyed a greater amount of possession throughout the 90 minutes, their shots on target paled in comparison to Wolves.
The Gunners have now lost three consecutive home matches while Wolves go up to 6th in the English Premier League table standings.
Here are five talking points from the game at the Emirates Stadium.
#5 Raul Jimenez's injury a concern for Wolves
Barely five minutes into the game, Raul Jimenez and David Luiz were involved in a clash of heads while Arsenal took their first corner. Both players spent a long time receiving on-field treatment, with Jimenez coming off worse from the challenge.
The 29-year-old Mexican is Wolves' top scorer this season, with four goals in nine matches. Jimenez received nearly 10 minutes of on-field treatment and eventually had to be stretchered off the pitch. It looks certain that he will miss a couple of upcoming matches. Meanwhile, Luiz was replaced by Rob Holding after half-time.
Following their win over Arsenal, Wolverhampton Wanderers will play Liverpool, Aston Villa, and Chelsea. Losing Jimenez at this stage of the season is both worrying and costly for Nuno Espírito Santo's side.
#4 Arsenal score their first goal from open play in a while
Before Gabriel's equaliser for Arsenal, the Gunners have gone over eight hours without scoring from open play. They have only scored once in the last five Premier League games, and that goal came from a Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang penalty against Manchester United in early November.
Excluding Sunday's goal against Wolves, Arsenal only have one Premier League goal in their last five matches and are now one of the lowest goalscoring teams this season. Only the bottom four teams (West Bromwich Albion, Burnley, Fulham and Sheffield United) have netted on fewer occasions than Arsenal.
Despite the lack of goals in the Premier League, Arsenal are scoring thick and fast in the Europa League. In their last four UEL matches, the Gunners have netted a total of 12 goals.
Hopefully, Mikel Arteta is able to channel some of the confidence his team has in European games to the Premier League.