Arsenal finally come to the party in Champions League race after comeback win against Wolves
For the first time in 2022, Arsenal have won three successive Premier League matches. Mikel Arteta's side flirted with mid-table at the start of the season but they’ve recovered superbly.
The Gunners are currently playing their best football in months and are also showing the kind of consistency needed to win matches.
They are usually expansive when they have to be and revert to being compact when the need arises too. The Gunners were tested on Thursday when they faced Wolverhampton Wanderers in the Premier League and passed with flying colours.
Arteta’s side conceded after just 10 minutes when Hee-Chan Hwang took advantage of a mistake from Gabriel Magalhaes to score. However, the Gunners showed great resilience to crawl their way back to secure a 2-1 victory. It was all thanks to a late goal from Nicolas Pepe and an own goal from Wolves goalkeeper Jose Sa.
NEVER. GIVE. UP 👊 https://t.co/pVZCCyrN4J
Gunners fight back to beat Wolves
If there’s something that Arsenal have demonstrated in recent weeks, it is a lot of character and fighting spirit and they did it against Wolves as well.
Falling behind early in the game, coupled with their opponents’ low block, meant the Gunners needed to dig deep to overturn the result.
Arteta also played his part by making some impactful substitutions late in the game. Pepe and Eddy Nketiah came on to great effect and it was the former who grabbed the crucial equalizer after being set up by the latter.
Arsenal never gave up and were rewarded for their resilience. The Gunners will win a lot of games if they continue playing like this.
With us until the last minute
Thank you, Gooners
✊ With us until the last minute
😍 Thank you, Gooners https://t.co/RQpjmg6Bws
Arsenal seize Champions League destiny
For the first time in five years, Arsenal fans can dream of qualifying for the Champions League. The Gunners have risen to fifth place in the Premier League and are now just a point behind Manchester United.
Even better, Mikel Arteta’s side holds a superior goal difference and have two matches in hand. Should they win their outstanding games, they’ll move five points clear of Ralf Rangnick’s side and consolidate their position in the top four.
“Well, it was a great one. Winning at the end against a really good team, who - once they are ahead - are extremely difficult to beat them,” Arteta said after the win over Wolves, as quoted by Arsenal.com.
He added:
“I think they haven’t lost a game after going ahead since 2018, but we kept pushing. I think the attitude, the spirit, the quality the energy that the players put in, in the second half again. To fight, to go and win the match was phenomenal. It created a great atmosphere and synergy with our fans, and it was great to win it that way.”
The Gunners have usually flattered to deceive when presented with an opportunity to break into the top four. But they’ve finally come to the party and are currently in a good position to qualify for the Champions League.