London, February 11 (BNA): Arsenal won its first victory in six matches in all competitions, as defender Gabriel scored the only goal in the 1-0 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers in the English Premier League on Thursday.
The Brazilian took advantage of the ball from close range in the 25th minute to decide a largely forgotten match that Arsenal ended with 10 men after Gabriel Martinelli was strangely sent off with 20 minutes left to two fouls within seconds, Reuters reported.
Wolves struggled to create clear chances and came close to an equaliser when substitute Cecquinho’s effort was pushed off the line.
Daniel Bodens saved a good shock from Arsenal goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale, but it was a disappointing night for Wolves, who were looking for their fourth consecutive league win.
Al-Nassr lifted Arsenal to fifth place with 39 points from 22 games, while Wolverhampton, who could have surpassed Arsenal, remained in eighth place.
It was a timely victory for Arsenal to boost their hopes of making the top four, but it probably wouldn’t have come too soon as Wolves dominated the opening exchanges.
But Arsenal advanced in an unexpected way when Alexandre Lacazette challenged Wolverhampton goalkeeper Jose Sa and hit the ball to Gabriel to turn it in front of goal.
Goal-shy Wolves had plenty of ball but rarely seemed to add to his 19 paltry goals in the league this season.
The biggest talking point that night was Martinelli’s red card, Arsenal’s fourth card in 2022.
Brazilian striker Bodens pushed first when the Wolverhampton player attempted a quick throw-in, then chased down Cecchinho and also blocked him.
Referee Michael Oliver then issued a yellow card, and then another, for the two fouls, as Martinelli looked in disbelief.
“It’s the first time I’ve seen a red card like this in the 18 years I’ve played in this league,” said Arsenal coach Mikel Arteta.
Asked about his team’s poor disciplinary record, Arteta said they could not continue to finish matches with ten men.
“We know that playing with 10 men in this league you will not get points, or enough points, the points we want and we have to stop them,” the Spaniard said.
“But to be fair, it’s hard to find more arguments and more ways to convey that to the players. Everyone says it’s the most disciplined group they’ve seen in the last 15 years, but we still get red cards for other things.”