Riccardo Calafiori's goal seals victory for Arsenal against Wolves
What's the story
Arsenal registered a vital 1-0 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers at Molineux, courtesy a second-half goal from Italian defender Riccardo Calafiori.
The win helped the Gunners stay in touch with Liverpool in the Premier League title race.
The match was marred by controversy as Arsenal's Myles Lewis-Skelly was shown a red card for a foul on Matt Doherty, which was serious according to referee Michael Oliver.
Team support
Calafiori defends Lewis-Skelly's red card decision
Calafiori also defended his teammate Lewis-Skelly, telling Sky Sports that the red card decision was not clear from the bench.
He sympathized with his disappointed teammate but stressed on their eventual victory.
"He was upset, but now he's happy because we won for sure," Calafiori said.
The dismissal of Lewis-Skelly was also criticized by Tim Sherwood on Soccer Saturday, who couldn't believe referee Oliver's decision.
Game challenges
Arsenal's struggles and missed opportunities
The match also underlined some of Arsenal's persistent problems this season, such as lack of goals and disciplinary issues.
Kai Havertz squandered three big chances in the box, two before Lewis-Skelly's red card and one when they were a man down.
On the other hand, Matheus Cunha, who has been linked with a move to Arsenal, had his deflected effort saved by David Raya.
Game changer
Wolves's Gomes sees red, Arsenal clinch victory
The match took another turn when Wolves's Joao Gomes received his second yellow card for a high tackle on Jurrien Timber. This left both teams with 10 players each.
Just four minutes after Gomes's dismissal, Calafiori scored the decisive goal for Arsenal.
Despite Wolves's attempts to equalize, with efforts from Raya Ait-Nouri and Cunha, Arsenal managed to maintain their lead and secure the win.
Details
Match stats and points table
Both sides had nine attempts each. Arsenal managed three shots on target with hosts Wolves clocking 4. Wolves had 51% ball possession.
Arsenal had 0.99 expected goals with Wolves managing 0.58. The visitors had 20 touches in the opposition box. Wolves managed 12 such touches.
In terms of the points table, 2nd-placed Arsenal have 47 points, six behind leaders Liverpool. Arsenal claimed their 13th win of the season.
Wolves are 17th, losing their 15th match this season.
Information
Unnwated record for Arsenal's Lewis-Skelly
As per Opta, aged 18 years and 121 days, Lewis-Skelly is the third-youngest player to receive a red card in the Premier League, older only than Wayne Rooney vs Birmingham in 2002 (17y 63d) and Michael Owen vs Man United in 1998 (18y 117d).