5/10 Arsenal man proved KSE have to spend

This season has felt like a cursed one for this Arsenal team. Coming into 2024/25, the goal was clear; to win the Premier League title.

Although they’re facing an uphill battle, they may still do so with a bit of good fortune and Liverpool dropping points between now and May. However, they will need a bit more luck than they were given at Molineux on Saturday afternoon.

Mikel Arteta’s men did come away with all three points in the end, winning 1-0, but it wasn’t without red card controversy. That has been the tale of Arsenal’s season to date.

There have been red cards for Declan Rice and Leandro Trossard for ‘delaying the restart’ but this was perhaps one of the most contentious decisions we’ve seen in the Premier League this term after Myles Lewis-Skelly was sent for an early bath.

That said, the visitors held firm and after Wolves midfielder Joao Gomes was given a red card of his own, it evened things out.

Riccardo Calafiori was the man of the moment, darting into the area and hitting a sweetly struck low shot into the far corner.

The defence did their bit and held strong to take away a precious win. How big might that be come the end of the season?

Why Lewis-Skelly was sent off

That’s one of life’s great mysteries this weekend. Why was the teenager sent off on Saturday?

We’ve seen some bizarre calls in the top-flight this term, notably when Arsenal have been playing but this was truly one of the most puzzling yet.

Speaking on social media, The Athletic’s Jordan Campbell commented that it was “the worst decision” he has “ever witnessed at a football stadium”. That might be hyperbole but Arsenal supporters have the right to be aggrieved.

Wolves attempted to spring a counter-attack after clearing the ball from an Arsenal corner and Lewis-Skelly innocuously tripped Matt Doherty and was brandished a straight red despite the incident taking place right on the edge of the Wolves penalty box.

VAR still agreed with Michael Oliver’s decision and on the same ground where Gabriel Martinelli was strangely given two yellow cards in the same sequence of play by the exact same ref, the Gunners were up against it.

This team are made of stern stuff and despite dropping points when they’ve received red cards at other moments this campaign, they didn’t on this occasion.

Still, it could have been all the more comfortable had Kai Havertz feasted on his chances.

Kai Havertz’s performance in numbers

The German has been the subject of much discussion throughout January to date, largely due to his unsatisfactory finishing.

Havertz missed a free header against Newcastle in the Carabao Cup and saw a succession of chances go begging against Manchester United in the FA Cup, firing over the bar from just a matter of yards out when it looked easier to score.

The former Chelsea man did find the net against Aston Villa last weekend and indeed against Zagreb in midweek but this was a reminder of why the Kroenke’s simply have to spend this January.

There is just a week left of the winter transfer window and time is running out but Arsenal need attacking recruits.

Why? Well, not only are they missing some key players like Gabriel Jesus and Bukayo Saka, but Havertz has proven himself to be wildly inconsistent.

There is never doubting the effort the German puts in but like in prior games this month, he spurned some big chances at Molineux.

One of the main opportunities fell in the first half when he really should have scored but headed the ball straight at Jose Sa in the Wolves net. It was a familiar chance to those he’s had in recent weeks and it was the same old story.

As a result of his efforts on the day, GOAL’s Charles Watts handed the £65m signing a 5/10 rating, suggesting it was ‘not his day’. That was summed up by the stats too.

He left the field at the end of the 90 minutes having had just 38 touches of the ball, five fewer than David Raya’s touch count and he only completed a woeful 43% of his passes. That meant he gave away the ball on a whopping 17 occasions; not what you need from your centre forward.

Strong in the duel, the Germany international did win nine duels but ultimately, Arsenal were never nearly left to rue his unpredictable nature in front of the net.

There is no doubt that for the most part, Havertz has led the line well in Arsenal colours but he is not the out-and-out goalscorer the club craves. It’s time for KSE to spend.