This game was a great chance for Arsenal to get into fourth place. With a win over Wolves, they would have been able to overtake Chelsea. The fourth ranking is so important of course because it guarantees you a place in the Champions League next season. After their disappointing 3-2 defeat against Crystal Palace, everybody expected a reaction on the pitch by the Gunners.
On the other side, the team of Nuno Espírito Santo were in 11th position before this match. A top six finish is not possible anymore, but because of this win, they’re now in seventh place. That’s a great result for Wolves, especially when you consider that it’s their first Premier League season since 2011/12. This tactical analysis will show what the reasons are for the surprising 3-1 victory for Wolves against Unai Emery’s team.
Lineups
Espírito Santo lined-up his team in their usual 3-5-2 formation. Ryan Bennett, Conor Coady and Willy Boly formed the back three in front of the goalkeeper Rui Patrício. Matt Doherty and the Spaniard Jonny Castro played on the flanks. The central midfield was made up of João Moutinho, Leander Dendoncker and Rúben Neves. Diogo Jota partnered Raúl Jiménez up front.
On the other side, Bernd Leno was between the sticks and the bac -four was made of Ainsley Maitland-Niles, Sokratis, captain Laurent Koscielny and left-back Nacho Monreal. Granit Xhaka and Lucas Torreira played in defensive midfield and in front of them was the German Mesut Özil. The wide areas were occupied by Alex Iwobi and Henrikh Mkhitaryan. Alexandre Lacazette was the lone striker.
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