Wolves Fans' Verdict v Arsenal: Proud but gutted

Gulraj Kular

What's your verdict on the match? It's rare to feel such a genuine sense of despair having played one of the big six away. Arsenal are the final one of the top 6 that we haven’t yet toppled and we have come so close to doing so.

The first half was near picture perfect, bar perhaps a second goal. We looked solid in defence and restricted them to 0 shots on target and but for a little more composure in the final third we would have been looking at a much more comfortable lead.

Arsenal changed things at the half and we seemingly couldn’t get out on the break as often. They were still struggling to break us down but dropped deeper and deeper. There also seemed to be some fatigue as our passing became sloppier, despite the fact they were there for the taking. We look dangerous every time we ran at them.

The Traore sub could have come a little earlier if only to relieve some pressure on a jaded defence and midfield. This is where the goal came from, even though it was fortunate

What was frustrating was once we conceded we suddenly regained conviction to our play and thereafter looked the more likely to score. We came as close as we could and there is an overwhelming feeling of what might have been

Who played well – and who didn't impress? We were back to our consummate best for the majority of the game and the front three were particularly good. Helder Costa was superb up until the penalty area where he could have done more on occasion.

Raul Jimenez proved exactly why the centre forward position isn’t our problem and Cavaleiro hinted at more clinical finishing from the wide positions.

The rest of the team were as you were and couldn’t be blamed for the concession of the goal. The game was set up for Adama Traore to finish it off and while he was excellent in maintaining a threat, he need to work on his finishing. He will remain a supersub until he does so.

Rob Cartwright

What's your verdict on the match? The Emirates stadium is a nice place to visit on a Sunday, in the late afternoon sunshine. A beautifully constructed and impressive stadium, but a completely sterile environment for football without atmosphere.

Nearly 60,000 in attendance, the majority of which were “tourists”. Many Arsenal supporters were leaving with nine minutes remaining, despite the fact they were 1-0 down and really going for it at this point! I’ve never seen so many wearing the repulsive half and half scarves.

People had brought cameras, phones and even tablets to get their selfie; including one ex-Wolves player who asked me to take a photo with his mates! All very surreal. I sat there, outside the ground wondering if I was in a weird and wonderful dream.

Anyway on to the game – this was a very good Wolves performance against an in-form Arsenal team.

The first goal was key, as Arsenal have not lost a game where they have scored first. There was no sitting back, as Wolves took the game to them straight from the kick off.

We managed to create chances and got shots whilst at the other end Coady & Co were first to every ball that reached our box. Our defence was excellent throughout this game.

Jimenez, Costa and Cavaleiro were very mobile which created many openings. Indeed, it was Jimenez and Cavaleiro combining well which brought out goal on 13 minutes. A deserved lead.

Arsenal enjoyed most possession but it was Wolves who were getting shots on target, with Rui having very little to do. These was the theme for the rest of the first half.

Arsenal made a change at half time, which resulted in Wolves playing a little deeper. Not a bad thing, as we looked very dangerous on the counter attack and we used to good affect.

The defensive trio stood solid until after the hour mark when Aubameyang hit the post from a good position inside the box. He should really have scored and Arsenal were starting to turn the screw. They made a double substitution with 15 minutes remaining and it was one of these that got the equaliser.

Jota had just had a chance to seal it. Moments later, Mkhitaryan scores from a cross! A lucky, but deserved goal, given the balance of play in the second half.

Did Wolves try and hold on to a point? Not a chance. We kept going for the win.

Traore had also come on for the last 15 minutes and he was a more than useful outlet. He used his pace to good affect and was a constant menace. He was close to a goal and an assist in this short time, when he broke clear of the final defender, but hesitated before getting his shot away. Moments later, Gibbs-White hit the bar from a Traore lay off. I really thought that one was going in.

Who played well – and who didn't impress? I thought Jimenez was fantastic. Often an isolated figure up front, he continually dropped deep to collect and hold the ball and then keeping possession by bringing others into the game. He used the ball well and helped set up our goal with another assist.

I also thought Jonny was excellent, with most of Arsenal’s forward play coming down the right side, he completely nullified Ozil who would be subbed late on.

Coady, Bennett and Boly were excellent too. They had a busy afternoon and were individually and collectively brilliant. Neves and Moutinho supported this making tackles and blocks around our box.

Cavaleiro had a great first half and was visibly tired when replaced after an hour. Costa enjoyed lots of the ball and kept control taking on their defenders. He needs to add an end product, be it cross or shot.

Traore made a positive impact when he came on. Lightening speed meant no one on the pitch could cope with him.

A fabulous performance from Wolves. A second goal would have sealed victory, but this eluded them, even though they had a number of decent chances on the counter attack. Remember, Arsenal are now unbeaten in 16 games. The fact goalkeeper Leno was man of the match says everything you need to know.

Clive Smith

What's your verdict on the match?

Damn it! Will we ever win there?!

We didn't have as much of the ball as usual but ironically we had more clear-cut chances. At kick off, give us a point and we'd have been well happy. By the end, the result was hugely disappointing.

Cavaleiro had won the ball in their half and Jimenez played a perfect one-two for us to score early - we've not said that in a while. That was not our only first half effort though. Jimenez snatched at a chance and shot wide while Costa had a one on one following a superb run that he wasted, along with another wayward cross when we were well placed.

In response, the only excitement the almost silent home crowd had was when Coady made a close range block with his body.

So at the break we were worth our lead. We continued to have less possession but still managed to look a threat on the break. Our front three worked well together with Jimenez in particular influential in most moves.

Our familiar long passes were to our attackers rather than our wing backs as we tried to get the ball forward quicker. Jimenez just failed to make contact on one through ball and another excellent break saw Jimenez play a slide rule pass in the box to Jota. It looked a certain goal but their keeper made an excellent block. Annoying, because 2-0 would have been deserved and ensured a happy, noisy away end for the final minutes.

With the clock slowly showing just a few minutes left our bubble was burst. We had got lucky once when they hit the post but then an apparent cross eluded everyone and Patricio saw it go inside his far post. After all our hard work protecting our precious clean sheet, it was a poor way to concede.

Amazingly, in the five minutes added time Traore had a one on one he should have scored from, while MGW hit the woodwork with an effort that left the keeper well beaten. Hence the deflated feeling of 'just' a point from another top six side.

Who played well – and who didn't impress? Patricio had a good defensive shield in front of him so he did not have to make many saves. He tipped one over the bar, dropped one cross and maybe could have done better with the goal.

Otto defended like a terrier, winning tackles as usual, and got in advanced positions when we had possession.

Doherty linked up well with Costa in the first half but was less advanced after the break.

Bennett had seemed below par the last couple of games but he rose to the occasion today. Defending well, and willingly threw his body in the way to block shots, a few wayward passes the only blemish in an impressive game.

Coady put in another solid performance and had deserved to earn a clean sheet as much as anyone. Despite being up against several fast players he managed to hold them up well and used the ball well.

Boly won a constant stream of headers in the second half and made some telling interceptions.

Neves's passing was not up to his normal standard. Usually we can rely on him to help us keep possession but today this was not the case. His tackle count also seemed low.

Moutinho was lively and also wasteful with the ball before looking weary after an hour or so.

Costa frequently managed to get in good positions and had an excellent game. Again the end product could have been better. If he could only provide goals or assists like our number nine his contribution to the team would be significantly better.

Jimenez led the line brilliantly. His lay-off for the goal was excellent and his pass to Jota late on was inch perfect. Man of the match for me, as he defended from the front and attacked superbly. Deserved to be on the winning side.

Cavaleiro put in a good one hour shift. Nice goal, it is refreshing to see a player go to the near post - too often we don't capitalise on that position. He carved another good chance but instead of shooting he passed to Costa.

From the bench – Jota had 30 minutes but only really saw the ball once in a position he looked certain to score with.

Traore carried on where Costa left off. The game was wide open by then and he had two terrific runs but really should have scored the winner. When he broke from halfway the crowd reaction was amazing. It was like Christmas morning - the excitement.....

Gibbs-White had the final few minutes and 'if only' again. Hitting the bar and not seeing the ball bounce over the line was cruel.

Chris Hughes

What's your verdict on the match? City, United, Liverpool, Chelsea, Spurs. I’ve seen us beat all of them but, frustratingly for those of us aged under 40, the wait to see us top Arsenal goes on. We won’t get many better opportunities to do it than yesterday either.

For most newly-promoted sides the early goal that Cavaleiro bagged, following a lovely bit of interplay with Raúl, would’ve been the signal to park the bus and pray for the clocks to go forward.

We just took it as business as usual and busily went about our game, fashioning decent opportunities when we had the ball that Costa (twice) and Raúl spurned before half time while keeping a disciplined shape out of possession that kept Arsenal playing in front of us with little space to exploit. To say I was disappointed to only go in one up at the break was an understatement.

I’d like to say the goal stunned the Emirates crowd into silence but that would be a downright lie. It was very respectful of them to mark Remembrance Sunday with 86 minutes of silence before Mkhitaryan’s equaliser. It’s obviously a regular occurrence as the steward in front of us was so happy to hear songs from the stands that he joined in with a couple of renditions of ‘Nuno Had A Dream’ and ‘We’ve Got Neves’!

For all of their dominance of possession, Arsenal hadn’t created many chances other than an Aubameyang effort that struck the post so it was disappointing to concede such a simple goal from a corner. It was even more frustrating having seen Costa waste a first half one-on-one opportunity and Jota miss another just minutes before the equaliser.

Again, unlike most newly-promoted sides, we didn’t take the goal as a sign to shut up shop and cling on for the point. We continued to look to hit them on the break and had a great chance to win it when Adama channelled his inner Usain Bolt to rip past Rob Holding onto a ball over the top, only to dally on the ball, lose the angle and shoot to close to Leno. Even after that chance we pressed again and Gibbs-White came within a coat of paint of opening his account when he curled and effort against the angle of bar and post.

One-all it ended and the wait to beat the Gunners goes on. If you’d offered that result before the game I’d have snapped your hand off quicker than Danielle Lloyd gets her kit off but, as many other fans exclaimed afterwards, it was more a sense of disappointment at only picking up the one point instead of three as we headed home. Definitely a sign of the direction we’re heading in.

Who played well – and who didn't impress? An excellent team performance. The game plan was executed incredibly well and almost to perfection but for one lapse in concentration.

The defence were brilliant and lead superbly by the imposing Willy Boly. He was an absolute colossus in the air and on the ground all day. Costa was brilliant in every department bar his finishing and Raúl lead the line brilliantly. His interplay with Cavaleiro was superb for the goal but, like Costa, he will be disappointed that he shanked his only decent shooting opportunity of the day wide in the first half.

Russ Evers (Hatherton Wolves)

What's your verdict on the match? Surely it shows how far we have come when we leave the Emirates upset at only taking a point from Arsenal.

In truth we could have scored six or seven and on another day would have scored three or four. Every player played his part in a great all-round display that had the fair-minded home fans praising us as the best promoted side they have seen for years.

Overall the performance is the pleasing thing to round off a great weekend with great people where we laid three poppy wreaths to commemorate the fallen who gave their all for us. Thanks to all who participated. FWAW.

Adam Virgo

What's your verdict on the match? To come away from Arsenal gutted that we didn’t take all three points just shows how far this team have come.

Some of it was down to us not being clinical but then Bernd Leno had the game of his life too, typical.

We nullified their attack so well and when we play in games where we’re the underdogs, it suits Nuno’s style perfectly and the way he sets us up along with his tactics were spot on.

We were a bit sloppy in the second half with some attacks and lost the ball stupidly at times but in the first 45, we were outstanding and could have been two goals ahead at half time.

We’ve still never lost when taking the lead under Nuno and that just shows how important it is for us to score first in games.

We slightly switched off for their goal and it could have been avoided but still, coming away from the Emirates with a point is fantastic, even though we all know it could have very easily been three.

We almost won it late on and it would have been fully deserved, Traore did superb to get through and it was just a shame he couldn’t finish. Then Gibbs-White oh my word, if that went in there would have been deaths in the away end.

Who played well – and who didn't impress? Ryan Bennett and Conor Coady were both absolutely brilliant. Bennett had criticism last week but he came back stronger and proved to Nuno why he should be worthy of starting.

Coady’s block from Alexandre Lacazette in the first half was so crucial and his all-round game was pretty much perfect. Pinging 50-yard passes around the pitch for fun and just having the calmness like he did shows exactly why he is captain and that he’s so important to us.

Helder Costa had his best game of the season, or at least one of them. Rob Holding was left exposed many times due to Kolasinac’s incapability to track back and Costa took full advantage of that. He had so much joy on the right, more-so in the first half and he really should have made it 2-0 after his blistering run. Once he adds that clinical touch he will be untouchable.

Cavaleiro already has the most goals out of our wingers and he’s played far less, definitely our best technical player in that position. Him and Costa have those positions nailed down at the moment, especially after this game.

Jonny and Doherty both stopped Arsenal in wide areas. Doherty going forward did well first half and had some joy but Jonny it was more-so about his defensive plays and putting his body on the line when needed.

Another assist for Jimenez, so important to the team. Worked hard all game and he did very well to set up Cavaleiro for the opener.

Moutinho and Neves can both play better than they did but they weren’t bad. To their standards in terms of passing, it could have been better, especially in the second half but getting us on the counter and the defensive work they did was exactly what we needed.

Natalie Wood

What's your verdict on the match? Imagine two years ago hearing that one day we would be leaving the Emirates deflated and disappointed we only had a point!

I’ll be perfectly honest after the performances from the past few weeks I was fully expecting an absolute hammering from Arsenal. I went to the Emirates more for the day out than expecting anything from the game but was I wrong.

We started the game really well, we moved the ball quickly and attacked any opportunity we had. Arsenal were probably the more dominating team for the first few minutes but we had an answer for anything they threw at us.

After just 13 minutes our hard work paid off – Cav ran clear and after a nice return from Jimenez, he finished well. A very clinical finish....not something said in the past few weeks!

I think us taking the lead really shook Arsenal whereas we remained strong and kept our shape. Yes, the Gunners had their share of chances but defensively we were superb, Bennett and Coady were both fantastic, making a number of vital blocks.

We also had a fair few chances of our own on the counter, Jonny and Costa in particular were both unbeatable at times on the wings and we created some real great opportunities to extend our lead; unfortunately that infamous clinical touch had again disappeared! However going into half time there was a quiet optimism in the away end that we might just get something here, Wolves were playing with such determination and sticking to their game plan so well.

The second half was probably one of the best halves of a game I’ve seen in years....is I imagine what you would say if you were a neutral fan. However as a Wolves fan I nearly had three heart attacks! Arsenal came out fast and continued pretty much all game dominated the possession. In the middle of the park Neves and Moutinho were both losing the ball a fair bit and we struggled to regain the ball quickly.

This meant we’re getting absolutely mauled at time by Arsenal but again our defence had an answer for everything! Up the other end again we had a number of chances for us to seal the win but a couple of good saves by their keeper and a couple of questionable final touches and shots by us left the game on tender hooks!

Traore made a big impact when he came on, running through the middle at any opportunity and causing chaos for Arsenal’s defence. I’ll be honest I always expected Arsenal to score but when they did it was still heartbreaking. We had worked so hard all game and really really deserved a win.

Injury time turned into absolute mayhem with both teams really going at it. Obviously the moment of the last few minutes was Gibbs-White's shot...it is painful to watch the replays, any other day it might have just bounced the other side of the line but it wasn’t to be. You could see the devastation in the faces of the players (and fans) as that whistle went but taking a step back I hope all the players realise how big that result was. We drew 1-1 against Arsenal at the Emirates....a huge result for a newly promoted side.

Box-to-box we were superb, one of the best away performances I have seen in years. We really did look something special again, defensively we were a step above Arsenal at times.

Who played well – and who didn't impress? For me man of the match would either be Jonny or Costa. Costa ran his socks off, creating lots of opportunities for us and being a real handful! He played exactly how we all know he can play- it was a delight to see.

The only worrying aspect was his hobbling off toward the end, hopefully nothing too serious! Jonny probably just tips it as man of the match for me, defensively he was fantastic, the guy took a boot to the face for crying out loud! If that doesn’t deserve man of the match I don’t know what will! Completely different performance from the past few games.

Overall it was an amazing game to watch, an absolute dream to go to somewhere like the Emirates and watch Wolves completely match Arsenal. We didn’t look like an underdog putting in an exceptional performance – we looked like Arsenal’s equal. Yes it was heartbreaking not to take three points but in the long run this is a superb point. My only slight concern is the amount of chances we missed...our finishing is still a big issue and we need to start taking these chances if we are going to get anywhere in this league! But for this game I’m looking at the positives and there were plenty of those!!