Since being eliminated from both domestic cup competitions last month, Arsenal's objective has been clear - to qualify for next season's Champions League.
They face stiff competition from Tottenham, Manchester United and West Ham as they seek to do so, but with no distractions the Gunners may now feel that they have a slight edge over their rivals.
Part of the upside to having so few games is the ability to maintain a consistency in selection, and for the most part this campaign Mikel Arteta has been able to field a relatively unchanged starting XI.
On Thursday night though, it was the supporting cast who the Spaniard had to thank for helping obtain a crucial three points.
Going into the game much of the focus had been on the fitness of Takehiro Tomiyasu.
The Japanese international had not been seen since the Carabao Cup semi final second leg defeat to Liverpool after aggravating a calf injury, and despite Arteta insisting that he was training, there were still concerns over his chances of making the trip to Wolves.
As it turned out the 23-year-old was unavailable for the game, meaning that Cedric was chosen to come in and start in his place.
It's been a tough period for the Portuguese international, who had found regular game time hard to come by, making just four Premier League appearances up until Thursday night.
Having been away from the first team picture following a hip injury and COVID, the 30-year-old could easily have been forgiven for looking a little rusty when called upon to start his first league match since August at Molineux.
In reality, though, he was anything but.
Cedric completed two crosses on the night, one of which could easily have led to an assist had Alexandre Lacazette not missed the ball completely as he attempted a header in the first half.
This, though, is something we know is part of his game. Arteta has previously called the Portuguese international "probably the best [Arsenal] have in the final third to make the right decision" in terms of full back options, so it is no surprise to see him doing well in the opposition half.
What was most impressive though was the former Southampton man's defensive display.
Across the match Cedric made more possession recoveries than anyone on the pitch with 10 and also had a game-high five tackles. His work on ground duels was also impressive, winning five of eight, which given the trickery of his international teammates Fransico Trincao and Daniel Podence was no mean feat.
After attracting interest from Atletico Madrid in January it may have been understandable if his commitment was called into question, but sources close to the 30-year-old have told football.london that he is now fully focused on doing his bit to help Arsenal finish in the top four.
He was not the only player who has been far from a first team regular to have impressed on the night as well.
Rob Holding was given the unenviable task of coming into a fiercely competitive game amid a hostile atmosphere at Molineux after the Gunners had been reduced to 10 men following Gabriel Martinelli 's dismissal, but came through with flying colours.
The 25-year-old completed an outstanding nine clearances despite being on the pitch for just 19 minutes, and was also on hand to clear the ball off the line as Chiquinho threatened to turn home a potentially devastating equaliser.
Perhaps it helped that the backs-to-the-wall nature of the closing stages of the match suited Holding's game perfectly, but to put in such a performance in the circumstances is immensely commendable.
"Today he deserves a lot of credit," said Arteta of the former Bolton defender in his post match press conference. "He was on the bench, he was ready to help.
"His attitude, his commitment to the team whether he plays every week or plays one minute, it's incredibly good. He's a really good influence for the rest. Today he really helped the team, the way he defended the box made a huge difference."
The Spaniard went on to reveal that it is this kind of approach that has seen figures within the club refer to this group as "the most professional they've seen for 15 years."
After a January that saw much of Arsenal's depth gutted with the departures of Ainsley Maitland-Niles, Flo Balogun, Pablo Mari, Calum Chambers, Sead Kolasinac and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, those who were on the fringes of the first team have now become crucially important.
If the Gunners are to achieve their aim of finishing in the top four then every member of the team will have to play their part. If Thursday night's win is anything to go by Arteta has plenty of players who he'll be able to count on.
