Follow live coverage as Wolverhampton Wanderers face Arsenal today in the Premier League. Another top-flight season will be covered in full right here with The Independent, as reigning champions Manchester City look to make it an unprecedented five titles in a row come the end of 2024/25.
The likes of Arsenal and Liverpool will be chasing Pep Guardiola's side, but just as fascinating will be the race for Champions League places, with more teams than ever before having designs on top-four finishes. Chelsea remain big-spending, Manchester United's latest rebuild continues and both Tottenham and Newcastle will expect improvements this year - yet it was Aston Villa who snared fourth last term.
Meanwhile, it's Southampton, Leicester City and Ipswich Town who made it back to the elite after promotion last year and each will have hope they can make it more than a one-year stay. Follow the latest live action from the Premier League below:
Wolverhampton Wanderers FC 0 - 1 Arsenal FC
Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Arsenal
17:06Arsenal stay alive in the title race after it seemed like they were set to drop more points. Calafiori's winner seals victory for the Gunners, but two red cards catch all the attention today. Both teams wasted great opportunities in the first half, the most notable of those being Sa's superb save off Havertz's header from close range. Lewis-Skelly was then sent off at the stroke of half-time with a poorly timed challenge and Wolves were handed a golden opportunity. However, Joao Gomes was shown a second yellow card for a terrible challenge midway through the second half, gifting the momentum back to Arsenal and Calafiori fired home the winner just minutes later. Wolves had their chances, particularly through Ait-Nouri and a few falling to Cunha, but Raya and the Arsenal defence stepped up to keep the hosts at bay.
Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Arsenal
16:59FULL-TIME: WOLVES 0-1 ARSENAL
Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Arsenal
16:59Havertz wins a corner and that brings about a huge cheer from the away section. They play it short and look to waste time by just keeping the ball, but Wolves win it back. Instead of sending it forward, they play it at the back for a bit before the ball is sent forward but is once again dealt with quite easily by Arsenal.
Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Arsenal
16:59Wolves win a free-kick in the Arsenal half. Doyle looks to launch it in the box but Arsenal clear with ease. That was quite unimpressive from Doyle and Arsenal are slowing the pace of the game down again.
Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Arsenal
16:59Five minutes of stoppage time will see off the second half and thus this game. Meanwhile, Gabriel is fouled and Arsenal are in no rush to start play again, much to the frustration of the Wolves players and their fans.
Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Arsenal
16:57Raya comes off his line and clears the ball with a huge slide. He is surrounded by some of his defenders after that and the Arsenal players celebrate as they can now sense victory here.
Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Arsenal
16:56Arsenal are also making a substitution here as Martinelli makes way for Tierney.
Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Arsenal
16:56Ait-Nouri is also taken off and Guedes come on for him.
Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Arsenal
16:52Cunha takes a swipe at one from outside the box after receiving a pass from the Wolves right, but he fires it straight at Raya. Cunha has been wasteful tonight and Raya breathes a huge sigh of relief after collecting that one.
Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Arsenal
16:50Substitution André Trindade da Costa Neto Thomas Glyn Doyle
Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Arsenal
16:49Raya saves and denies Ait-Nouri! That is a huge chance! Ait-Nouri finds space behind the Arsenal defence and charges into the box. He tries to lift the ball over Raya's head but the Arsenal goalkeeper makes a crucial save before sending it clear. That was Wolves' best chance of the half!
Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Arsenal
16:47Cunha is sent through but he is stopped in his tracks by Saliba before Raya collects the ball and then slows down the game. Wolves win it back and Bellegarde tries to make something happen but loses balance and trips on the left side of the box. It seems like he has picked up a groin injury there but it does not seem too bad at the moment.
Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Arsenal
16:44Regardless of the Gomes red card, Arsenal have been rewarded for being brave ever since the second half kicked off. Meanwhile, Wolves are trying hard to find a way through but Arsenal seem comfortable at the back for now. Partey intercepts a pass from Doherty and sends Rice forward on the counter.
Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Arsenal
16:42Timber goes down by the touchline after a foul and he takes some time to get up and carry on with the game. Wolves have wasted a golden opportunity here and they are the ones left with a mountain to climb now.
Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Arsenal
16:38GOOOOOALLLL! There is the first goal of the game and Arsenal take the lead! The substitute Calafiori fires 10-men Arsenal into a 1-0 lead against 10-men Wolves!
Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Arsenal
16:39Substitution Pablo Sarabia García Jean-Ricner Bellegarde
Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Arsenal
16:37Rice, for once, makes a mess of a cross as his effort goes out of play. Meanwhile, Wolves have been let down by a terrible decision from Gomes and suddenly Arsenal have been handed a huge lifeline here.
Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Arsenal
16:33Semedo is not happy as he is pulled back for a foul on Trossard in the Arsenal box and the Gunners with a free-kick which Raya sends forward. Arsenal should get a lot of credit here for not holding back despite being down to 10 men.
Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Arsenal
16:33Yellow 2nd/RC João Victor Gomes da Silva
Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Arsenal
16:33Agbadou once again deals with the danger as he snatches the ball away from Havertz before the German could make something happen. Meanwhile, Hwang and Martinelli are involved in a heated exchange off the ball. Tensions rising! Then, Timber drives forward with pace but is stopped in his tracks by the Wolves midfielders.
Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Arsenal
16:28Wolves come close and Cunha misses two good chances! Cunha's shot takes a deflection and it almost finds it way into the back of the net before Raya punches it away just in time. Off the resulting corner, it falls to Cunha again and he sends a shot wide of the bottom-right corner. He mistimed that second connection and that was a very good opportunity. He cannot believe how he has missed!
Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Arsenal
16:27Havertz misses again! Another one of his headers misses the target. Rice sends another free-kick in towards the near post from the right flank, but Havertz fires a header wide of the target. He should have at least troubled Sa there.
Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Arsenal
16:25Save from Raya! Hwang finds a bit of space and fires a shot towards the bottom-left corner. However, Raya gets down in time to make the save. That was Wolves' first shot on target tonight. Soon after, Sarabia tries to guide a side-footed attempt towards the target but hits it wide of the target.
Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Arsenal
16:25More good work from the Gunners. Rice sends in another curling cross from the left attempted towards Havertz, but Sa does well to come off his line and punch it away. Then, Sarabia drives a cross into the box but Arsenal clear.
Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Arsenal
16:24Trossard goes down in his own half after tracking back to snatch the ball away from Wolves and thus getting fouled in the process. Soon after, Agbadou intercepts a cross attempted towards Timber and clears away an Arsenal threat. Agbadou has been impressive again tonight.
Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Arsenal
16:19Rice forces a save from Sa as the Arsenal man's shot from the right side of the area is blocked by Sa and it goes out for an Arsenal corner. Arsenal are creating chance after chance here and Wolves have been caught off guard ever since the second half has started. This should be fun going forward!
Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Arsenal
16:17Penalty shouts as Timber goes down in the box while trying to get his head to a Rice free-kick. However, the referee brushes it away and VAR confirms the decision.
Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Arsenal
16:16Arsenal win a corner, which they waste, but they find Gabriel at the far post soon after. Gabriel plays the ball across goal but can't find a teammate. This is a great response from Arsenal to going down to 10 men and they are making their intentions clear. It's all Arsenal at the moment!
Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Arsenal
16:12Joao Gomes, who is already on a yellow card, kicks the ball away after conceding a free-kick down the Arsenal right. He survives a second yellow card and the Arsenal fans are not happy about that one bit. Wow, Gomes is playing with fire there and he needs to be very careful.
Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Arsenal
16:09We are back underway at Molineux Stadium as Wolves get things going in the second half. Arsenal with the only half-time substitution, which it seems was a reaction to that red card. But can they win with 10 men? Let's find out.
Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Arsenal
16:08Substitution Ethan Chidiebere Nwaneri Riccardo Calafiori
Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Arsenal
16:05Arsenal had an xG of 0.49 in the first half to Wolves' 0.31. Meanwhile, the Gunners had 12 touches in the Wolves box, while the hosts had only one touch in the Arsenal box throughout the opening half. After Arsenal dominated possession for the majority of the first half, the opening period ended with both teams pretty much even in that regard. Wolves are yet to register a shot on target in this game.
Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Arsenal
16:01An entertaining first half at the Molineux in which a red card decision will get all the headlines! Both teams started well and Arsenal were almost gifted an early lead owing to Wolves' defensive errors, particularly a couple of those from their goalkeeper Sa. However, Sa made amends and denied Havertz with a great save off a header from close range in the 24th minute, which was Arsenal's best chance of the half. Wolves also missed a couple of good chances at the other end. Wolves lost their man up front in Strand Larsen due to an injury, but Arsenal were soon a player down altogether as Lewis-Skelly was shown a direct red card for a challenge on Doherty. Arsenal will have their complaints with the decision as it did not seem that malicious from the outset, but they now have to deal with the decision and have a mountain to climb as Wolves will come hard at them in the second half.
Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Arsenal
15:54HALF-TIME: WOLVES 0-0 ARSENAL
Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Arsenal
15:54Arsenal, who have had four players sent off in the Premier League this season, more than any other team in the competition, will once again need to dig deep here. With Liverpool in the lead against Ipswich Town at the moment, the Gunners cannot afford to drop more points today. Meanwhile, Arsenal make a run forward, but Wolves deal with it and the half-time whistle blows.
Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Arsenal
15:52Hwang has a good chance to go clear through on goal down the left but his first touch lets him down and Arsenal deal with the threat as the ball goes away from Hwang. Meanwhile, the Gunners are trying to slow things down as much as they can.
Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Arsenal
15:50Adgbadou takes a swipe at one from distance but his effort is wayward. Wolves are pushing numbers forward now to capitalise on this situation and get a lead before half-time.
Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Arsenal
15:49Seven minutes have been added to see through the first half. An eventful first half! Raya collects a cross and then wastes some time before getting it away as Arsenal are trying to gather themselves here and ensure that they at least do not concede before half-time.
Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Arsenal
15:44Yellow Card Jurriën David Norman Timber
Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Arsenal
15:43Wolves give it away cheaply in their own half but Adgbadou does very well to recover and snatch the ball away from Martinelli inside the box. Moments later, Arsenal win a corner down the left. However, Rice's delivery is far from his best and Hwang clears it away with ease.
Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Arsenal
15:43Red Card Myles Anthony Lewis-Skelly
Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Arsenal
15:42Arsenal make a mess of it! Nwaneri fires the free-kick straight into the wall following a lengthy delay. The rebound falls back to him and another shot from the youngster hits the wall before Wolves clear it away. The hosts continue to defend well and frustrate Arsenal further.
Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Arsenal
15:40Free-kick for Arsenal on the edge of the box! Gomes plays a poor pass to Andre and Rice gets a hold of it. Andre then brings down Rice with a late challenge just outside the box and this is a great opportunity for the Gunners with a free-kick in a very very dangerous position.
Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Arsenal
15:37Joao Gomes is the first player to be booked in this game. After Wolves gave away a free-kick, Gomes kicked the ball away to delay the restart and is shown the yellow card as a result. Moments later, Saliba concedes a foul and the game is getting a bit feisty now.
Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Arsenal
15:36Cunha looks for Hwang down the left with a cheeky pass but Hwang does not read it and Wolves lose possession, leading to a brief argument between the two players. Meanwhile, Arsenal face an injury scare now as Timber takes a knock after a clash of heads with one of the Wolves players.
Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Arsenal
15:33Substitution Jørgen Strand Larsen Hee-Chan Hwang
Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Arsenal
15:33Strand Larsen is down and injured, holding his head in agony. This does not look good for the Wolves striker as the medics are attending to what looks like a hamstring injury. Meanwhile, Hwang is already preparing to come on. There is a brief pause in play as we wait to see what happens here.
Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Arsenal
15:30Semedo tries to collect a ball inside the box off a Wolves counter. But he fouls one of the Arsenal defenders in the process and the Gunners win a free-kick. Arsenal have had seven touches in the Wolves box so far to only one from Wolves in the Arsenal box.
Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Arsenal
15:30Partey tries his luck from long range but his shot sails well over the crossbar. Moments later, Martinelli goes down in the box after a challenge from Adgbadou. Arsenal appeal loudly for a penalty, but the on-field referee and VAR both agree that was a piece of good defending and nothing else.
Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Arsenal
15:30HUGE SAVE from Sa! Havertz misses a sitter! Havertz makes a good run inside the box to pick up another cross from the left from Trossard. He heads it down and back across goal but Sa saves it with his legs, showing some great reflexes to get down in time.
Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Arsenal
15:24Trossard looks to find Havertz again with another good-looking cross from the left, but Sa is alert to the threat this time and he comes off his line to collect the incoming cross. Arsenal have had almost 64% possession so far in this game.
Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Arsenal
15:21Havertz misses and Arsenal come close to taking the lead! Havertz leaps to meet Trossard's cross into the box from the left, but his header is just wide of the target. Trossard has been in good form lately and he almost has another assist. That was Arsenal's best chance of the game so far.
Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Arsenal
15:21While Arsenal are on a 12-game unbeaten run in the league, they haven’t managed to record a clean sheet in any of their last nine away games in the competition. Wolves will be well aware of that and will be keen to pounce. But crucially for Arsenal, Saliba is back tonight, alongside Gabriel. Meanwhile, Semedo's cross is easily collected by Raya.
Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Arsenal
15:17Arsenal play the set-piece short to Trossard, the ball is eventually crossed into the box but Wolves clear it away. Arsenal should have done a lot better there.
Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Arsenal
15:17Rice collects the ball in the box but Bueno makes a crucial tackle before Rice could get a shot away on the turn. Bueno has already made a couple of important interceptions to deny Arsenal in the box. Meanwhile, Arsenal earn a free-kick down their left flank and Rice prepares to take it.
Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Arsenal
15:14Cunha swings in another cross from the right, but the Gunners manage to clear it away before a Wolves player could get their head to it. The hosts have made a bright start and Arsenal need to be careful here.
Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Arsenal
15:13Wow, both teams come close! First, Sa almost gives away a freebie. Not good at all from Wolves in defence as a poor touch in the box from Sa almost allows Havertz to catch a hold of it. However, he just about manages to clear. At the other end, Wolves get a great chance but Sarabia volleys a ball into the box from Semedo just over the bar and Arsenal survive.
Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Arsenal
15:11After Strand Larsen plays the ball out wide to Cunha, the latter wins a free-kick in a dangerous position. Sarabia's left-footed delivery is whipped in towards the far post, but it is just over the head of Ait-Nouri. Wolves come close!
Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Arsenal
15:10Arsenal are boosted by the return of Saliba at the back. Since the start of 2022-23, Arsenal have conceded just 0.8 goals per game when William Saliba starts, compared to 1.7 when he doesn’t. The Gunners have kept just two clean sheets in their 13 games without the Frenchman starting in this run.
Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Arsenal
15:07Wolves get a good opportunity to break forward after they pick up a poor pass from Timber. However, they play it backwards and then lose possession easily, much to manager Pereira's displeasure.
Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Arsenal
15:05Wolves make a mess of a clearance and the ball falls in the box, where Martinelli almost gets a hold of it in front of the goal. However, Bueno does well to clear away the danger. Wolves cannot afford to make more of their defensive errors today as Arsenal will latch onto anything of the sort.
Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Arsenal
15:03Arsenal are heavy favourites to win this match with Opta's Live Win Probability model showing a strong 58.8% probability of a win for the hosts and only 18.2% for Wolves. Lewis-Skelly charges forward with rapid pace in midfield to carry Arsenal ahead in the early stages. Moments later, Rice appeals for a corner down the left touchline, but Wolves get the throw-in.
Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Arsenal
15:01KICK-OFF! We are underway in this clash at Molineux Stadium as visitors Arsenal get the ball rolling. The last time these two sides faced each other was the season-opening clash at the Emirates, which Arsenal won 2-0 courtesy of goals from Havertz and Bukayo Saka, who continues to be a huge miss for the Gunners owing to his hamstring injury.
Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Arsenal
15:00The teams are making their way out to the pitch, the managers and players are ready, and so are the fans who have turned up in huge numbers for this big clash on a sunny afternoon in Wolverhampton. Since famously doing the double over Arsenal in the 2020-21 campaign, Wolves have lost each of their last seven games against the Gunners in the Premier League.
Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Arsenal
14:55In a big boost for Arsenal, Saliba is back in the starting XI. So is Lewis-Skelly, and the duo replace Kiwior and Zinchenko, both of whom drop to the bench after starting in midweek. Partey and Trossard come in for Sterling and Jorginho. However, skipper Odegaard is out of the matchday squad due to illness and is replaced by Nwaneri.
Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Arsenal
14:49Pereira has named an unchanged Wolves XI for this game from the team that took to the pitch last time out against Chelsea. Crucially for tonight’s hosts, Cunha - who has been at the centre of a lot of transfer talk - is starting. Meanwhile, Lemina misses out as expected. Toti Gomes is back but is only fit enough for the bench.
Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Arsenal
14:44ARSENAL SUBS: Kieran Tierney, Jakub Kiwior, Oleksandr Zinchenko, Jorginho, Raheem Sterling, Neto, Riccardo Calafiori, Nathan Butler-Oyedeji, Jack Porter.
Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Arsenal
14:44ARSENAL (4-3-3): David Raya; Myles Lewis-Skelly, Gabriel Magalhaes, William Saliba, Jurrien Timber; Declan Rice, Thomas Partey, Ethan Nwaneri; Leandro Trossard, Kai Havertz, Gabriel Martinelli.
Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Arsenal
14:44WOLVES SUBS: Hwang Hee-Chan, Craig Dawson, Rodrigo Gomes, Tommy Doyle, Toti Gomes, Jean-Ricner Bellegarde, Goncalo Guedes, Sam Johnstone, Pedro Lima.
Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Arsenal
14:44WOLVES (3-4-2-1): Jose Sa; Emmanuel Agbadou, Santiago Bueno, Matt Doherty; Rayan Ait-Nouri, Joao Gomes, Andre, Nelson Semedo; Matheus Cunha, Pablo Sarabia; Jorgen Strand Larsen.
Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Arsenal
14:39In the first of their two fixtures this week, Arteta’s Arsenal side cruised past Dinamo Zagreb to move within just a point of confirming an automatic Round of 16 spot in the Champions League. They did not get much time to rest on the laurels of that victory though as the attention quickly shifts back to the Premier League, where the Gunners know that any more slip-ups could prove very costly in the title race. That holds particularly true after they squandered a two-goal lead to Aston Villa at home to drop two crucial points and are now six points behind league leaders Liverpool, who have played one lesser game. Arsenal dearly missed centre-back William Saliba in that game, but the Frenchman could feature against Wolves. So could Myles Lewis-Skelly, who also missed the Champions League game in midweek. While a lot of the talk surrounding Arsenal’s title challenge is regarding missed opportunities so far this season, they are on a 12-match unbeaten run in the Premier League and have not lost since a 1-0 defeat to Newcastle United in early November.
Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Arsenal
14:33Vitor Pereira’s bright early start as Wolves manager has quickly come crashing down. After collecting seven points out of a possible nine in his first three league games in charge, the Portuguese manager has been hit by a reality check, losing to three of the top-6 in Nottingham Forest, Newcastle United, and Chelsea, respectively. The competition does not get easier as they face another club in good form with Mikel Arteta’s title-challenging Arsenal side visiting Molineux today. Wolves can boast of a 2-1 win over Bristol City in the FA Cup in the middle of that three-game losing run in the top-flight, but the worrying sign for Pereira is that his team has conceded three goals in each of those three losses while scoring a combined one goal across those games. Making things worse in that regard ahead of this clash against Arsenal, Wolves have conceded at least one goal in each of their last 34 games against the Gunners across competitions, a run that dates back to 1979. Wolves are currently above the relegation zone in 17th place, but only on goal difference, and are four points behind 16th-placed Everton, who have played a game less. While Mario Lemina is unavailable for selection today amidst talks of a move away from Wolves, Toti Gomes is back from injury.
Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Arsenal
14:33As one team battles relegation, the other is involved in a riveting title challenge. Hello and welcome to our live coverage of the Premier League clash between relegation-threatened Wolves and title contenders Arsenal at Molineux Stadium.
Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Arsenal
14:30Lineups are announced and players are warming up.
Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Arsenal
13:00Follow all the goals and latest action from the Premier League here with The Independent. Team news and line-ups coming up shortly…
