Arsenal earn three points away to Wolverhampton Wanderers
Arsenal relied on a strong performance from goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski to claim three points against Wolverhampton Wanderers on Wednesday 10 November.
Arsene Wenger's team scored at the start of the first half and at the end of the second to earn a 2–0 victory, with both goals coming from striker Marouane Chamakh.
The visitors made the best possible start to the game when, 37 seconds into the first half, Tomas Rosicky fed Alex Song, who sent a curling cross directly onto the head of Chamakh, who steered the ball
low into the corner.
That early away goal was much-needed — and the exactly kind of strike the Moroccan was signed by Wenger to deliver at Arsenal.
In the sixth minute of the half, Andrey Arshavin dispossessed the Wolves defence only to hit a shot straight at Marcus Hahnemann when he was alone with the keeper.
Cesc Fabregas, Arsenal's captain, combined with Arshavin before latching onto the Russian stray cross in the box, hitting a hard effort against the Wolves goal that Hahnemann managed to keep out with his
feet.
Wolves find their rhythm
The home team's first real chance came in the 25th minute, when Nenad Milijas advanced from midfield and struck the ball straight at Fabianski, who collected it comfortably.
Three minutes later, Kevin Doyle's acrobatic header looped just over the bar after a free kick from the right.
Five minutes into the second period, Rosicky picked up a soft clearance and played in Fabregas, whose shot went wide when he should have tested Hahnemann.
Doyle was again the cause of the crowd's excitement in the 57th minute, as his quick turn and shot on the edge of the box forced Fabianski to tip the ball behind for a corner.
Wolves then couldn't believe their misfortune when Richard Stearman's effort from the resulting corner was cleared off the line by Rosicky.
In the 65th minute, Arshavin ran at the Wolves defence from the left, turning inside to hit a low strike that came off the far post as Arsenal were denied a second goal.
Wolves then pressured Arsenal without testing Fabianski before Squillaci made a mess of a simple finish after an 81st-minute corner. Johan Djourou blazed the follow-up wide as the ball deflected of a Wolves
player in the box.
Doyle misses before Chamakh completes win
It finally looked to be Doyle's turn to score in the 89th minute, but the striker's dribble and shot inside the box only led to the ball narrowly missing the right post.
In the third minute of injury time, Fabianski got down well to stop Milijas' strike before Rosicky found Chamakh at the other end. The Moroccan put a definite end to Wolves' hopes by finishing with the
outside of his foot for his team's second.
The victory leaves Arsenal in third place in the table with 23 points, while Wolves remain in 19th place with nine points from 12 games.
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