Arsenal 2 Wolves 0 – Did Saka settle into the season quickly? How ...

Arsenal kicked off the new season with a 2-0 win against Wolverhampton Wanderers at the Emirates.

Kai Havertz opened the scoring in the first half, latching onto a whipped cross from the right to head past Jose Sa in the Wolves net. Arsenal then controlled the rest of the first period.

They found the second half more difficult, with Wolves shutting them down, until Bukayo Saka cut inside onto his left and shot past Sa to double Arsenal’s lead and wrap up the three points.

Here, The Athletic’s Jordan Campbell analyses the game and runs through all of the key talking points.

For a player who made 47 appearances last season before playing in all of England’s Euro 2024 matches, Saka looked like a man who had enjoyed all the time in the world to recover.

He was up against Rayan Ait-Nouri, one of the league’s strongest left-backs. But Ait-Nouri was physically manhandled by Saka in a duel early on, a clear sign of how dominant the winger is becoming.

The 22-year-old was razor sharp in his one-v-ones, being more aggressive than he was at times last season.

His crosses to the back post caused havoc. This is what unlocked the door for Havertz’s opener. He has mastered the timing of those inswinging deliveries and the efficiency of his end product was on show again when he shifted the ball inside and rifled a shot low past Sa to secure the three points.

His ‘So what?’ celebration looked like a player who believes he is on track to better his goal record once more.

There are a handful of big stops throughout a season that come to be heralded as defining moments.

David Raya did not have many of them to his name last season, such was Arsenal’s defensive solidity, but he has one to his name this season already.

Arsenal had taken control of the game but in the 36th minute, he was called into action for the first time when Jorgen Strand Larsen bulleted a header towards the far post. Raya was moving in the opposite direction, but he produced a terrific reaction save by throwing a strong hand to block the shot.

The reception of the fans inside the Emirates to Raya’s save made it clear how important this moment was in the game. He also had another save to make from Matheus Cunha after a William Saliba error.

The penalty saves in the Champions League last season endeared him to the supporters but against Wolves, Raya showed he is now entirely comfortable as the club’s No 1.

Mikel Arteta stalks his technical area at the start of every game like a man possessed. He wants his players to come flying out of the traps, to seek another ball at a throw-in like their life depends on it and give the opposition no air to breathe.

But after the break that drive was absent. They were lethargic and allowed Wolves to take over the game for periods. In the first half, Wolves’ bold build-up play had largely been confined to the first two-thirds of the pitch but the 10-minute lull before the break carried into the second half.

Arsenal failed to arrest the decline in intensity and their defensive line dropped considerably, which allowed Wolves to enter into the final third far more often than Arteta would have liked.

Thomas Partey started at the base of midfield. While his poise helped Arsenal break lines at times, his lack of mobility compared to Declan Rice was exploited. Wolves also took advantage of his tendency to be caught in dangerous positions. Fortunately, Wolves did not capitalise.

Arteta’s quest for 90 minutes of dominance was not met but Jurrien Timber’s introduction — his first Premier League start since suffering a cruciate ligament injury on the first day of last season — did shore up the team before Saka killed the game.

He was positive about Saturday’s win. Arteta said: “I am really happy. With the first game, you have some uncertainty in how you will respond.

“We had our moment after 1-0 when we were not in control but after Saka’s goal, we were much more comfortable. The way the boys go about their job is unbelievable, so very happy.

“We knew Wolves could change the game and they did in the second half but with our changes we became a bit stronger.”

Saturday, April 24: Aston Villa (A), Premier League, 5.30pm BST, 12.30pm ET

(Top photo: Adrian Dennis/AFP via Getty Images)

Jordan Campbell is a football writer for The Athletic, who regularly covers Arsenal. In 2024, he was named in the 30 to Watch journalism awards. He previously covered Glasgow Rangers and was twice nominated for Young Journalist of the Year at the Scottish Press Awards. Follow Jordan on Twitter @JordanC1107