Chris Sutton wowed by ‘wonderful’ Arsenal attacker in win over Wolves

Sat 17 August 2024 16:55, UK

Arsenal are up and running in the Premier League thanks to a 2-0 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers on the opening day of the season.

The Gunners picked up a routine win over Gary O’Neil’s charges in Saturday’s 3pm kick-off at the Emirates Stadium.

Kai Havertz opened the scoring for Arsenal in the 25th minute, heading home Bukayo Saka’s pinpoint left-footed cross.

Wolves then improved as the Premier League game went on, and the Gunners had to ride their luck at times.

However, Mikel Arteta’s charges managed to withstand the pressure before doubling their lead in the second half.

Havertz fed Saka in the area, and the winger cut inside onto his left before flashing a shot past Jose Sa at his near post in the 74th minute.

Chris Sutton hails Arsenal star Bukayo Saka

BBC Sport pundit Chris Sutton was impressed by what he saw by Saka, but also had some criticism for Wolves left-back Rayan Ait-Nouri.

“It’s a wonderful finish and we know Saka is such a skilful player,” Sutton said on Final Score, via the .

“I blame Ait-Nouri though. You can’t let him inside where he is at his strongest.”

There was a late penalty shout for Wolves as Hwang Hee-chan went down in the area after slight contact by Jurrien Timber, but nothing was given.

In the end, Arsenal were able to see the game out without too much trouble, and so their 2024/25 season gets off to the perfect start.

Fellow BBC Sport pundit Paul Robinson had his say about the Gunners’ win at full-time.

“Arsenal have played well in patches,” he said on Radio 5 Live, via the .

“There was one part in the game where Wolves were working back into it and creating some chances.

“But Arsenal re-asserted their dominance and took control once more with that second goal.

“Since then there has been absolutely no doubt about the result.”

As per , Arsenal had six shots on target, an xG of 1.26, 50 touches in the opposition box and a possession percentage of 53.1 percent.

All in all, a perfect start to the Gunners’ Premier League campaign, with two goals and a clean sheet.

Up next for Arsenal is a trip to Aston Villa on Saturday 24 August, with the game set to kick off at 5:30pm.