Wolves v Arsenal player ratings: Trincao 4, Podence 7; Gabriel 8, Lacazette 6

Arsenal win 1-0 at Molineux and move up to fifth in Premier League

• 

  WOLVES RATINGS: Jose Sa - 6: Felt he had been fouled before Gabriel’s goal but was more goalkeeping error than anything. Unconvincing on crosses. Reuters

• 

  Conor Coady - 7: Picked up a facial injury just before Arsenal’s opener. Usual reliable performance from central defender and captain. Reuters

• 

  Max Kilman - 7: Looked like he might struggle against Martinelli early on but ended up coping well against the Brazilian. AP

• 

  Romain Saiss - 7: Back from Africa Cup of Nations duty, the Moroccan was booked for a nasty challenge from behind on Odegaard. Had powerful shot palmed over bar by Ramsdale as Wolves chased equaliser. Reuters

• 

  Nelson Semedo - 7: One cross picked out Jimenez but not enough power and left the striker with too much to do with his header. Close to levelling before break with left-foot shot that flew just wide. PA

• 

  Marcal - 6: Some wayward passing in first half, although he did produce one searching cross that almost picked out Saiss. Picked up side injury after awkward fall. Reuters

• 

  Leander Dendoncker - 6: Headed over from a corner just after half-time. Solid if unspectacular from Belgian midfielder. PA

• 

  Ruben Neves - 6: Usual neat and tidy self in possession. Ambitious free-kick at goal when everyone was expecting a cross failed to trouble Ramsdale. Booked for foul on Lacazette. Reuters

• 

  Daniel Podence - 7: Portuguese was Wolves’ brightest spark going forward showing flashes of invention and quick footwork – if lacking a final product. AP

• 

  Francisco Trincao - 4: Back after recovering from Covid but his crossing was woeful in first half and infuriated home fans. Had moments of real flair but final ball often lacking. Hooked on the hour. Getty

• 

  Raul Jimenez - 6: Some nice first touches in opening half but only sniff of goal was header straight at Ramsdale. Looked a bit silly with ambitious overhead-kick attempt late in game that failed to come off. Getty

• 

  SUBS: Chiquinho – (On for Trincao 63’) 7: Full of energy after coming on for his league debut. Skinned Tierney in last 10 minutes but Ramsdale saved his cross-come-shot. PA

• 

  Rayan Ait-Nouri – (On for Marcal 63’) 6: Played his part in Wolves' desperate attempt to make their extra man count. Getty Fabio Silva – (On for Coady 82’) N/A.

• 

  ARSENAL RATINGS: Aaron Ramsdale - 8: Not much to do in first half but confident on crosses and tidy distribution. Vital for Arsenal after they went down to 10 men. Getty

• 

  Cedric Soares - 7: First league appearance since August and should be pleased with his night’s work. Sent over one excellent cross after 25 minutes that Lacazette should have got his head on. PA

• 

  Ben White - 7: First real chance of game fell to defender after 20 minutes but his shot was blocked by Wolves. White's header back across box set-up Garbriel’s tap-in. Reuters

• 

  Gabriel - 8: Tapped home from close range to put Arsenal into the lead. Shown yellow card and annoyed home fans with some of his theatrics. Getty

• 

  Kieran Tierney - 6: Got away with one early on when Jimenez charged down his clearance. Not allowed to be his usual threat going forward. AFP

• 

  Thomas Partey - 7: Made a mess of a cross into his own box that Dendoncker failed to take advantage of. Picked up harsh first-half booking for tangling with Trincao. Did well at the base of the midfield. Reuters

• 

  Granit Xhaka - 7: Like Partey, back in team after suspension and picked up the inevitable booking just before break. One vital header that denied Saiss a free header at goal. Turned ball into own net late on but Jimenez was offside. Getty

• 

  Gabriel Martinelli - 4: It was his inswinging corner that resulted in Gabriel scoring. Looked to take advantage of space behind Semedo early on but never maintained that threat. Saw red mist with quickfire double foul in second half that saw him sent-off with just over 20 minutes left. Reuters

• 

  Bukayo Saka - 5: Came alive just before half time when he nutmegged Marcal, played a one-two with Odegaard before teeing-up Lacazette. Otherwise quiet. Getty

• 

  Martin Odegaard - 6: Seems to bounce off challenges when in possession but was very unhappy with one Saiss tackle in first half that left him in agony. Nice distribution but not the Norwegian’s most influential game. AFP

• 

  Alexandre Lacazette - 6: His brave challenge to get to ball ahead of Sa led to Arsenal’s opener. Drilled shot straight at keeper just before break. Should have made it 2-0 when clean through on goal minutes after Martinelli sending off. AFP

• 

  SUB: Emile Smith Rowe – (On for Odegaard 68’) 6: One galloping run forward but was crowded out by Wolves defenders. AFP

• 

  SUB: Rob Holding – (On for Saka 71’) 7: Cleared Chiquinho header off the line. Getty

• 

  SUB: Eddie Nketiah – (On for Lacazette 80’) N/A. Getty

Gabriel's first-half goal earned Arsenal their first win of the year on Thursday, although the Gunners had to hang on for a 1-0 victory at Wolves with 10 men.

The Brazilian defender was on hand to poke in the winner in the 25th minute. But it became a hard-earned victory after Gabriel Martinelli was sent off for two yellow cards within seconds of each other — Arsenal's fourth dismissal in six games.

The latest one came with 21 minutes left after Marintelli first pushed Daniel Podence to stop a quick throw-in but referee Michael Oliver played advantage. Martinelli then chased the ball down only to barge into Chiquinho from behind and was immediately shown two yellow cards.

“I've never seen that. I've been 18 years in this country and I've never seen something like it,” said Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta.

“We made it even more difficult for ourselves playing with 10 men. We suffered a lot in the last 10 minutes. I've never seen anything like it.

“We put ourselves in trouble with the red card and we had to dig in. Wolves threw seven players up front and it was difficult to maintain a clean sheet but we defended the box extremely well.”

Wolves manager Bruno Lage said: “I'm disappointed because I thought we were the better team. Our tempo was very good and we managed the game well but we didn't score our chances and we suffered from a set piece.”

You can see the player ratings from last night's match in the gallery above. To view the next image, click on the arrows or swipe if on a mobile device.