Wolves lose 2-0 to Arsenal in Premier League opener

Wolves forward Hwang Hee-chan played a full 90 minutes but failed to get on the scoresheet with zero shots on target.

Wolverhampton Wanderers' Hwang Hee-chan, right, vies for the ball with Arsenal's Gabriel Martinelli during a 2024-25 Premier League match at the Emirates Stadium in London on Saturday. [REUTERS/YONHAP]

Wolverhampton Wanderers suffered a 2-0 loss to Arsenal in their 2024-25 Premier League opener at the Emirates Stadium in London on Saturday.

Wolves forward Hwang Hee-chan played a full 90 minutes but failed to get on the scoresheet with zero shots on target in a game that saw Arsenal sealing three points thanks to one goal and one assist from Bukayo Saka.

Arsenal’s front three — Saka, Kai Havertz and Gabriel Martinelli — displayed solid cohesion in the early going. Saka made a well-timed cross on the edge of the penalty area in the 25th minute, which Havertz headed in to score his side’s first goal of the campaign.

Wolves created a few chances for the equalizer, including a free kick from Jeanricner Bellegarde that went over the bar in the 28th minute and a header from Jorgen Strand Larsen in the 35th minute, which Hwang set up with a cross. But none of their efforts found the back of the net through the end of the first half.

The second half saw Arsenal extending their lead in the 77th minute, Saka cutting inside the penalty box and firing a shot into the back of the net.

The visitors failed to put one back, losing out on what might have been a last-minute lifeline. The moment when Arsenal defender Jurrien Timber pushed Hwang in the penalty area in the 86th minute was not called a penalty, ending the match 2-0. Saka was later named the man of the match for Saturday’s fixture.

"There are moments in the game where you feel like they really hurt you. Saka, Martinelli, Havertz, [Martin] Odegaard. They can hurt you at times,” Wolves manager Gary O’Neil was quoted as saying by Sky Sports after the match. “But when I look back to how I faced them last year, I adapted the game plan quite a lot to suit them, but because of the work we did in preseason, I wanted to see plan A and see what we'd be. I thought the lads carried it out very well.”

This season is O’Neil’s second campaign in charge of Wolves, having taken the helm in August last year on a three-year deal. As for Hwang, he started his fourth season with the club after an impressive run during the 2023-24 campaign when he became the team’s top scorer with 12 goals in 29 league matches.

Wolves will be back in action on Aug. 25 for their first home game of the campaign against Chelsea, while Arsenal will play their first away game against Aston Villa in Birmingham on the same day.

BY PAIK JI-HWAN [paik.jihwan@joongang.co.kr]