Wolverhampton Wanderers

We asked for your views on Wolves' defeat by Arsenal on Saturday.

Here are some of your answers:

Wolves fans

Kieran: Good performance despite all the injuries we have. We need players back. Bit of a bad run of form but I know we can win if we got some players back. On to and the next one and come on, you Wolves.

Philip: Wolves have a Championship squad of players surviving in the Premier League. Gary O Neil is a miracle worker and every Wolves supporter should be proud of his and the players' achievements.

Mike: To only lose 2-0 against Arsenal with our woefully small squad is OK, but we have to strengthen for next season or we will start losing by more to the ‘ordinary’ teams and could be relegation fodder.

Arsenal fans

Brian: Not impressed with the performance or the result. Can do better, must do better to win the Premier League.

Naru: We looked tired and leggy but managed to secure a win against a difficult side. Sometimes we need an ugly win and this result will boost team spirit, in addition, another clean sheet at an away match. Great result.

Tim: Very efficient performance. Another clean sheet and three points away from home. Cannot ask for a lot more after a busy week.

Image source, Getty Images

Former Leeds United manager Simon Grayson believes both Mikel Arteta and Gary O'Neil will be happy with their sides' respective performances in Saturday's 2-0 win for Arsenal at Molineux.

The Gunners returned to the top of the Premier League but were made to work by a Wolves side ravaged by injuries.

"Arsenal showed a lot of mental strength," Grayson told BBC Radio 5 Live's Football Daily podcast.

"They could have had a harder fixture with how depleted Wolves were with the injury situation, but Wolves played really well.

"They were good out of possession, on the counter-attack and defended the 18-yard box well.

"Arsenal just scored at the right time. They took the wind out of the sails of Wolves two minutes before half-time. Then, in the second half, they really upped the ante.

"It felt inevitable it would be 2-0 very soon but Wolves withstood that and created one or two half opportunities and got into some good positions without really working David Raya. Then Arsenal hit them on the counter and put the game to bed.

"Arsenal will be happy and relieved. On the other side of it, Gary O'Neil will be really happy with Wolves' performance and the heart, spirit and desire his team showed."

Listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds

Gary Lineker introduces highlights and analysis from Saturday's three Premier League fixtures.

If you missed Match of the Day, you can catch up on the action on BBC iPlayer.

And you can watch highlights of Sunday's games here

Listen back to Saturday's BBC Radio 5 Live match commentary in full:

Luton Town 1-5 Brentford

Wolves are considering 25-year-old Arsenal and England goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale, Liverpool's Republic of Ireland international Caoimhin Kelleher, 25, and Sunderland's Anthony Patterson, 23, as replacements for Jose Sa, who might leave Molineux this summer. (Sun), external

Manchester City face competition from Arsenal and Liverpool to sign Wolves left-back Rayan Ait-Nouri. (Mirror), external

Want more transfer news? Read Monday's full gossip column

Gary O'Neil, spoke to BBC Match of the Day after Wolves' defeat against Arsenal: "It's not often you are pleased and proud after a defeat but in our current situation, to produce energy and fight like that was an incredible effort.

"The negative would be the second goal. The lads didn't deserve to lose 2-0.

"We had a bench full of kids and even the ones we consider as senior players, Toti, Joao [Gomes] and Boubacar [Traore], haven't got a lot of experience, Tommy Doyle has probably only made 10 Premier League appearances.

"It's an incredibly young team and squad that gave one of the best teams in the country and run for their money."

On togetherness in the squad: "We need to keep it that way but we need quality players back to so we can have a lift. A few aren't that far away from returning."

On trying to finish strongly: "We are trying. If you'd told me at the start of the season that we'd be on 43 points with six games to go and no relegation concerns, I'd have taken it.

"We are short in this squad, we don't have many more injuries than other teams but we only start with 19 players in the squad. The injuries don't sound much but when it's a small group then it makes a difference."

On 15-year-old Wesley Okoduwa being named on the bench: "I was disappointed he didn't get on but we were pushing hard. He's trained really well though so I'm sure we'll see him soon."

Simon Stone
Chief football news reporter

Image source, Getty Images

These are tough times for Gary O'Neil and his players.

Injuries are biting deep, as O'Neil has emphasised, and it is impacting on performances and results.

All this is well known and O'Neil can only hope owners Fosun cut him some slack and assess his work this season on limited pre-season expectations rather than dreams of Europe that took hold at the turn of the year.

In the unforgiving Premier League environment, you have to search for positives at times like this.

Tonight they come from the performance of his defence, skipper Maximilian Kilman and central defensive partner Toti.

At a time when goals are hard to come by, the pair give Wolves a chance by remaining solid.

And for that, O'Neil can be thankful.

• Wolves have lost each of their past six Premier League games against Arsenal, only against Liverpool between January 2011 and May 2022 (11 games) have they suffered a longer run of successive defeats against a side.

• Arsenal have now kept a clean sheet in each of their past six Premier League away games, only Chelsea in December 2008 and Manchester United in February 2009 (both 7) have enjoyed longer such runs in the competition’s history.

• Wolves have lost four of their past six Premier League games at Molineux (W2), while overall, they’re without a win in five games (D2 L3) – it’s their longest such run within a season of the competition since November 2022 (D1 L4).

• Arsenal have won 11 of their 13 Premier League games in 2024 (D1 L1), while they’ve opened the scoring in 25 different top-flight matches this term, last doing so more often in 2004-05 (30).

• Arsenal have recorded 15 clean sheets in the Premier League this season, at least five more than any other side, while it’s their most in a campaign since 2015-16 (18).

• Since the start of last season, only Erling Haaland (27), Mohamed Salah (26) and Ollie Watkins (24) have been involved in more Premier League goals away from home than Arsenal’s Martin Odegaard (23 – 14 goals, 9 assists). Indeed, his goal was his 50th goal involvement (31 goals, 19 assists).

Arsenal put their Champions League disappointment firmly in the past to beat Wolves at Molineux and move back to the top of the Premier League.

Having blown their chance to leapfrog Pep Guardiola's side six days ago by losing at home to Aston Villa, then been knocked out of the Champions League by Bayern Munich on Wednesday, it was a welcome triumph for Mikel Arteta's men.

Leandro Trossard's strike in the last minute of the opening period may not have been the most eye-catching of the Belgian's career but it was perfectly timed.

It came at the end of a half where Arsenal seemed to have got stuck after a bright start and nearly fell behind to Gary O'Neil's injury-ravaged side.

The visitors dominated the second half too but were unable to carve out the clear chances that would have allowed them to take the game out of reach.

Captain Martin Odegaard added the second deep into stoppage time at the end of the game, turning in from a tight angle after his initial cross had been blocked.

The result means Arsenal are now a point clear of City, with a better goal difference but having played a game more.

They have the chance to apply some significant pressure to the defending champions when they entertain beaten FA Cup semi-finalists Chelsea on Tuesday.

Were you at the match or did you follow it from elsewhere?

Wolves fans - let us know your thoughts on the game here

How did you rate the side's performance, Arsenal fans?

Follow all of the reaction here

The team news is in for Wolverhampton Wanderers v Arsenal in the Premier League, with less than half an hour to go until kick-off at Molineux.

Follow all the build-up and live text updates here

Chris Sutton is making predictions for all 380 Premier League matches again this season, against a variety of guests.

For this weekend's games, he takes on singer-songwriter and Arsenal fan Sam Tompkins.

Sutton's prediction: 0-1

This is a massive game for Arsenal but it definitely helps them that Wolves are on a pretty terrible run, without a win in four games.

The talk this week about the Gunners has been whether the wheels are coming off for Mikel Arteta's side, but I don't think that's the case.

They maybe lacked a bit of composure in their defeat by Aston Villa but Villa have got some very good players, as do Bayern Munich, who beat them in Germany on Wednesday.

I'd put Arsenal's Champions League defeat down to their failure to win the first leg at Emirates Stadium, and it would have been a different story if Bukayo Saka hadn't dived when he was through on goal late on in that game.

I'm still probably basing this prediction more on Wolves' form than on Arsenal's but I do think the Gunners will find a way to win at Molineux.

I hope they do too, because I don't want Manchester City to have it all their own way in the run-in.

Sam's prediction: 0-3

This is a make or break game for us and I think the players will respond to that.

Read the rest of their predictions here

Millie Sian
BBC Sport journalist

Gary O'Neil has been speaking to the media before Saturday night's Premier League match against Arsenal at Molineux.

Here are the key lines from the Wolves manager:

• The club have "replied" to the outstanding FA charge against him. They are waiting for the hearing, which he anticipates will "probably be in the next week or so": "Once we have gone through that process, everything will be out in the open and I can talk to you more openly about it."

• O'Neil offered updates on injury absentees. Pedro Neto is "on the grass" and he hopes the winger will feature before the end of the season "if all goes well". Jean-Ricner Bellegarde is "still out" and Craig Dawson "has had his operation".

• Meanwhile, Rayan Ait-Nouri could be available to feature on the bench after training today. Nelson Semedo and Matheus Cunha have been ruled out while Hwang Hee-chan will only be able to play for "45 minutes at most".

• The boss added: "So for the starting XI tomorrow, I have got 10 senior outfield players to pick from can last or start a football match. It's probably the worst situation we have been in, but lots of positives to come from that like loads of young players being involved and maybe a debut or two from the start of the game."

• On Arsenal: "I watch a lot of Arsenal's games. They are a fantastic watch. Mikel [Arteta] is doing a fantastic job. Even during this tough week, you can see how fine the margins are and they could have easily won at Bayern Munich, with the structure of the team and how he sets them up."

• He is expecting a "tough test" but thinks it will be an "interesting one" for the Gunners as well: "We are going to have a right go with what we have available. I'm really looking forward to it. I'm looking forward to seeing how we can cope. In different moments, we learn a lot about each other and about sticking together."

• O'Neil believes that "asking anything of the supporters seems unfair", after their backing this season, but he said the players are going to "really need them this week" as they embark on three home games with "not too many players available".

• Wolves are "fully focused" on the last six games of the season and want to finish as high as they can after working "extremely hard" to get themselves to 11th in the Premier League. He added: "The aim is to keep pushing."

• On the decision to scrap FA Cup replays, O'Neil commented: "If I put my selfish Wolverhampton hat on - if we are going to run with a squad of 19 players, which we have this season, then the less games the better. I was quite strong around the fact I think they should be played on Saturdays so you get a full week's preparation. [That way] the game can be played seriously, and they aren't put in between two league games."

Follow Friday's Premier League news conferences here

Here are the key facts before Wolverhampton Wanderers host Arsenal in the Premier League on Saturday (19:30 BST).

• After completing the league double over Arsenal in 2020-21, Wolves have now lost their past five against the Gunners, failing to score in both home defeats in that run.

• Arsenal have scored in their past 32 meetings with Wolves, their joint-longest scoring streak against an opponent.

• Wolves have lost three of their past five home league games - more than they had in their previous 15 at Molineux.

• The Gunners have kept a clean sheet in their past five away league games, their joint-longest such run (also five between February and April 1997). The last team to record a clean sheet in six consecutive Premier League away games was Liverpool between December and March in 2014-15.

• Matheus Cunha has been involved in nine goals in his past nine Premier League games, scoring six and assisting three. His 11 goals this season is the fourth most by a Wolves player in a Premier League campaign after Raul Jimenez (17 in 2019-20, 13 in 2018-19) and Steven Fletcher (12 in 2011-12)

• Arsenal’s Leandro Trossard has scored four goals in 16 substitute appearances in the Premier League this season, as many as he has in his 12 starts. He averages a goal every 218 minutes as a starter this term, compared with one every 86 minutes when coming off the bench.

Nick Mashiter
Senior football news reporter

If Arsenal are going to keep their title hopes alive they need to win at Wolves on Saturday.

Yet Mikel Arteta will need to be at his tactical best if he wants to outsmart Gary O’Neil at Molineux.

The Gunners may meet a Wolves side stuttering towards the end of the season after one win in their last six outings but their home form against the top sides has been impressive.

Of the top five, only Liverpool have won at Molineux this season and even then they needed to come from behind with two late goals.

Manchester City and Tottenham have been beaten while Aston Villa only took a point from their Midlands rivals in October.

Extending it to the top seven, Newcastle drew 2-2 while Manchester United needed Kobbie Mainoo’s injury-time winner to snatch a bonkers 4-3 win two months ago.

O’Neil is tactically meticulous, underlined by his team’s near perfect display against City in September’s 2-1 win, and while Wolves may not be in their best form this term few can say they are easy to beat at Molineux.

There have been exceptions, the 4-1 defeat to Brighton in O’Neil’s first home game and a 2-0 loss to Brentford, but his players adapted to his methods quickly and could still claim another scalp on Saturday.

Phil Cartwright
BBC Sport journalist

Wolves have six games of the Premier League season left to play and, with their injury-hit squad's hopes of European qualification having drifted in recent weeks, the focus will start to turn to their upcoming summer transfer business.

Sporting director Matt Hobbs said in March that Wolves are not in a position where they need to sell, but there is an acceptance among the fan base that at least one of their star names will depart to help finance some much-needed summer additions.

Who that player/those players might be remains to be seen, although Pedro Neto, Rayan Ait-Nouri and Joao Gomes have featured regularly in various gossip columns for the past couple of months.

Wolves want to be financially self-sustainable, so what they must do is use any funds on new players wisely - something that hindsight tells us was not the case in 2022 when Bruno Lage was heading into his second season in charge.

Nathan Collins, Matheus Nunes, Goncalo Guedes and Sasa Kalajdzic were signed for a total in excess of £100m. Collins and Nunes struggled to make a meaningful impact and were sold last summer for reported profits, Guedes is out on loan having started only 12 games for the club, and Kalajdzic - himself loaned out in January in search of regular football - is currently recovering from a second serious knee injury in less than 18 months.

Lage was sacked eight games into the following season with Wolves languishing in the bottom three, while technical director Scott Sellars left shortly afterwards.

There have been errors regarding incomings and outgoings since then, but Wolves have also made some astute signings for relative bargain prices; midfield duo Gomes and Mario Lemina being brought in for a combined £25m, for example.

If they are to build on a hugely positive first season under Gary O'Neil, an important summer awaits.

Dazzling Dave
Fan writer

With Wolves performing better than anticipated this season, it is crucial to maintain the nucleus of players and bolster the squad depth.

However, adhering to the Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR) might necessitate selling players to facilitate growth and development. All this needs to be factored in when we take a look at who Wolves must retain and who could potentially depart.

Firstly, Wolves absolutely must keep Rayan Ait-Nouri, as he is fast, creative, and we have sorely missed his presence when he is unavailable. Initially excluded from the squad by Julen Lopetegui, he has flourished under Gary O’Neil. He is under contract until 2026 with an option to extend and should be retained in the summer.

Matheus Cunha has to stick around. He has been brilliant and is currently the top goalscorer. Lately, Cunha has often played as a number nine but he's better as a number 10. He is really skilful at carrying the ball up the pitch. I think he also adds a lot to the dressing room and his leadership qualities would be sorely missed.

The midfield has also been a strength, and I would not want to see any departures in that area. Wolves will secure Tommy Doyle's services in the summer for a bargain price of £4.3m, but it is equally essential to hold on to Joao Gomes. Joao possesses energy, commitment, and tenacity in midfield, and his impressive performance for Brazil against England at Wembley has attracted envious eyes. Joao is another key player to keep at the club.

I might surprise you with this one but of all the players linked with a move away, I would sell Pedro Neto. Don’t get me wrong Neto is fantastic but his fitness is a concern for me and if he only plays half a season, then he's a luxury for Wolves. It is important to retain the majority of players and selling just one player like Neto could raise sufficient funds to revitalise the squad and prepare for next season. I think it's potentially the least disruptive option for Wolves in the summer.

The last few transfer windows have been exceptionally quiet for Wolves as they have strived to meet PSR rules but hopefully this summer we can see some investment in the team and we can have an even better season in 2024-25.

Dave can be found at Always Wolves, external

Dave Azzopardi
Fan writer

It was extremely good to see Matheus Cunha starting again for Wolves on Saturday - and it was even better to see him score twice against Nottingham Forest.

Wolves got over 75 minutes from the Brazil forward at the City Ground and hopefully he will be ever present as we head into the business end of the season.

It had been a slow start to life for at Molineux but over 12 months on and Cunha has become one of the most pivotal members of the Wolves squad and I am really shocked not to see more top clubs linked with him.

Obviously you do not want to lose your best players but every week I'm seeing transfer rumours linking Pedro Neto, Rayan Ait-Nouri and Joao Gomes with moves away but it is always quiet with Cunha.

I am not complaining, of course, because Cunha is fast becoming the most popular player for most Wolves fans and has been a joy to watch this season.

His double in Nottingham moved him on to 11 league goals, and 13 in total. He has 20 goal contributions including assists and it is the first time he has hit 10 or more goals in a top five European league.

Those numbers would have been even higher if he had been fit throughout February and March. It is a brilliant improvement on his two goals in 17 games last season at Wolves.

It is fantastic to see him back and thankfully it has helped improve the mood among Wolves fans.

After the FA Cup quarter-final exit and VAR decisions going against us, the mood and expectation for the remainder of the season had significantly dropped.

With Cunha back and full returns for Hwang Hee-chan and Neto hopefully not far away, Wolves could end the season on a high and push on next campaign.

Dave Azzopardi can be found at Talking Wolves, external

Manchester City have opened talks with Wolves over the possible signing of wing-back Rayan Ait-Nouri. (Football Transfers), external

Wolves have also scouted Real Betis' Juan Miranda, although Brentford, Crystal Palace and West Ham are also keen on the 24-year-old Spain left-back. (HITC), external

Want more transfer news? Read Tuesday's full gossip column

We asked for your thoughts on Nottingham Forest's 2-2 draw with Wolves on Saturday.

Here are some of your answers:

Nottingham Forest fans

Jack: Forest played all the best football but conceded a very soft opener then another set piece. Frustrating not to win but encouraged by how good we look on the ball.

Kris: I don’t like to single players out, but it’s impossible not to mention just how poor Yates is. A fan favourite as a home grown player, but not Premier League standard by a long way. It’s time he moved on, wherever we finish the season. On this showing, with more points dropped from a winning position, it’s increasingly looking like the Championship.

Luke: Yet another example of not getting the points we deserve from a game, the story of our season and the reason why we’re 17th. It’s easy to once again say “if we play like that again we’ll be fine” but this is the business end of the season and we need wins.

Wolves fans

Mike: Scrappy game, lit up by the Cunha solo goal. Wolves showed more up front than in recent games. It was good to see Hwang back for 30 minutes, when he and Cunha are back up to speed we should be far more threatening in an attacking sense. Good to see VAR get a decision right!

Jason: Solid performance today. We are missing the attacking drive of Pedro Neto and the other attacking options but overall benefitted from Cunha's return. A decent performance from a talented but thin and injury-hit squad. Well done Wolves.

Andy: Considering our injury list and players not fully fit I think we did well at the City Ground. Not an easy place to go, especially as Forest need the points to avoid relegation. Gary O'Neil should be pleased with this performance considering the circumstances.

Gary Lineker introduces highlights and analysis from Saturday's six Premier League fixtures.

If you missed Match of the Day, you can catch up on the action on BBC iPlayer.

Listen back to Saturday's BBC Radio 5 Live and 5 Sports Extra match commentary in full:

Manchester City v Luton Town

Bournemouth v Manchester United