White Hart Lane awaits this weekend 

ARSENAL 1 (Gabriel 30)

WOLVES 2 (Neto 27, Podence 42)

ARSENAL succumbed to a fifth defeat in ten Premier League games after a turgid display against Wolverhampton Wanderers.

The Gunners lie 14th in the table but the quality of football being played under manager Mikel Arteta will be of more concern to fans.

The manager said after the game that more “hard work” was required but the lack of creativity rather than discipline appear to be the main problem.

Arsenal face resurgent Spurs on Sunday at White Hart Lane in what could be a humiliating afternoon.

Wolves began on top but the match was stopped early on after Raul Jiminez was knocked out cold in a clash of heads with David Luiz. The cracking sound left the few staff and press pitchside at the Emirates wincing and has led to calls for more protection from head injuries for players.

The Wolves striker was stretchered off the field and away to hospital where he was treated for a fractured skull but bizarrely Luiz played on until the first half was up in a blood soaked bandage, heading the ball several times until he was withdrawn at half time.

Wolves took the lead when Pedro Neto was quickest to react to Leandro Dendoncker’s header crashing back off the bar midway through the first half.

But Gabriel equalised with a thumping header from a Willian cross almost immediately after.

The lively Daniel Podence restored the visitor’s lead before the break after a fumble from Bernd Leno.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang – who until signing a new contract with the Gunners had been considered one of the deadliest marksmen in the Europe – put in another limp and stuttering performance. He played down the middle but showed no sign of scoring.

Danny Ceballos fought for the ball, and constantly berated officials and opposition players. But he pulled off no clever passes to split the defence while Granit Xhaka was his normal puzzling self, at times spraying passes to nobody and then muttering to himself under his breath.

Almost all of Arsenal’s attacking play came through attempts to play one-twos down the wings, or lofted through balls over the top for Saka or Willian to chase.

Rarely was play directed down the middle because Arsenal do not have a creative central midfielder – other than the exiled Mesut Ozil.

Two thousands fans are due to enter the Emirates on Thursday for the first time.

They are going to be in for a shock, because the play is even worse than it looks on television.

The touches are heavy, the passes are slow and the players’ reactions seem sluggish.

This is the reality of the agricultural football being played under Arteta.

After the match, he said: “They had two shots on target and scored both times. In the second half, my team showed a resilience, togetherness and belief to try to win the game back. We generated good chances but all players go through periods where they struggle to score goals.

“It’s my responsibility for the team to score more goals. There are no excuses – we have to improve.”

Arsenal: Leno, Bellerin, Luiz (Holduing 45), Gabriel, Tierney, Ceballos, Xhaka (Lacaette 80), Willian (Nelson 65), Willock, Saka, Aubameyang.
Substitutes not used: Runarsson, Soares, Elneny, Nketiah.

Wolves: Patricio, Semedo, Boly, Coady, Oliviera, Dendoncker, Moutinho, Traore, Podence (Neves 70), Neto, Jimenez (Silva 15, Kilman).
Substitutes not used: Hoever, Nouri, Ferreira, Ruddy.