Kai Havertz and Bukayo Saka scored one and set the other up as Arsenal returned to Premier League action with a tense 2-0 win over Wolves.
Last year’s runners-up, looking to go one better and win a first title for 21 years this season, came out with a point to prove with a dominant first-half display, which saw Havertz give them the lead from Saka’s pin-point cross.
But Arsenal struggled to extend their early advantage, with Wolves enjoying the better of the chances for the best part of an hour. They should have levelled from debutant Jorgen Strand Larsen’s header, only for David Raya to keep the Wolves striker out with a superb save.
Wolves’ pressure continued after the break as Rayan Ait-Nouri fired wide, then substitute Matheus Cunha fired straight at Raya after William Saliba’s near-costly error.
Arsenal, however, made Wolves pay for their misfiring players as Saka picked up Havertz’s pass and crashed a near-post effort past Jose Sa.
Player of the match Raya, who won last season’s Golden Glove, had to make one more spectacular save from Pablo Sarabia close to full-time to keep the clean sheet in tact. They were not their spectacular selves, but Arsenal got the job done.
