Arsenal rounded off the Premier League season with an emphatic win over Wolves, the highlight of which saw Granit Xhaka net his first brace for the club.
The Swiss midfielder took just 13 minutes of the first half to achieve the feat, with Bukayo Saka adding an excellent third before half-time to mark the week in which he pledged his future in the club in style.
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Arsenal kept up the pressure in the second half and Gabriel Jesus added a fourth with a header just before the hour mark, and Jakub Kiwior bagged his first in red and white to complete the scoring, as well as a memorable campaign that has brought Champions League football back to the Emirates Stadium.
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Xhaka at the double for Arsenal
After successive defeats, Mikel Arteta urged his players to finish the season with a flourish, and we wasted little time in doing that. Just 10 minutes in, Thomas Partey sprayed a pass out to Jesus on the right wing and the striker managed to create a yard of space past Hugo Bueno to cross, and Xhaka was perfectly placed to plant a header past Jose Sa from six yards out.
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And just three minutes later, h doubled his and our tally for the afternoon. This time it was Saka causing Bueno problems, and after he teased his way past the left-back, Martin Odegaard’s backheel was deflected across the box by Max Kilman, and Xhaka was on hand to simply tap home and register the first brace of his professional career.
Wolves were no match for the Gunners as they dominated throughout, and we swiftly made it 3-0 on 27 minutes with some intricate build-up play. Saka was once again found on the right, and some quick passing between he, Leandro Trossard and Odegaard saw the Belgian slip in Saka. A tremendous first touch killed the ball, and also created the space he needed to curl it around Kilman and Sa to ripple the back of the net for the 13th time this campaign.
Three becomes five
The hosts were hungry for goals and only a miscue from Xhaka when he looked certain to complete an unlikely hat-trick prevented them from going into the break four goals up, and then when Arsenal did find the net again seven minutes after the restart, Thomas Partey’s celebrations were cut short after he lashed in from close-range, but Ben White was adjudged to have fouled Sa.
However the Gunners couldn’t be denied, and on 58 minutes they did increase our lead. A wonderful pass by Jorginho sent Trossard scampering down the left, and he picked his moment to loft a cross over to the far post where Jesus was lurking to dispatch into the net.
Wolves looked like a beaten side waiting for their summer holidays to begin, and with 13 minutes to go Arsenal added further gloss to the scoreline. After a corner wasn’t effectively cleared, the ball dropped to Kiwior whose drilled effort was spilt by Sa who watched it trickle into the net.
Arsenal were fractions away from recording their highest win of the season when Reiss Nelson’s cross was a stud’s length away from being turned home by fellow substitute Eddie Nketiah, but they had done more than enough to send the home supporters in the summer months happy.
What it means
Arsenal finished the campaign in second place, five points behind champions Manchester City. Their 26th victory of the campaign saw the Gunners equal their highest-ever tally in the Premier League, also achieved in 2001/02 and 2003/04, while three points broughtt them up to 84 – the third-highest total in Arsebnal history.
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