Arsenal vs Wolves LIVE: Latest Premier League result and reaction after Havertz and Saka score for Gunners

Arsenal start the new Premier League campaign playing host to Wolverhampton Wanderers with the aim of improving on their second place finish last season and lift the trophy.

Mikel Arteta’s side finished just two points behind reigning champions Manchester City but took the title race down to the final week which was a signal that they have the capability to challenge Pep Guardiola’s serial winners for the duration of the campaign.

The Gunners have been active in the transfer market this summer, confirming the permanent move of goalkeeper David Raya and bringing in Riccardo Calafiori who should bring extra stability to an already solid defensive line. It’s been a window of slow evolution for Arsenal who will be hoping a positive pre-season translates to success in the league.

For their part, Wolves have parted ways with influential winger Pedro Neto but Gary O’Neil’s side performed well in 2023/24 finishing 14th without too much discomfort. They’ll be hoping for a higher finish this time around and a good result against Arsenal will send them on their way.

Follow all the action from Arsenal vs Wolves below plus get the latest odds and tips right here:

Arsenal vs Wolves

• Arsenal host Wolves in the Premier League with kick off at 3pm

• The Gunners hope to start the season with a win as they look to challenge Manchester City for the title

• Why isn’t Arsenal vs Wolves on TV?

• Arsenal XI: Raya, White, Saliba, Gabriel, Zinchenko, Partey, Rice, Odegaard, Saka, Martinelli, Havertz

• Wolves XI: Sa, Doherty, Mosquera, Toti, Ait-Nouri, Bellegarde, Lemina, J Gomes, R Gomes, Hwang, Strand Larsen

• 26’ GOAL! Havertz nods past Sa after brilliant Saka cross (ARS 1-0 WOL)

• 74’ GOAL! Saka cuts in and fires his trademark shot past Jose Sa (ARS 2-0 WOL)

Arsenal FC 2 - 0 Wolverhampton Wanderers FC

FULL-TIME: Arsenal 2-0 Wolves

18:00 , Chris Wilson

Arsenal winger Gabriel Martinelli also spoke to the media after the game, and called today’s match “what we wante”.

“We got the win and we are really happy with that.”

On Bukayo Saka, he adds: “We know his quality and Kai’s quality as well. They are really important for us and we trust them and we know they can decided games in a moment.

“We believe in ourselves and we know our quality and will go for it.”

He calls Mikel Arteta “a really nice guy”, adding that “everyone loves him and we are just lucky to play under him”.

“You guys can see how we play from the outside. We are just happy to have him as our manager.

“This is the most difficult league in the world and we know how hard it is to play against City. We have to go game by game,” he adds when asked about a title charge.

Remaining Premier League fixtures

17:50 , Chris Wilson

And here are the remaining fixtures for the first gameweek of the Premier League!

TODAY 5.30pm – West Ham vs Aston Villa

Sun, 18 August 2pm – Brentford vs Crystal Palace

Sun, 18 August 4.30pm – Chelsea vs Man City

Mon, 19 August 8pm – Leicester vs Tottenham

Next up

17:40 , Chris Wilson

Arsenal’s next match takes them to Villa Park for a potentially tricky match game Villa on 24 August, and they host Brighton at the end of the month.

Wolves host Chelsea in their next match, on 25 August, before hosting Burnely in the Carabao Cup in the midweek of the next week.

Kai Havertz and Bukayo Saka on target as Arsenal get title quest underway

17:35 , Chris Wilson

Arsenal began their Premier League campaign with a 2-0 win over Wolves at the Emirates as goals in either half from Kai Havertz and Bukayo Saka got Mikel Arteta’s side off to the ideal start in their quest to end a 21-year wait for the title.

Though comfortable in the end, the result had looked in the balance for a period in the second half when the visitors had chances to peg Arsenal back and wipe out the lead given to them after 25 minutes by Havertz’s close-range header.

Wolves’ Matheus Cunha had a golden opportunity to level from a horrendous error from William Saliba but badly miscued his side’s best chance to equalise.

Kai Havertz and Bukayo Saka on target as Arsenal get title quest underway

FULL-TIME: Arsenal 2-0 Wolves

17:30 , Chris Wilson

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta, is next in front of the cameras. He says: “I am really happy. With the first game you have some uncertainty in how you will respond.

“We had our moment after 1-0 when we were not in control but after Saka’s goal we were much more comfortable. The way the boys go about their job is unbelievable, so very happy.

“We knew Wolves could change the game and they did in the second half but with our changes we became a bit stronger.

“We certainly are. We had a really good pre-season. There are things to improve for sure, but overall very happy.

“The lack of control in the second half [we can improve], we gave so many simple balls away. We also had to finish situations better but overall very happy.”

FULL-TIME: Arsenal 2-0 Wolves

17:20 , Chris Wilson

Arsenal forward Kai Havertz was the first to speak to the media, and he said Arsenal “can be happy but there was some room to improve”.

“The first 20 minutes were good. We had good chances. We then lost a bit of control of the game and our press didn’t work. Always 100% we defended deep very well. We didn’t give them a lot of chances and it is three points.

“Saka is unbelievable. There are not a lot of players like him on the planet and he is still so young. He can get better. It is very rare to see a young player like this perform every week at the highest level.”

FULL-TIME: Arsenal 2-0 Wolves

17:10 , Chris Wilson

The other 3pm kick-offs in the Premier League finished as so:

Newcastle 1-0 Southampton

Everton 0-3 Brighton

Nottingham Forest 1-1 Bournemouth

FULL-TIME: Arsenal 2-0 Wolves

17:05 , Chris Wilson

So Mikel Arteta and Arsenal begin the season with a commanding performance at home to seal three points against Wolves. Much like Liverpool earlier today, the Gunners were under the cosh at times but their superior quality eventually shone through.

Gary O’Neil won’t be too disheartened with that performance, especially having lost Max Kilman and Pedro Neto recently, but they’ll need to find a finishing touch against lesser sides if they want to improve on last season’s 14th-placed finish.

FULL-TIME: Arsenal 2-0 Wolves

17:00 , Chris Wilson

Arsenal 2-0 Wolves

16:54 , Chris Wilson

95 mins: It’s been Wolves mainly on the attack as the match comes to an end, but Arsenal have closed the door easily.

The referee blows the whistle for full-time and Mikel Arteta’s side begin the season with three points at home!

Arsenal 2-0 Wolves

16:53 , Chris Wilson

93 mins: Not a lot happening now as Arsenal look to close the game out. Cunha clips a lovely cross in though, and Sarabia pings a lovely volley that is too close to Raya.

Arsenal eventually clear the corner though.

Arsenal 2-0 Wolves

16:51 , Chris Wilson

91 mins: There’ll be five minutes of added time at the Emirates, as Trossard delivers the eighth Arsenal corner. It’s another that’s headed out and then cleared.

Chiquinho clips a ball towards the back post but the attempted header back across goal is instead put over the bar.

Arsenal 2-0 Wolves

16:49 , Chris Wilson

89 mins: Martinelli can’t deliver the cross on the counter but he does win the foul from Chiquinho.

Odegaard delivers, but it’s headed away, before Martinelli wins a corner after he’s tackled in the box.

Arsenal 2-0 Wolves

16:47 , Chris Wilson

88 mins: Wolves fans think they have a shout for a penalty as Hwang goes down under the challenge from Timber, but nothing doing for the referee.

Jesus is booked moments later for remonstrating with the ref.

Arsenal 2-0 Wolves

16:45 , Chris Wilson

85 mins: Raya collects the Wolves delivery and Arsenal clear. It’s a first involvement for Jesus, as he collects near halfway before skipping past two challenges, but he’s forced to recycle possession.

Arsenal 2-0 Wolves

16:42 , Chris Wilson

83 mins: Partey is penalised for a foul and Wolves may have a chance with the free-kick.

Gary O’Neill makes three changes – Chiquinho, Sarabia and Dawson come on for Ait-Nouri, Gomes and Strand Larsen.

Arsenal 2-0 Wolves

16:40 , Chris Wilson

80 mins: Arsenal bring off Saka for Leandro Trossard, while Wolves brought on Daniel Podence for Rodrigo Gomes earlier.

Arsenal 2-0 Wolves

16:38 , Chris Wilson

77 mins: It seems like that is game over for Wolves, and though they did have a 10-minute spell of great possession and attacking intent, it looks like they’ll leave the Emirates with nothing.

Arsenal attack again but Havertz has a shot blocked as he tries to emulate Saka’s effort.

GOAL! Arsenal 2-0 Wolves

16:33 , Chris Wilson

73 mins: GOAL! The Saka special.

Arsenal take a free-kick quickly, and they ship it to Saka on the edge of the box. He cuts back, drives inside and unleashes his trademark low shot, and it flies past Jose Sa for 2-0!

Arsenal 1-0 Wolves

16:32 , Chris Wilson

73 mins: Arsenal seem to have weathered that Wolves attacking storm, and have begun to start creating opportunities of their own almost at will.

Arsenal 1-0 Wolves

16:29 , Chris Wilson

70 mins: A powerful drive from distance from Odegaard forces an Arsenal corner. Timber unleashes a shot from distance after receiving the corner near the edge of the box, but it goes wide and over.

Arsenal 1-0 Wolves

16:27 , Chris Wilson

68 mins: Almost a huge mistake from Saliba as he accidentally lays off a pass straight to Cunha, but the Brazilian can only direct his shot straight at Raya.

Zinchenko is replaced by Jurrien Timber for the hosts.

Arsenal 1-0 Wolves

16:26 , Chris Wilson

67 mins: The Emirates crowd is a little unsettled as Wolves continue to attack, with their latest effort being a cross flashed across the goal. Moments later, there’s some respite for Arsenal as Raya collects a low cross.

Arsenal 1-0 Wolves

16:24 , Chris Wilson

65 mins: Wolves come again on the attack, and some sustained possession ends with a corner as Mosquera’s corner is put behind.

Rodrigo Gomes takes it, but it’s a poor delivery and easily cleared.

Arsenal 1-0 Wolves

16:21 , Chris Wilson

62 mins: Wolves are certainly providing more attacking threat than they did in the first half, and Ait-Nouri fires narrowly wide from distance after Partey was guilty of not being alert enough in possession.

Arsenal 1-0 Wolves

16:20 , Chris Wilson

60 mins: Arsenal continued to attack after that Partey chance as they were turning the screw just before Saka makes a foul as he tried to regain the ball on the edge of the Wolves box. He’s then booked for kicking the ball away.

Arsenal 1-0 Wolves

16:18 , Chris Wilson

58 mins: Ait-Nouri is everywhere as he tries to link together a Wolves attack, but he’s dispossessed on the edge of the Arsenal box.

The home side counter and the ref plays a good advantage before Martinelli slips it through to Zinchenko on the byeline. His cutback can’t find an Arsenal shirt in the box but it finds its way to Partey on the edge of the area, and the Ghanaian fires a low shot just wide.

Arsenal 1-0 Wolves

16:15 , Chris Wilson

55 mins: Arsenal’s turn to attack and Saka swings in a corner that Gabriel meets, but Sa collects the loose ball from the header.

Arsenal attack again and Havertz fouls Mosquera, with the Colombian responding by grabbing him by the throat. That could easily be red after a VAR check, but nothing is given.

Wolves bring on Matheus Cunha for Bellegarde.

Arsenal 1-0 Wolves

16:11 , Chris Wilson

52 mins: Some nice play from Wolves in and around the box ends with Strand Larsen unable to get the ball out of his feet.

Arsenal 1-0 Wolves

16:10 , Chris Wilson

50 mins: Another great chance for Arsenal as the square pass lands at the feet of Havertz. He opens his body up to try and tuck it into the far corner, but ends up scooping a shot well wide.

Arsenal 1-0 Wolves

16:07 , Chris Wilson

48 mins: So good from Odegaard to skip past two challenges and slip the pass towards Saka, but Lemina does equally well to dispossess the Englishman.

Arsenal 1-0 Wolves

16:05 , Chris Wilson

46 mins: No changes for either side at half-time.

Wolves have the first threat of the second half, but the cross is headed away.

KICK-OFF: Arsenal 1-0 Wolves

16:03 , Chris Wilson

Back underway at the Emirates! Arsenal will be confident of extending this lead in the next 45.

HT: Arsenal 1-0 Wolves

16:00 , Chris Wilson

Here are the half-time scores around the league then.

Arsenal 2-0 Wolves

Newcastle 1-0 Southampton

Everton 0-1 Brighton

Nottingham Forest 1-0 Bournemouth

15:55 , Chris Wilson

HALF-TIME! Arsenal 1-0 Wolves

15:49 , Chris Wilson

45 mins: There’s just one minute of added time here as Martinelli is once again narrowly prevented from getting a shot away.

The Arsenal attack breaks down and Wolves try and counter, but it breaks down and the referee blows the whistle for half-time!

Arsenal 1-0 Wolves

15:47 , Chris Wilson

42 mins: Saka was briefly down after that shot, but he’ll be okay to carry on.

Wolves are enjoying possession at the moment, but not threatening.

Out of nowhere, Arsenal almost score again.

They attack again and Martinelli lays it off to Rice, who checks it in behind with his back to goal. Martinelli collects and turns inside before releasing a shot that is narrowly diverted over the bar courtesy of a deflection.

Arsenal 1-0 Wolves

15:42 , Chris Wilson

39 mins: Odegaard ships it wide to Saka, who clips in an early cross to the back post that needs to be turned behind for a corner.

Rice to deliver once more, but the attack ends as Saka tries to drive an effort from outside the box and it goes over.

Arsenal 1-0 Wolves

15:40 , Chris Wilson

38 mins: Some great movement from Havertz nearly leads to a great counter-attack opportunity, but he’s fouled by Toti Gomes, who is booked.

Arsenal 1-0 Wolves

15:38 , Chris Wilson

35 mins: Just 29 goals conceded last season for Arsenal, and they don’t look like conceding their first of the season this afternoon.

Or do they?!?!

It’s a superb save from David Raya!

Wolves clip a ball forward out of nowhere and it’s a great delivery, and new signing Strand Larsen gets across Saliba to nod it goalwards. Raya is scrambling across his goal and it goes the opposite way past him, but he reacts to claw it away!

Arsenal 1-0 Wolves

15:34 , Chris Wilson

31 mins: Huge shouts for a penalty from the Arsenal faithful, but nothing doing. The ball breaks free and Arsenal are suddenly four-v-two. The ball is threaded through to Havertz, who carries for a few yards before slipping it into the path of Saka. The Englishman cuts back to try and move onto his left, but falls as he collides with the defender.

Arsenal 1-0 Wolves

15:32 , Chris Wilson

29 mins: Bellegarde is fouled once more as he looked to skip past Gabriel. The Brazilian is lucky to escape a yellow there.

The young Frenchman has been a bright spark for Wolves in the opening half hour.

Arsenal 1-0 Wolves

15:30 , Chris Wilson

27 mins: Gabriel brings down Bellegarde not far from the edge of the Arsenal box.

From around 25 yards, Bellegarde goes for the shot, but it creeps over the bar.

GOAL! Arsenal 1-0 Wolves

15:28 , Chris Wilson

25 mins: GOAL!

They make it look easy, but it’s great work from Arsenal. From that free-kick, they recollect possession and recycle it to Saka on the wing. He’s in plenty of space and decides to swing in a cross – it’s an absolute peach, forcing Sa to commit off his line, and Kai Havertz is there to nod past into an empty net!

Arsenal 0-0 Wolves

15:26 , Chris Wilson

23 mins: Joao Gomes is the first to be booked this afternoon, as he scythes down Martinelli.

From the free-kick, a brilliant Odegaard pass finds Martinelli but his cross is blocked.

Arsenal 0-0 Wolves

15:23 , Chris Wilson

20 mins: Arsenal win a corner and it does seem like it’s only a matter of time here.

Rice delivers, but Sa does well to punch away at the near post and Doherty wins a throw when carrying it out.

Arsenal 0-0 Wolves

15:20 , Chris Wilson

17 mins: Wolves haven’t been poor and have settled fine, but Arsenal’s dominance is starting to show through.

Saka is the latest to have a pop after a nice one-two with Havertz, but it’s straight at Sa.

Arsenal 0-0 Wolves

15:16 , Chris Wilson

14 mins: Arsenal are beginning to turn the screw now, and a lovely touch from Saka in the box ends with him squeezing a shot through the Wolves bodies and forcing a low save from Sa.

Arsenal 0-0 Wolves

15:15 , Chris Wilson

12 mins: White has a shot from outside the box, but it’s blocked and runs to Sa.

Arsenal 0-0 Wolves

15:12 , Chris Wilson

9 mins: Brilliant from Odegaard to win the ball in midfield and clip a backheel into the path of Havertz. The German is bearing down on goal, but he sort of trips up over the ball and can’t get a shot away.

Arsenal 0-0 Wolves

15:10 , Chris Wilson

7 mins: A promising attack for Arsenal breaks down on the edge of the Wolves box as Rice can’t get Odegaard’s pass under control.

Wolves haven’t really been troubled so far, and they look calm as Ait-Nouri leads them forward.

Arsenal 0-0 Wolves

15:07 , Chris Wilson

5 mins: Sa parries the corner away and Bellegarde carries out of danger before winning a throw. Wolves go on the attack, but Doherty’s shot is blocked by Gabriel.

Arsenal 0-0 Wolves

15:05 , Chris Wilson

3 mins: Nothing to report in the opening exchanges and both sides feel their way into the match. Martinelli wins a corner after his cross is put behind.

Some feel like this will finally be the year that Arsenal wrestle a league title away from Man City. Could it be true? Do they still need a proven number nine? Can City really expect to win FIVE titles in a row? We’ll be closer to knowing within a few weeks.

For now though, we have to settle for what should be a straightforward win for Arsenal at home to Wolves, who have lost Pedro Neto and Max Kilman so far this summer.

KICK-OFF! Arsenal 0-0 Wolves

15:01 , Chris Wilson

There’s a moment of applause for Kevin Campbell, just after ‘North London forever’ rings out around the Emirates.

And soon after, we are underway! Can Arsenal lay down an early marker in their bid for a first title since 2004?

Arsenal v Wolves

14:55 , Chris Wilson

Both sides are out of the tunnel now, so we’re close to kick-off!

On BBC’s Final Score before the game, Mikel Arteta said that Arsenal “need this adrenaline” and he is “really excited for the new season”.

“It will be a really tough match and we have to go day by day. Today we have to earn the right to be better than Wolves and win the game.

“One of the main things is to have the players available and I think we are in good shape.”

Across the league this weekend

14:50 , Chris Wilson

The Premier League kicked off for 2024/25 with a late 1-0 win for Manchester United over Fulham last night.

The second game of the season has just finished too, with Liverpool beating Ipswich 2-0.

As well as the Arsenal match at 3pm, these are the rest of Saturday’s fixtures.

3pm - Everton v Brighton

3pm - Newcastle v Southampton

3pm - Nottingham Forest v Bournemouth

5.30pm - West Ham v Aston Villa

Head-to-head

14:45 , Chris Wilson

These two teams have met 164 times, with the first meeting taking place in 1904. Arsenal have won 64, losing 32 and drawing 28.

Their most recent meetings ended 2-0 and 2-1 to Arsenal last season, with Wolves last winning in February 2021.

Overall Arsenal have won seven, drawn one and lost two of the last 10 fixtures between the two.

Arsenal vs Wolves

14:40 , Sonia Twigg

Arsenal fans will be expecting a lot from their side this season, having pushed Manchester City in the last two campaigns.

It went down to the final match of the season, but it was still in City’s hands. The Gunners will want to go one better and secure their first league title since 2004.

Arsenal vs Wolves

14:30 , Sonia Twigg

We’ve had a look at the fans arriving, here are some shots of the players:

Arsenal fans arrive at the Emirates

14:15 , Sonia Twigg

Fans have been arriving at the Emirates ahead of the 3pm kick off:

It’s time for Arsenal to deliver – and one uncomfortable question holds the key

14:00 , Sonia Twigg

Gradual progress, incremental improvement. Arsenal have been on a serious upward trajectory over the past few seasons, and now there’s only one place left to go. Of course, that final step is always the most difficult, yet it is also the end ambition, the goal, the whole point of a new direction, new investment and new reason for optimism.

Mikel Arteta – like most bosses who go up against Pep Guardiola-led teams – remains unproven in that most important context. If last year was about showcasing they could stay the course and be in a genuine title fight into the final week or two of the season, then 2024/25 must be about underlining the reasons why Arsenal can take the final step – and, of course, about actually taking it.

Two points off the title as they were last year feels close, and yet... it never feels that close to Manchester City, somehow. This is after all a team who have twice won the league recently by single-point margins, have hit record tallies along the way and have become experts in seeing out the season.

It’s time for Arsenal to deliver – and one uncomfortable question holds the key

Wolves team news

13:52 , Sonia Twigg

Wolves XI: Sa, Doherty, Mosquera, Toti, Ait-Nouri, Bellegarde, Lemina, J Gomes, R Gomes, Hwang, Strand Larsen

Subs: Bentley, S Bueno, Podence, Cunha, Dawson, Doyle, Sarabia, Chiquinho, Guedes

Arsenal team news

13:48 , Sonia Twigg

Arsenal have named their team for their Premier League opener:

Arsenal XI: Raya, White, Saliba, Gabriel, Zinchenko, Partey, Rice, Odegaard, Saka, Martinelli, Havertz

Subs: Ramsdale, Calafiori, Timber, Jorginho, Nelson, Nwaneri, Trossard, Jesus, Nketiah

Arsenal vs Wolves - team news

13:40 , Sonia Twigg

Stay tuned, the teams will be announced in just five minutes’ time.

Who are Arsenal going to choose to lead them into the new season?

Mikel Arteta challenges Arsenal to take a step forward this season

13:30 , Sonia Twigg

Mikel Arteta has challenged Arsenal to improve once again this season, but sensed the motivation in his players during a club gathering on the night Manchester City clinched the Premier League title.

Arsenal enjoyed a record-breaking 2023-24 campaign, winning more games than ever before in the division and yet missed out on silverware to Pep Guardiola’s side by two points.

The title race went to the final day and City won a fourth consecutive league crown but Arsenal staff, including co-chair Josh Kroenke, players and their families gathered on the same night at a venue in central London to reflect on the near-miss and a burning desire to go one better was already evident.

Mikel Arteta reveals key meeting inspiring Arsenal to ‘climb the highest mountain’

Mikel Arteta reveals key meeting inspiring Arsenal to ‘climb the highest mountain’

13:15 , Sonia Twigg

Mikel Arteta has challenged Arsenal to improve once again this season, but sensed the motivation in his players during a club gathering on the night Manchester City clinched the Premier League title.

Arsenal enjoyed a record-breaking 2023/24 campaign, winning more games than ever before in the division and yet missed out on silverware to Pep Guardiola’s side by two points.

The title race went to the final day and City won a fourth consecutive league crown but Arsenal staff, including co-chair Josh Kroenke, players and their families gathered on the same night at a venue in central London to reflect on the near-miss and a burning desire to go one better was already evident.

Arsenal vs Wolves

13:00 , Sonia Twigg

Arsenal vs Wolves will kick off at 3pm, therefore it will not be shown on TV, as there is a blackout for all matches at 3pm on a Saturday throughout the football pyramid.

For fans still wanting to follow the match, we will have all the action and updates, and for those wanting to listen to the action, it will be live on BBC Radio 5Live.

Mikel Arteta: Arsenal are still a long way from reaching full potential

12:45 , Sonia Twigg

City’s recent dominance has played out amid the backdrop of 115 charges from the Premier League hanging over them.

It is a long-running case which should reach a conclusion before the end of the season but Arteta declined to comment.

“It is nothing to do with us,” Arteta insisted.

The Arsenal boss was more forthcoming about where he can improve ahead of Saturday’s visit of Wolves.

Bayer Leverkusen head coach Xabi Alonso described Arteta as a “competitive animal” after a recent pre-season friendly.

And Arteta laughed, adding: “Yeah, I love it. Everything I do, I try to win. I try to do it at my best.

“I am happier afterwards, I feel fulfilled. If I am not able to do it, obviously I try to learn from it and apply things that will get me closer to doing that. That is the way I am.”

Mikel Arteta: Arsenal are still a long way from reaching full potential

12:30 , Sonia Twigg

Arteta claimed: “I don’t see that we are close to that full potential. We are still far.

“The only thing we can ask of ourselves is to be the best version of ourselves and maximise that potential. The rest is not in our hands.

“Can I do the best every day of my capabilities at the service of the team and can I be consistent in any context?

“That’s what we can do. We do that, then we are a great team, to achieve what? Let’s see, depending on what others do.

“I think it is going to be a really, really competitive league.”

Mikel Arteta challenges Arsenal to take a step forward this season

12:15 , Sonia Twigg

Mikel Arteta fired a warning to Manchester City by insisting Arsenal are “still far” from their full potential.

Arsenal have pushed City all the way during the last two campaigns and missed out on the title by just two points last season.

The Gunners were able to register more wins than ever before in the Premier League, achieve the club’s second-best points total and break numerous other records.

It still failed to end a 20-year wait for another league crown but Arteta feels there is plenty of growth in a squad which has been boosted by the summer arrival of Riccardo Calafiori and the return to fitness of Jurrien Timber.

Arsenal vs Wolves

11:27 , Sonia Twigg

Good afternoon and welcome to The Independent’s live build up, team news and coverage of Arsenal’s opening game of the season against Wolves.

Last season, the Gunners finished second behind Manchester City, pushing the eventual champions all the way to the final game of the season before they narrowly missed out on the title for a second year in a row.

Arsenal start their campaign at home to Wolves and will want to avoid a slip up on the first day of the season.