Wolves 0 Arsenal 1: Riccardo Calafiori secures huge win for Gunners after hugely controversial Lewis-Skelly red card
Wolves 0 Arsenal 1: Riccardo Calafiori secures huge win for Gunners after hugely controversial Lewis-Skelly red card
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Sponsored by. THE 10 men of Arsenal overcame the 12, and then 11, of Wolves to keep their title challenge alive with a Riccardo Calafiori winner. That is how it must feel for Mikel Arteta, his players, every Gooner and most unbiased observers after referee Michael Oliver made one of the worst decisions ever seen.
![[Riccardo Calafiori of Arsenal celebrates scoring a goal.]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/riccardo-calafiori-arsenal-celebrates-scoring-966584428.jpg?strip=all&w=960)
Oliver confirmed his status as Arsenal’s least favourite official when he sent off Myles Lewis-Skelly in the first half. Against all common sense ,Oliver ruled the teenager’s cynical trip on Matt Doherty 30 yards from the Wolves goal to be violent conduct.
![[Arsenal's Myles Lewis-Skelly fouling a Wolverhampton Wanderers player.]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/arsenals-myles-lewis-skelly-fouls-966569835.jpg?strip=all&w=960)
Somehow VAR let the call stand. But Arteta’s team channelled their fury. And shortly after Oliver made it 10 v 10 by sending Wolves midfielder Joao Gomes off for a second yellow card, Calafiori scored what could turn out to be a vital goal. The Italian had come on at half time to replace Lewis-Skelly at left back so it felt like justice of a sort that he turned the ball in neatly after Nelson Semedo’s poor header from a Gabriel Martinelli cross.
![[Wolves vs. Arsenal match stats graphic.]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/the-sun-22-23-match-stats-61afe564-b267-48c3-afd9-6d99c008d266.png?strip=all&w=960)
But the Arsenal fans who abused Oliver and accused him of making the game all about him will nor forget his latest intervention. Oliver and Arsenal have history. On this same ground in February 2022, the referee booked Gabriel Martinelli twice in quick succession for blocking a throw-in and then immediately committing a foul.
![[Match momentum chart: Wolves 0-1 Arsenal.]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/the-sun-22-23-momentum-c56a3cf0-fbe1-4e23-9e0e-cbd7ecf5502c.png?strip=all&w=960)
