Arsenal's defense, 'the best in the league', was also strong. ‘Bull’ Hwang Hee-chan (27, Wolverhampton) failed to hunt for a goal.

Wolverhampton lost 1-2 against Arsenal in the 14th round of the 2023-2024 English Premier League (EPL) held at the Emirates Stadium in London, England on the 3rd (Korean time). As a result, Wolverhampton recorded 4 wins, 3 draws, and 7 losses (15 points) and fell from 12th to 13th in the league. Wolverhampton has only 1 win, 1 draw, and 3 losses in the last 5 games. A reversal seems necessary.

On this day, Korean striker Hwang Hee-chan started as a front-line striker and played full time without replacement along with Mateusz Cunha. He made two shots, but failed to accumulate offensive points such as goals or assists. However, he showed off his boldness by attempting two dribble breaks and succeeding on both attempts. The pass success rate was 76%.

Whoscored.com, a European soccer statistics site, gave Hwang Hee-chan a rating of 6.34. It was at an ordinary level. The rating on Footmob, another statistical media, was 6.6. The sofa score rating was also 6.9. 90MIN, a British soccer media outlet, gave Hwang Ui-chan a low rating of 5. In addition, he said, “Wolverhampton wanted Hwang Hee-chan to have more influence in the attacking area, but sadly he was not able to do so.”

The number of times Hwang Hee-chan receives disappointing reviews can be counted on one hand. He's having such a good season. This season, Hwang Hee-chan has 7 goals and 2 assists in 14 league games. Currently, Hwang Hee-chan is tied for 4th place in the league in scoring and is on par with top players. He also scored 1 goal and 1 assist in 3 games last month.

On this day, Hwang Hee-chan had a good chance in extra time in the first half. Two Arsenal defenders made a mistake and did not clear properly, causing the ball to go backwards. Hwang Hee-chan ran at full speed and tried to catch the ball. However, the Arsenal goalkeeper jumped out first and cleared the ball. Hwang Hee-chan saw the ball floating high in the 5th minute of the second half and attempted a volley shot, but it did not hit properly.

In the 38th minute of the second half, Hwang Hee-chan's frequently used 'fold' almost came out. Hwang Hee-chan, who caught the ball on the left side of the penalty box, boldly attempted to break through and pretended to hit a shot. This was a painting motion. As the Arsenal defense tried to make a hasty move to block the ball, he folded the ball and changed direction. However, the Arsenal defense surrounded them in layers and there was not much space. Hwang Hee-chan's shot didn't hit properly either. In the end, I swallowed my regret.

Arsenal is a team with a strong defense. Before this game, they had conceded the fewest points in the league (10 points) and had six scoreless games. It was the most scoreless games among the 20 teams in the league.

In addition, Wolverhampton faced several negative factors ahead of its match against a strong team. Key midfielders Joao Gomes and Mario Lemina were unable to play against Arsenal due to cumulative warnings. The blow was significant because the two players played in the team's midfield for most of this season. The backup players' playing time had dropped significantly, raising concerns about breathing problems.

In the end, Wolverhampton had no choice but to activate Plan B. The formation was 3-5-2. Hwang Hee-chan and Cunha played the top two, and Bubbaca Traore, Thomas Doyle, and Jean Risner Bellegarde played the midfield. On both sides were Nelson Semedo and Hugo Bueno. The three backs were Max Kilman, Craig Dawson and Totti Gomes. The goal was guarded by Jose Sa.

Arsenal fought back with a 4-3-3 formation. Gabriel Martinelli, Gabriel Jesus, and Bukayo Saka appeared as the top three. The midfielders were Leandro Trossard, Declan Rice and Martin Odegaard. The back four was Olesandr Zinchenko, Gabriel, William Saliba, and Takehiro Tomiyasu, and the goalkeeper was David Raya.
League leader Arsenal pushed Wolverhampton hard from the beginning. The first goal was scored in the 6th minute of the first half. Arsenal quickly broke down the Wolverhampton defense with a fantastic passing play. Saka, who caught the ball inside the penalty box, faced the goalkeeper one-on-one and calmly pushed it into the net.

It wasn't the end. Arsenal's additional goal came in the 13th minute of the first half. This time too, Arsenal’s passing play stood out. Arsenal created a chance when Zinchenko, who was on the side, passed a pass. Odegaard scored an additional goal with a direct shot. Arsenal ran away with the score 2-0. To make matters worse for Wolverhampton, goalkeeper Jose Sa was injured in the 23rd minute of the first half and was replaced by 'backup' Dan Bentley.