Arsenal are mastering the art of leveraging home advantage, reminiscent of the greatest Premier League teams throughout history.
In their glory days, both Liverpool and Manchester United had an exceptional knack for stepping up their game in the second half, especially on their home turf, to secure points in tense situations.
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Both Anfield and Old Trafford were daunting venues as the clock ticked down, with home teams intensifying their play, fueled by their fans’ roaring support, leading opponents to crumble.
At the Emirates Stadium, Arsenal is embracing this mentality. Although their first-half performance against Wolves left some fans feeling frustrated due to its predictability, they anticipated a second-half resurgence with reinforcements expected to make an impact.
Remarkably, Arsenal has scored more than twice as many goals in the second half of their home matches this season compared to the first half.
While they may have narrowly clinched victory last Saturday, how frequently did the legendary Liverpool and United squads accomplish this during their title-winning campaigns?
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Substitutions play a crucial role in Arsenal’s strategy as well.
Initially, Mikel Arteta made textbook changes: introducing Mikel Merino to bolster the midfield attack, bringing in Martin Odegaard for the spark that Eberechi Eze lacked, and unleashing Leandro Trossard for a fresh dynamic compared to Gabriel Martinelli.
The anticipated substitution of Noni Madueke was overlooked, despite his impressive performance midweek against Club Brugge, where he scored twice. Instead, Arteta opted to bring on Gabriel Jesus in the 81st minute. While Jesus didn’t net the winner, his impact was still significant.
His clever positional play led to an own goal from Wolves’ Yerson Mosquera, and crucially, it was Bukayo Saka—who would have been replaced by Madueke—who delivered the cross for the last-minute winner.
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Late goals are essential, and a dash of luck helps too, though as the saying goes, you often have to create your own luck.
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