Arsenal fans have now had their say on the performance that Kai Havertz produced against Wolves on Saturday evening.
Arsenal ground out an important 2-0 win against Wolves at Molineux Stadium.
The Gunners’ win in the Midlands wasn’t pretty, but it was vital for Mikel Arteta’s side to pick up all three points in order to keep their Premier League title dream alive.
Ahead of this game, Declan Rice vowed to Arsenal fans that the North London club would bounce back from their two recent disappointments. Prior to this win, the Gunners had lost their last two matches, first surrendering control of the Premier League title race with a defeat against Aston Villa, before being dumped out of the Champions League by Bayern Munich.
The response that Arsenal provided against Wolves was far from scintillating, but the job was done.
However, over the course of the match, the visitors lacked cutting edge in attack, and were perhaps not aided in this regard by the fact that Arteta opted to deploy Kai Havertz in midfield for this game.
How Mikel Arteta used Kai Havertz in Arsenal v Wolves
Havertz has shone as a striker for Arsenal in the last couple of months. The German is not the most prolific goalscorer, but his physicality, ability to dominate in the air, and habit of occupying opposition defenders and creating space for his teammates to exploit makes him an ideal focal point.
Arteta instead turned to Gabriel Jesus to lead the line against Wolves. The Brazilian endured a mixed evening, as he struggled to forge chances for himself, but was able to set up Leandro Trossard’s crucial opening goal. Overall, though, Jesus did little in this game to convince the Arsenal fans who doubt him that he should be the first-choice striker.
Havertz, meanwhile, fared well in the middle of the park. He competed strongly in his duels, made a number of intelligent forward runs, was tidy on the ball, and worked hard to help keep the home side at arm’s length as Arsenal sought to protect their slender lead.
Arteta’s team got their reward for their tenacity when Martin Odegaard added a second in the dying moments to seal the win, having initially been played through on goal by Havertz.
Arsenal fans have say on Kai Havertz display v Wolves
After the final whistle, plenty of Arsenal fans took to X to share their thoughts on Havertz’s display.
One supporter said it was “one of his best performances tbf.” Another claimed, “He’s actually been good today tbh.”
One fan stated, “He’s a big player for us.” Another observed, “Very good, winning duels and opening up spaces for runs.”