Arsenal beat Wolves to keep their title hopes alive and plunge the Old Gold deeper into a relegation battle.
Wolves welcomed Arsenal to Molineux for a hugely important Premier League match that could’ve seen Vitor Pereira’s men distance themselves from the drop zone.
| Position | Team | Played MP | Won W | Drawn D | Lost L | For GF | Against GA | Diff GD | Points Pts |
| 16 |  EvertonEverton | 21 | 4 | 8 | 9 | 18 | 28 | -10 | 20 |
| 17 |  WolvesWolves | 22 | 4 | 4 | 14 | 32 | 51 | -19 | 16 |
| 18 |  IpswichIpswich | 22 | 3 | 7 | 12 | 20 | 43 | -23 | 16 |
Wolves were handed a huge boost just before the halftime break after Myles Lewis-Skelly was shown a straight red card for a racking tackle on Matt Doherty.
However, the home side failed to capitalise on the one-man advantage and were also a player down after Joao Gomes received a second yellow card with 20 minutes to play.
Arsenal went on to beat Wolves by one goal after Riccardo Calafiori scored in the 74th-minute.
Vitor Pereira blamed for Joao Gomes sending off
Having received a yellow card in the first half, and knowing how much Arsenal were putting themselves about, Joao Gomes was on thin ice.
Heading down the tunnel all square at 0-0, fans wondered if the Brazilian would reemerge for the second half given how much was at stake.
To some fans’ surprise, Pereira decided to keep him on — a decision which turned out to be the wrong one. The industrious midfielder was later sent packing for a poor challenge on Jurrien Timber.
“If you can’t trust a player, then you’ve got to look at the manager and say, ‘Why didn’t you take him off?’ Premier Sports commentator Gary Breen said in response to Joao Gomes’ sending off.
It’s hard to argue with Breen’s comments but it’s important to remember just how limited Pereira’s options were.
The 56-year-old’s bench included Tommy Doyle and Jean-Ricner Bellegarde — neither of which would’ve boosted the side’s chances of beating Arsenal — even with the extra man.
Aston Villa just got a whole lot harder
This weekend’s fixture against Arsenal was always going to be tough, and it doesn’t get any easier for Pereira.
Wolves’ next three Premier League fixtures include rivals Aston Villa, leaders Liverpool and Andoni Iraola’s brilliant Bournemouth.
And although Pereira won’t want to look too far ahead, the Wolves manager has no choice but to think about how to replace Joao Gomes in the heart of his midfield.
The South American’s red card against Arsenal means he will miss his team’s next match, meaning he will be demoted to the stands for next weekend’s Midlands derby against Villa.