Credit to the 10 that remained on the pitch last night.

I thought they acquitted themselves admirably given the wholly unpleasant scenario they were faced with.

By the end I would argue 3-0 actually flattered Arsenal, given the overall balance of play and the chances we carved out with a man less.

Game over

Sure, the Gunners put their foot on the brake after bagging a quickfire second, but Wolves at least made a semi-competitive game of it, which deserves some level of recognition.

Kevin Doyle, controversially recalled to the starting eleven, thrived in the familiarity of the lone-striker role. He was also desperately unlucky not to score, denied only by a superb Wojciech Szczesny save, tipping his looping header just past the post.

Kightly and Jarvis offered able support down the flanks and their energy levels were also crucial in keeping the score down to a respectable level at the other end.

Karl Henry never tossed in the towel either and vigorously protected the back four as Arsenal constantly probed to pick a way through.

Above each of these players though, I have to single out Ronald Zubar. I thought the mercurial Frenchman was fantastic.

Watching him defend so resolutely and still have the energy to gallop forward and ask questions of the Arsenal defence was something special I thought.

If we can maintain the Zubar/Kightly partnership next season, I think that’s one area of the team we don’t have to worry about.

But what of the early penalty incident that effectively ended the contest before it even started?

Having seen it back a few times now, I find it difficult to lambaste the referee too much. However much he tried not to, Bassong does stumble into the back of Walcott and if he gives the penalty, I don’t think the man in black has a choice about sending the defender off.

Many will no doubt disagree.

Why both van Persie and Walcott took it upon themselves to taunt the crowd after plundering their early goals is anyone’s guess. Completely unnecessary given the situation.

For Walcott to then applaud all four sides of the ground when he was substituted, as if to say ‘I’m the bigger man’ is nothing short of ridiculous. He went down in my estimation.

Of course, none of this really matters though. We were down before kick-off and we would still have been down at full-time, whatever the outcome.

But a modicum of comfort can at least be taken from some long overdue pride in the shirt.

At this stage of such a terrible season, what else is there?

I must admit, I’d love to beat Arsenal.

It has nothing to do with Premier League survival. Regardless of tomorrow’s result, we will be playing Championship football next season.

However, the Gunners are the only big-name side we haven’t managed to overcome in our 3-year stint in the top tier, so before we slip away it would be nice to complete the set.

All hands on deck at the Emirates

Manchester’s Utd and City, Chelsea, Spurs and Liverpool have all tasted defeat at the hands of the old gold, but Arsene Wenger’s side have continued to dominate.

They’ve won 4 of the 5 meetings and we had to cling on for dear life at the Emirates back in December to avoid a clean sweep.

Current form suggests they’ll make it 5 wins from 6 without breaking sweat, but their 7 defeats on the road offers a small glimmer of hope.

The big problem is that Wolves just can’t turn in a complete 90-minute performance. The second the opposition start turning the screw, we wilt and die.

You would think that Arsenal are tailor-made for exploiting each of our many frailties, given their passing ability and pace in wide areas. It could be a long old night.

The Team

If TC wants to avoid a cricket score in this one, I’d be sacrificing a forward and plugging the holes in midfield. This would be my team:

Hennessey, Zubar, Stearman, Bassong, Ward, Henry, Davis, Milijas, Kightly, Edwards, Fletcher

I’ve been saying for weeks Nenad should get a start and I still believe we’d see an improvement with his inclusion, especially if he’s got Henry and Davis putting in the leg work defensively.

Just sit in, make it difficult and use the wingers as the outlet ball. That must be the plan. Anything else is suicidal in my eyes.

The one grain of positivity in recent weeks has been Jarvis and Kightly working in tandem. The latter in particular has stepped up his game and looked a real player. It will be difficult to match those levels against Arsenal but a good test all the same.

Prediction League

21 people predicted defeat against Stoke but only Super Kev Doyle said 2-1. Well done to him for taking the maximum 3 points on offer. Everyone else takes a single.

Has to be an Arsenal win doesn’t it?

Depressing to say that, as I’m pretty sure I’ve never actually seen us ever beat them in my lifetime. Can anyone remember a win in the last 27 years against the Gunners?

Anyway, I’ll go for a 4-0 defeat.

If you’re at Molineux, raise the roof as you did against Bolton. I thought the support in that game was fantastic.

Up The Wolves.