Soccer-Xhaka bows out with brace as Arsenal blast Wolves 5-0


Soccer Football - Premier League - Arsenal v Wolverhampton Wanderers - Emirates Stadium, London, Britain - May 28, 2023 Arsenal's Martin Odegaard applauds fans during the lap of appreciation after the match Action Images via Reuters/Peter Cziborra

LONDON (Reuters) - Arsenal romped to a 5-0 win against Wolverhampton Wanderers on Sunday, with Granit Xhaka bagging two of the goals in what is expected to be his final game of an incident-packed seven years at the club.

Arsenal had topped the English Premier League for almost the entire season but had stumbled badly in the final eight games to allow a ruthless Manchester City to roar past them to a third consecutive title.

The London club finished the season with a flourish though. Some trickery from forward Gabriel Jesus on the right was headed in by Xhaka on 11 minutes to give them an early lead in what was the Swiss midfielder's 297th, and tipped to be last, game.

His fairytale finish was nailed on just three minutes later when the 30-year-old, who had been close to leaving the club in 2019 after ill-tempered exchanges with supporters, tapped in following some clever interchange play from Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard.

He spurned a golden chance for a hat-trick before Saka made it 3-0 with less than half an hour played with a curled effort. Jesus headed in the fourth after halftime while Jakub Kiwior made it 5-0 with 12 minutes left to play.

(Reporting by Marc Jones, editing by Pritha Sarkar)

Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel for breaking news alerts and key updates!
   

Next In Football

Soccer-Women's World Cup 2027 to kick off on June 24, FIFA says
Soccer-New Zealand caretaker Mayne eyes permanent role after Klimkova exit
Soccer-Luis Enrique urges PSG to improve despite Salzburg win
Soccer-Kompany hails Mueller after Bayern dismantle Shakhtar
Soccer-Duran continues to press for starting spot with another brilliant strike
Soccer-Ancelotti hopes Mbappe injury not serious after Champions League win at Atalanta
Soccer-Girona coach Michel vows to fight on in Champions League campaign
Soccer-Brugge bounce back to beat Sporting 2-1
Soccer-Brest edge PSV 1-0 thanks to Le Cardinal goal and keeper Bizot's heroics
Soccer-Olise scores twice as Bayern come from behind to thrash Shakhtar 5-1

Others Also Read