William Saliba set a new record for the number of wins by an Arsenal player after the Gunners’ victory over Wolves this weekend.

The Frenchman has been a consistent presence in the Arsenal team since he made his debut in the 2022/2023 season. Arsenal signed him three summers earlier, and after several loan spells, he established himself in the first team.

Since then, Saliba has been a key member of the Gunners’ squad and has proven his worth. At just 23 years old, he has etched his name into the history books at the Emirates as the Arsenal player with the fewest games needed to reach 50 wins.

The win against Wolves was Saliba’s 50th victory in just 66 Premier League appearances. According to Fabrizio Romano, he has now surpassed Nacho Monreal as the player to achieve 50 league wins in the fewest matches, and he has kept 30 clean sheets in those games.

Just Arsenal Opinion

Pundit Paul Robinson has reacted to Arsenal’s 2-0 victory over Wolves today, insisting that not much has changed in their performance compared to last season.

Arsenal has been one of England’s top clubs for some time and reached a new high last season. Taking the league title race to the final day demonstrated their progress and set a higher standard for their performances.

As a result, they were the clear favourites for today’s match against Wolves, and their dominance was evident. Despite the final score of 2-0, Arsenal controlled most of the game, with Wolves having very few chances to challenge Mikel Arteta’s side.

After the match, Robinson acknowledged that Arsenal has simply picked up where they left off last season.

He said via the BBC:

Paul Merson commented on Arsenal’s 2-0 victory over Wolves this evening, asserting that it was a comfortable win for the Gunners.

Arsenal prepared well for the fixture as Mikel Arteta aims to challenge for the Premier League title once again.

Wolves, known for being a tricky opponent, were always expected to pose a challenge for Arsenal. However, the Gunners have been title contenders for consecutive seasons, and they demonstrated their quality throughout most of the match.

Wolves struggled to make an impact, and even during their few promising moments, it never seemed like they could truly threaten Arsenal.

In the end, Mikel Arteta’s side secured a solid opening-day win, with Merson emphasising that it was as comfortable as it gets.

Arsenal earned a commanding 2-0 victory against Wolves this afternoon to start their season with a win.

It was a new term, but Arsenal continued their effective form from the outset, piling pressure on Wolves almost immediately.

The hosts quickly demonstrated their seriousness about the fixture, with Bukayo Saka, Kai Havertz, and Gabriel Martinelli all looking dangerous in front of the Wolves’ goal.

Arsenal dominated in their search for an early goal, but they had to wait until the 25th minute to take the lead. Havertz connected well with a Saka cross to open the scoring.

Wolves hardly threatened the Gunners for much of the first half, making it relatively easy for Mikel Arteta’s side. However, they remained only one goal ahead until Jorgen Strand Larsen forced a fantastic save from David Raya.

Bukayo Saka has once again showcased his brilliance with a stunning goal against Wolves this afternoon at the Emirates.

Before the goal, Wolves had been applying some pressure, and there was some slack defending from the Arsenal players, but Saka’s fantastic strike quickly settled any nerves.

The 22-year-old cut inside and unleashed a powerful shot with his lethal left foot, leaving the goalkeeper with no chance. In fact, words can hardly do the goal justice—watch one of the videos below to truly appreciate the beauty of Saka’s strike.

La spéciale de Bukayo Saka qui double la mise pour Arsenal ! #ARSWOL | #PremierLeague pic.twitter.com/yJwBXhBrji

— CANAL+ Foot (@CanalplusFoot) August 17, 2024

Less than a month ago, President Joe Biden was still the Democratic nominee and Donald Trump and his allies all but assumed they would easily carry the 2024 presidential election in November. But since Biden’s historic decision to step out of the race and endorse Vice President Kamala Harris, the dynamics of the race have dramatically changed. Democrats seem reenergized and Trump and his campaign now have reasons to worry. And recent polling numbers show why. 

According to the latest New York Times/Siena College poll, Harris entering the race has shaken up the political map and made crucial Sun Belt states competitive again. In Arizona, for example, Harris is now leading Trump 50 to 45 percent. She also has a narrow advantage in North Carolina, a state Trump carried in 2020. The GOP nominee is still heading in Georgia and Nevada, but the two candidates are essentially tied across an average of those four Sun Belt states. An earlier Times/Siena poll also showed Harris edging Trump in the battleground states of Michigan, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania.

“A dead heat is a big deal today,” Nate Cohn, the Times‘ chief political analyst writes. “It represents a huge shift from earlier in the cycle, when Mr. Trump’s relative strength over Mr. Biden among young, Black and Hispanic voters had propelled him to a surprising lead across these relatively young and diverse states.” It also spells bad news for Trump, he argues, “who may need to take all three of Georgia, North Carolina and Arizona to win in November.”

Arsenal have taken the lead against Wolverhampton Wanderers thanks to a well-placed header from Kai Havertz.

The Gunners started the match in control, and it seemed only a matter of time before they found the breakthrough. In the 24th minute, Bukayo Saka delivered a pinpoint cross, which Havertz expertly guided into the net with his head.

While Wolves remain a threat, Arsenal’s strong start suggests a positive opening-day result is on the cards, provided they maintain their focus and composure.

"Beautiful ball! Fabulous finish!"

Kai Havertz scores Arsenal's first goal of the 2024/25 season with a fine header! pic.twitter.com/6xdcbVmc7k

More than 100 firefighters and 15 fire engines are tackling a blaze at Somerset House in central London. The Georgian-era complex, which was built on the site of a palace dating back to the Tudors, houses the Courtauld Institute of Art and other arts and education organizations.

A pillar of smoke can be seen billowing from the roof of the former stately home on the Strand. The London Fire Brigade (LFB) reportedly received the first call about the fire on Saturday just before midday. The Metropolitan Police said there are no reported injuries so far and the LFB said the cause of the blaze is not known.

Somerset House posted on X, “Owing to a fire in one small part of Somerset House, the site is currently closed.” It added that all of its Saturday events have been cancelled or postponed.

“Two of the brigade’s 32-meter ladders have been sent to the scene to support fire-fighting operations,” an LFB spokesperson said. “Traffic in the surrounding area will be impacted as crews respond.”

Social media users are posting photos and videos showing the grey smoke rising above the River Thames and nearby Waterloo Bridge.

On Friday, US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) released an update that one would think would please Republicans decrying a Joe Biden-made “border crisis.” The number of migrant encounters at the US-Mexico border in July was the lowest in almost four years. Last month, CBP apprehended 56,408 migrants along the border, a 32 percent decline in comparison to June and the lowest since September 2020. It marked the fifth consecutive monthly drop, according to CBS News.

The decrease in migrant crossings follows the implementation of a border crackdown policy by the Biden administration. In June, the White House announced a sweeping executive order, based on an authority previously invoked by the Trump administration, allowing border officials to temporarily suspend some asylum processing and swiftly return certain migrants to neighboring Mexico and their countries of origin at times when crossings reach a certain threshold. 

Since June, the CBP announcement states, the agency has removed or returned more than 92,000 people to 130 countries, including via at least 300 deportation flights. “July’s total numbers between ports of entry are also lower than July 2019,” the agency says, “and lower than the monthly average for all of 2019, the last comparable year prior to the pandemic.” Increased enforcement by the Mexican government also explains the lower numbers.

But these record-breaking statistics have not deterred Republicans from advancing their narrative of a “Biden border crisis” or trying to blame Vice President Kamala Harris for it. In response to the newly released CBP numbers, Rep. Mark Green (R-Tenn.), chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, issued a statement saying, “the unprecedented border crisis the president and his ‘border czar’ have created continues to rage on.” As I previously explained here, Harris, now the Democratic nominee, was never appointed “Border Czar” or put in charge of managing migration:

The wait is finally over—Premier League football has returned! Arsenal welcomes Wolves to the Emirates today, and this is the team Mikel Arteta has selected.

It is imperative that Arsenal get off to a winning start, especially at home. We all know that every single point is crucial when you’re competing with Manchester City for the Premier League title, and it is unthinkable for the Gunners to drop points this afternoon.

Wolves, like all Premier League teams, will not be pushovers. They will be tough opponents and will hope to catch Arsenal off guard in this season opener for both sides.

That said, Arteta will have his players well-prepared for whatever Wolves throw at them today and will be confident that all three points will be Arsenal’s once the final whistle blows.

Let us know in the comments below what you think of the side Arteta has chosen and what your predicted final score is.