Arsene Wenger's famous Gallic cool, complete with anti-ruffle warranty, is showing signs of frailty under pressure. After this competitive, niggly but never dirty game, which brought the same result as last season's semi-final at Villa Park, the Arsenal manager showed flashes of genuine anger.
He was particularly distressed by the red card shown to Emmanuel Petit - his second of the season - in the 88th minute. Petit had been booked for an 18th minute foul on Carl Robinson but this was a straight red for foul and abusive language towards a linesman.
"There is a media campaign against us," said Wenger. "We are not a dirty side. In fact we are a nice side, too nice at times. I don't know what Emmanuel did to get sent-off but I did see a lot of things go on off the ball which went unpunished, particularly against Dennis Bergkamp. I could say too much." Perhaps he had already.
Bergkamp appeared a peripheral, even sulkily disinterested figure for most of the match but was still centre stage for most of its dramatic moments. The winning goal, in the 69th minute, belonged to him, although his volley from Remi Garde's half-cleared corner took a cruel double deflection off Haavard Flo and Keith Curle. It was his seventh of the season.
Bergkamp was in a dark mood from the moment he appeared to be elbowed in the face by Kevin Muscat. He was booked, for the fourth time, for a tetchy foul and near the end his foul on the Wolves captain, Curle, brought a retaliation which at one point seemed likely to escalate into a major confrontation.
Wolves, unbeaten in their previous four league and cup games, again played well, but one sensed this was an afternoon when Arsenal were off their game and could have been taken. Apart from the splendid Nigel Winterburn and Ray Parlour, and occasional bursts from Mark Over mars, they did not play well.
Arsenal went ahead after 10 minutes. Tony Adams followed his clever interception by feeding Overmars in his own half. The Dutchman scampered towards the Wolves goal and, when Mark Atkins and Curle backed away, sent a right-foot shot from 20 yards past the bemused Mike Stowell.
At this point Arsenal established an easy authority. But it did not last. They became increasingly troubled by Michael Gilkes and Carl Robinson, respectively on the left and right of the Wolves midfield. When Gilkes's attempted cross grazed the crossbar in the 15th minute it was a warning which last season's Double winners did not heed.
Twenty minutes later Wolves were level. Muscat provided the cross and the impressive Flo, cousin of Chelsea's Tore Andre and Jostein, who used to play for Sheffield United, met it with a fine header. Arsenal's stand-in centre-back Matthew Upson pulled out of his challenge as if he had received a call from the goalkeeper Alex Manninger, who committed the cardinal sin of coming out and not reaching the ball.
Flo, 28, a £750,000 signing from Werder Bremen, was playing only his second game for the club and 10 minutes into the second half he almost put them in front. Muscat again provided the cross and Flo's shot hit the inside of the right post before rebounding into play.
Alongside Flo, a former junior skiing champion who trained in Norway by chasing a ball down a mountain, the Irishman Robbie Keane was fast and busy without showing the inspiration said to have attracted Wenger's interest.
Colin Lee, the Wolves manager, said afterwards: "We matched them and were a little unlucky at times. To lose to a deflected goal was not the best way to go out of the Cup."
Wolverhampton Wanderers: Stowell, Atkins (Connolly 90), Richards, Curle, Muscat, Emblen, Robinson (Sedgley 82), Osborn, Gilkes (Simpson 82), Flo, Keane. Subs Not Used: Murray, Niestroj. Booked: Curle. Goals: Flo 37.
Arsenal: Manninger, Winterburn, Adams, Upson, Dixon, Overmars (Hughes 90), Parlour, Petit, Garde (Vivas 76), Anelka (Grimandi 87), Bergkamp. Subs Not Used: Lukic, Caballero. Sent Off: Petit (85). Booked: Petit, Winterburn, Bergkamp. Goals: Overmars 10, Bergkamp 69.
Referee: S Dunn (Bristol).
