Arsenal blew away the challenge of Chelsea in emphatic fashion with a 3-0 win at the Emirates. It was the first meeting between Wenger and Conte and the first meeting went in favour of the Frenchman. Three first half goals ensured victory for the Gunners as they not only ended their run of 858 minutes without scoring against their rivals but also the record of not beating them at home since 2007. Let’s take a look at how the players performed in the match on a scale of 10.
Petr Cech (7/10)
Was left untested for almost the whole game but was up for the challenge when Batshuayi was clean through on goal. Cech made the stop in a 1v1 situation in the 86th minute, which was Chelsea’s first shot on target to keep the clean sheet.
Hector Bellerin (9/10)
A superb performance by the right back. Assisted Theo Walcott to score the second goal of the game and executed the tackle of the match after a brilliant recovery sprint on Pedro in the 73rd minute to keep things clean at the back.
Shkodran Mustafi (8/10)
Very solid performance by the German center back. Partnered Koscielny very well and showed his reading of the game with his impressive interceptions all through the 90 minutes.
Laurent Koscielny (9/10)
Another performance worthy of a captain of Arsenal from the back. Was immense in the air winning 5 of his 6 duels and made two exceptional blocks in the first half to deny Chelsea into the game. Diego Costa was pocketed by the Frenchman to add him to his list of strikers nullified.
Nacho Monreal (8.5/10)
Used the ball excellently showing complete class and technique. Was drawn out of position a couple of times in the first half but recovered to his credit managing the situations expertly. Another significantly impressive performance for the unsung hero.
Francis Coquelin (6/10)
Was neat with possession and with his job as long as he was on the field but had to be substituted with an injury.
Santi Cazorla (7.5/10)
Controlled the tempo of the game as he took charge of midfield right from the start. Stayed back in the second half and provided much cover to his defence.
Theo Walcott (8.5/10)
A really determined performance from the Englishman who epitomized Arsenal’s grit with his work rate in the game. Theo provided brilliant cover to the fullbacks and troubled the Chelsea defence with his movements. Scored the crucial second goal and linked up extremely well with the forward players.
Mesut Ozil (9/10)
Finally, a performance to remember in a big game for the German. Mesut in what can only be called a complete performance won 100% of his tackles, made 2 interceptions and 1 block apart from creating 3 chances, completing all three of his take-on and scoring a beautiful team goal to make it 3-0 on the night.
Alex Iwobi (8.5/10)
Showed extreme confidence with the ball and caused many problems from the left-hand flank, provided the pre-assist for Walcott with a superb pass and also gave support to his fullback. Looked very lively before being subbed on the 69th minute.
Alexis Sanchez (9/10)
In his 100th appearance for the club, Sanchez showed what he is all about by hounding Cahill into a mistake before producing an exquisite chipped finish past Courtois to set the ball rolling with the first goal of the game. Was a constant threat with his runs and movement and provided the assist for Ozil for the third goal of the tie.
Substitutes
Granit Xhaka (6.5/10)
Came on for Coquelin in the 32nd minute and controlled possession passing the ball with 93% accuracy. Won 50% of his tackles and made 3 clearances as well.
Kieran Gibbs (7.5/10)
Was extremely impressive since he came on the field in the 69th minute. Provided full support to Monreal defensively and also added some energy in the forward areas with his runs creating 2 chances for his teammates.
Olivier Giroud (NA)
