Arsene Wenger’s Arsenal walked out of Wembley Stadium as the deserving winners of the FA Community Shield against Chelsea. In what is considered as a friendly by the FA, the two heavyweights from London went toe-to-toe against each other in what was a feisty game of football. While the scoreboard was left undisturbed in the first half, the Blues carved a lead immediately after the start of the second half through a calm finish from a close range by Victor Moses.
However, the scenario took a sharp turn against the defending league champions after Spanish star Pedro was sent off for a reckless tackle on Mohamed Elneny and then, Granit Xhaka manoeuvred a crafty set-piece which was utilized well by Sead Kolasinac who headed the ball past Thibaut Courtois. It was eventually down to penalties and misses from Alvaro Morata and Courtois ensured that the Gunners had the last laugh.
Here are our Arsenal player ratings from their well deserving win over Antonio Conte’s troops:
Petr Cech 7/10
The former Chelsea goalkeeper had a decent outing against his former employers as he was superb with his shot-stopping abilities for the larger parts of the game. Further, Cech did well in denying Morata during the penalty shootout.
Rob Holding 6/10
Not a decent outing for the youngster who was sporadic and lacked the requisite attention.
Per Mertesacker 6/10
The big German looked solid early on, but his day was cut short after he went into a clash with Gary Cahill which injured him in the process.
Nacho Monreal 7.5/10
The Spaniard was smart with his attacking endeavours and was reliable at the back at the same time.
Hector Bellerin 6/10
Bellerin might have blistering pace on offer but he lacked the venom in his crosses and undoubtedly, he was not at his best.
Granit Xhaka 8/10
Xhaka orchestrated Wenger’s men with his shrewd and pinpoint passes, and toiled relentlessly. It was his excellence with the set-piece which enabled him to bag an assist.
Mohamed Elneny 7/10
The Egyptian made an impact and kept pressing Chelsea players time and again. His work-ethic was exemplary.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain 7.5/10
Oxlade-Chamberlain kept running up and down on the left side of the pitch and knitted a fine balance between his attacking and defensive duties.
Danny Welbeck 6.5/10
He did the hard work of building the game but failing to garner a strong statement against Courtois when it came to testing the Belgian international with his shots.
Alex Iwobi 7.5/10
Iwobi operated with clear intentions of threatening the Pensioners with his offensive inclination. He looked clever and dangerous but should have done more with the chances he received.
Alexandre Lacazette 7.5/10
Arsenal’s record signing, Lacazette pushed the attack from the deeper areas. Though he failed to find the back of net, it was an inspirational performance from the Frenchman.
Substitutions:
Sead Kolasinac 8.5/10
Came on after Mertesacker, who was pulled out of and Kolasinac did show his strength, grit and perseverance throughout the game. The newcomer is undoubtedly a beast and scored the equalizer for the red half of London.
Olivier Giroud 7/10
Looked good after coming on for Lacazette and sealed the game for Arsenal in the shootout with his well-taken penalty.
Theo Walcott 7/10
Walcott did succeed in creating havocs in Chelsea’s defence after coming on at the expense of Iwobi.
Reiss Nelson: NA
Nelson was brought on after Welbeck was called off with merely two minutes left to play.
