Arsenal endured a frustrating night at the Emirates after being held back by Red Star Belgrade to a goalless draw in their Europa League clash. It was a lacklustre performance from the Gunners who were crying out for a hero to break the shackles against a well-regimented side from Serbia. Arsenal lacked the fluency to open up their opposition and failed to take all 3 points in what was expected to be a pretty straight forward game for them.
Arsenal Players Rated And Slated In Their Frustrating Draw Vs Red Star Belgrade
Matt Macey (8):
Made up for his initial error in an attempted clearance that could have led to a goal by making a few stunning saves. Denied Savic’s header that was destined to hit the back of the net and give the visitors the lead.
Mathieu Debuchy (6):
Found himself too forward up the pitch that let the defence exposed during the counter. Radonjic’s pace caused him all sorts of problem. Was lucky to escape without being punished.
Mohamed Elneny (6.5):
Covered up for Debuchy pretty well and was defensively sound. His passing could have been better having misplaced a few.
Rob Holding (6):
Was dragged out of position a few times. Lacked the composure to pick a pass when he was pressed and put under pressure by the Red Star Belgrade frontline.
Reiss Nelson (6.5):
Deployed at the wing back role, his pace was electric throughout the game. Shame that he could not quite capitalise on his chances. Worked hard to support the attack and fall back quickly.
Francis Coquelin (7):
Did the dirty side of the game to perfection. Broke down a countless number of counter-attacks with his crunch slide tackles and interceptions. Cleaned up ever so well by picking up loose balls. His passing has extremely wavered tonight.
Joseph Willock (6):
A tough night for the teenager. Gave away the ball cheaply a number of occasions. Had one telling contribution after he won the ball high up the field and fed Giroud through on goal that the Frenchman could not capitalise on.
Ainsley Maitland-Niles (6.5):
Much like his teammate Nelson, Niles showed great pace both on and off the ball. The Red Star Belgrade players did extremely well to prevent him crosses from reaching the desired target.
Theo Walcott (6):
A very dry performance from the Englishman. Had little to no impact on the game except for a little spell in the opening minutes of the game where he exchanged quick passes and used his pace.
Jack Wilshere (8):
Arsenal’s best outfield player by a country mile. His deft touches looked elegant and some of his runs from midfield was a treat to watch. Was unfortunate to have his beautifully clipped effort over the keeper be cleared on the line by Savic.
Oliver Giroud (6):
A night of sheer frustration for the striker. Had very little service but when looked far from composed when a couple of chances presented itself.
Substitutes:
Edward Nketiah (6):
Was introduced to try and induce some extra pace in the frontline but was shut down well. Did not have much of an impact in the game
