The match ended 0-0 with a dominating display from Arsenal. They failed to break the West Ham defence even after their 15 attempts on goal. Arsene Wenger’s side continue to fall short on away fixtures with another draw after their last fixture.
Here are the Arsenal player ratings from the encounter.
Petr Cech – 6/10
He had a decent game commanding the side from the back. With a few crucial saves, he almost conceded a goal after Javier Hernandez’s shot ricocheted off the bar in the final minutes of the game.
Hector Bellerin – 6/10
After a tiring game on the weekend, Bellerin did not slack off from his usual duties. He restricted the runs of Arthur Masuaku and did not allow him to roam free down the right flank.
Laurent Koscielny – 6/10
Returning to his natural position as a centre back in the 4 men defence, Koscielny certainly looked more comfortable today. He read the West Ham attacks early and held the back line quite well.
Nacho Monreal -4/10
Naturally accustomed to the left-back position Monreal was left out of his comfort zone today. He failed to read the runs of Marko Arnautovic and Michail Antonio in the penalty box and almost let West Ham take the lead in the second half. The header got ruled out as an offside much to the relief of the Arsenal fans.
Ainsley Maitland-Niles-5/10
The youngster did not disappoint in his first Premier League start for Arsenal and was impressive even after being positioned at an unfamiliar position. However, lack of experience sometimes got the better of him as he lunged into rash challenges to give away possession to the Hammers.
Granit Xhaka – 5/10
Responsible for the defensive duties from the midfield position, he somehow fell well short of his usual standards. His distribution was also below par.
Jack Wilshere – 7/10
Fans were exuberant to see him return to the starting lineup and with just one chance he showed us what he is capable of. With crisp touches at the edge of the box, he took over the attacking setup for Arsenal in the first half and almost broke his way through the West Ham defence. But unfortunately none of them materialised and the match ended 0-0.
Alex Iwobi – 6/10
Not exactly a traditional winger, Wenger chose Iwobi to combine with Ozil and Sanchez and formulate attacks of his own.
Mesut Ozil – 6/10
After the hard fought draw against Southampton, the fatigue was evident in the German as he could not keep up in the later stages of the match. However, he held on and did the needful. With Wilshere behind him, Ozil made a few crucial runs behind the West Ham defence line but to no avail.
Alexis Sanchez – 5/10
The Chilean also was not his energetic self today. With another frustrating loss and precious points dropped, he may just be out on his way from the club.
Olivier Giroud – 6/10
Failure to score a goal always sticks with a striker’s performance in a match but Giroud covered all his other duties well in his first Premier League start of the season. With his ball retention capabilities up top and composed linkup play to create chances for others, the Gunners had a real shot at winning the game.
