A very anticlimactic London derby between Arsenal and Chelsea ended 0-0 after 90 minutes. The Blues enjoyed the majority of the possession in the second half with over 19 attempts on goal.
With Mesut Ozil unavailable and Jack Wilshere coming off in the 57th minute, Wenger pretty much lost all his attacking threat from the midfield position. Chelsea looked menacing and came very close to scoring from a few well-struck corners. Andreas Christensen had the best chance for Chelsea with two open headers but the youngsters could not convert.
Arsene Wenger’s defensive setup worked out perfectly to hold off the opposition attacks. A draw might be a favourable result for both managers who tried to field their best players after a very short rest period.
Arsenal Player Ratings:
David Ospina – 7/10
A cool and composed showing in between the sticks, the Colombian international was well tested today. He made a few crucial saves and did not allow Chelsea to pick up a single rebound.
Calum Chambers – 8/10
A much better display by the 22-year-old. He marked the backdoor runs of Morata really well and held his discipline in the defensive backline.
Shkodran Mustafi – 7/10
Made a couple of brilliant blocks in the penalty box and maintained the defensive setup throughout the game. A domineering performance from the German.
Rob Holding – 6/10
The 20-year-old’s distribution skills deserve high praise along with a solid shift at the back. He surged forward to link up the attacks whenever required
Hector Bellerin – 5/10
Allowed Christensen to drift off him to get an open chance on goal. The Spaniard provided very little to the side going forward, but was otherwise very energetic from the right flank,
Ainsley Maitland-Niles – 8/10
A lot of offensive freedom for the youngster with the absence of Alexis Sanchez on the right side. He held off Victor Moses very well and closed off the runs of Eden Hazard.
Jack Wilshere – 6/10
A bit fatigued which is expected after a busy Christmas period but still the best creative spark for Arsenal. Had a few loose touches in tight spots giving away possession. However, his through ball in the first half for Lacazette was sublime. Subbed with an ankle problem which Wenger said in the post-game as being not too serious.
Granit Xhaka – 6/10
A decent shift, nothing extraordinary.
Alex Iwobi – 5.5/10
The Nigerian struggled to hold onto possession and could not really open up the opposition defence. Most importantly he was lacking in end product.
Danny Welbeck – 5/10
Relatively poor with the very limited touches he had on the ball, but his tireless work ethic is laudable.
Alexandre Lacazette – 5/10
The Frenchman barely had any chances with one of his shots straying wide from goal. Subbed.
Substitutes:
Alexis Sanchez – 5/10
Other than a well-placed free kick, could not really make a significant impact.
Mohamed Elneny – 6/10
He came on to stop the dominance of Cesc Fabregas and N’Golo Kante around the midfield and did just that. Booked.
