It’s been a stop-start season for Arsenal so far with the North London giants aiming for a win at the Emirates tonight against Wolves. A home defeat to Aston Villa followed by a stalemate versus Leeds United put the Gunners under immense pressure ahead of hosting Nuno Espirito Santo’s men. However, there was little reaction from the North London heavyweights who endured yet another shocking defeat following a catastrophic display.
Below are the Arsenal players rated in their disappointing defeat against Wolves.
Arsenal Players Rated In Their Toothless Defeat Against Wolves
Bernd Leno: 6
Made a couple of diving saves, was kept busy by the Wolves forwards throughout. Could have done better to deal with Pedro Neto’s strike which led to Daniel Podence’s winner.
Hector Bellerin: 5.5
Kept on failing with his dribbling attempts and was never allowed to have free run from the right-hand flank. A rare occasion where the Spaniard offered so little going forward.
David Luiz: 5
Did not win a single duel and was vulnerable all the time. Conceded a free-kick that led to Podence’s goal and was being beaten far too easily by the pacy visitors. His early collision with Raul Jimenez led to a cut to the head, and although the centre-half continued unlike the Mexican, Mikel Arteta decided to take him off during the half-time break.
Gabriel: 7.5
Has been towering so far in the Gunners’ defence and the young Brazilian remained the only bright spark tonight in a vulnerable backline. He found an equaliser soon after Pedro Neto’s opener but failed to stop the visitors from restoring the lead late in the first half.
Kieran Tierney: 5
An outing to forget for the Scotsman who struggled all along while performing his defensive duties. Made a few recoveries, whipped in some crosses too, but was having real troubles dealing with Adama Traore’s pace and power down the wide areas.
Dani Ceballos: 5.5
Not his best game in the Arsenal colours as his work rate was minimal, also offered little creativity in the advanced areas. Left a lot of space in the middle of the park and invited trouble far too often.
Granit Xhaka: 5.5
Was on his toes against Joao Moutinho and Leander Dendoncker from the middle. His combative and destructive approach did no favour as the away side kept on pushing him deep with their smart, tidy and swift movements. Made way for Alexandre Lacazette late in the match.
Willian: 7
His cross found Gabriel inside the box who made no mistake in making it 1-1. Whipped in an array of crosses (7) but found the target only once. Was taken off to be replaced by Reiss Nelson around the 65th-minute mark.
Joe Willock: 6.5
Won the most number of duels (11, stats via Fotmob) but was not creative enough as you expect from a ‘number 10’. He is still young, though, and the minutes he is having should help him flourish further in the upcoming weeks.
Bukayo Saka: 6.5
Created a few chances on his own, showed glimpses of his excellence from the left-flank but got dispossessed and lost duels time and again. Was not as influential as the Leeds game from the counter-attacking threats.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang: 5.5
Tough time continues for the prolific attacker who once again had a disappointing game. He had the least touches (23) of any outfield player to play 90 minutes and lacked enough confidence to pull the trigger despite having some key chances on his feet.
Substitutes
Rob Holding: 6.5
His arrival earned the Gunners some stability defensively.
Reiss Nelson: 5.5
Could have earned an equalizer if he had not scooped over Saka’s cross from the byline.
Alexandre Lacazette: NA
Played too little to warrant a rating.
