Granit Xhaka The Culprit With 1/10 | Arsenal Players Rated In Defeat To Burnley

Arsenal registered their fourth consecutive home defeat in the Premier League following a 1-0 defeat to Burnley this evening. The club’s poor form continues as Granit Xhaka’s red card and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s unfortunate own goal sabotaged their chances of sealing all three points despite a promising performance early in the second half.

Arsenal Players Rated In Defeat To Burnley

Bernd Leno 6/10

Bernd Leno didn’t have much to do for the large parts of the game but couldn’t stop Aubameyang’s header from going in. A missed clean sheet for the German.

Hector Bellerin 5/10

Hector Bellerin didn’t provide much quality down the right flank. The defender wasn’t particularly awful, but one could expect much better from the Spaniard.

Rob Holding 6/10

Rob Holding was solid for the most part of the game. However, the Englishman’s lack of quality in the build-up hurt the pace of Arsenal’s approach play.

Gabriel Magalhaes 6.5/10

Defensively, Gabriel Magalhaes was more than decent as he kept the likes of Chris Wood and Jay Rodriguez at bay. Unfortunately, the Brazilian’s trademark forward balls came few and far between.

Kieran Tierney 6.5/10

Kieran Tierney had a relatively good game down the left-hand side. His influence on the match, however, was limited by some commendable defending from Matthew Lowton.

Mohamed Elneny 6/10

Mohamed Elneny operated as the auxiliary centre-back during the initial stages of the build-up. He was a vital cog in the approach play but almost got Arsenal in trouble with a foul on James Tarkowski.

Granit Xhaka 1/10

A few weeks ago it was Nicolas Pepe – this week, it’s Granit Xhaka, whose impulsive reaction resulted in a red card, effectively killing Arsenal’s chances, just when they seemed destined to score.

Arsenal Players Rated In Defeat To Burnley - Xhaka's red card changed the game.
Referee Graham Scott shows the red card to send off Arsenal’s Swiss midfielder Granit Xhaka (R) during the English Premier League football match between Arsenal and Burnley at the Emirates Stadium in London on December 13, 2020. (Photo by Laurence Griffiths / POOL / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or ‘live’ services. Online in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No video emulation. Social media in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No use in betting publications, games or single club/league/player publications. / (Photo by LAURENCE GRIFFITHS/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

Willian 6/10

Willian tried to make things happen in the final third, making numerous movements in and around the right-hand channel. It appears though, that his inability to take on defenders translated into very little penetration for the home side.

Alexandre Lacazette 5/10

Had an excellent chance in the first-half which he failed to convert. Had to be sacrificed around the hour-mark following Xhaka’s dismissal as he made way for Dani Ceballos.

Bukayo Saka 6/10

Bukayo Saka looked promising at times with his forays into the final third. The Englishman looked much more comfortable in an all-out attacking role but wasn’t involved enough to make an impact.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang 6/10

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang had an abject first-half, though he made amends with a strong start after the restart. The Gabonese international ultimately found the back of the net, but it was not the goal he was hoping for as he beat Leno to score Burnley’s winner.

SUBSTITUTES

Dani Ceballos 5/10

Replaced Lacazette to fill the void left by Xhaka upon his dismissal. Didn’t provide much penetration with his passes.

Ainsley Maitland-Niles 6/10

Replaced Bellerin during the final phase of the game. Offered more energy but to no avail.

Eddie Nketiah N/A

A late replacement for Willian, who didn’t manage to make an impact either.

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