Brighton and Hove Albion entertained Arsenal at the Amex earlier tonight. The home side started the game on the front foot, but the Gunners started to dominate as the match went on. Neither of the teams managed to score in the first-half as they went 0-0 into the interval; however, Arteta made a quick switch to bring on Lacazette in the second-half who went on to beat Sanchez with his first shot to score the only goal of the game. Brighton now find themselves just one spot above the relegation zone whereas the Gunners are now 13th in the table.
Let’s take a look at how each Arsenal player fared during the match against the Seagulls.
Bernd Leno – 8/10
The German shot-stopper made some good saves to keep his side in the game as he backed up his performance with a well deserved clean sheet.
Hector Bellerin – 7/10
Put up a good defensive performance down the right-hand side to prevent Graham Potter’s men from creating any sort of menace. His forward passes were decent as well.
Rob Holding – 7/10
The English centre-back kept things in order at the back as he won some important aerial duels and made some crucial blocks to help his side.
Pablo Mari – 7.5/10
The Spanish centre-half looked calm and confident under pressure as he combined well with Holding to keep things tight defensively. He also made some decisive clearances for the away side.
Kieran Tierney – 6.5/10
The Scottish fullback made a few encouraging runs on the left flank, but his passes into the final third lacked quality. Nonetheless, his defensive contributions were of utmost importance to his side.
Mohamed Elneny – 6.5/10
The Egypt international operated as an auxiliary centre-back for brief parts of the game, especially in the first half. However, he lacked creativity in the opposition half.
Granit Xhaka – 7.5/10
The Swiss midfielder helped the Gunners keep control of the midfield as he won some key duels to retain possession at the centre of the park. His ball distribution was impressive as well.
Bukayo Saka – 8/10
Saka’s performance can be divided into two halves. The English youngster looked callous in possession throughout the first-half as he was dispossessed a couple of times but created a brilliant chance for Aubameyang early into the second half before finally assisting Lacazette with an accurate pass at the 66-minute-mark.
Emile Smith Rowe – 6.5/10
Struggled to create chances for the visitors tonight but put up a decent performance overall.
Gabriel Martinelli – 6/10
The Brazilian international didn’t seem too convincing on the left-hand side as he could hardly be seen on the ball. Had little to no influence on the game and was finally replaced by Lacazette.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang – 6.5/10
The Gabonese striker failed to impress once again as he didn’t get too many chances throughout the game. Was shifted out wide once Lacazette came on. However, he should have buried the chance he got from around 3 yards out.
SUBSTITUTES
Ainsley Maitland-Niles – N/A
Was brought on for Emile Smith Rowe with just a minute of regular time remaining.
Alexandre Lacazette – 8/10
The Frenchman broke the deadlock as he scored with his very first shot of the game. Dropped deep on a couple of occasions to link-up the play.
Dani Ceballos – 6/10
Played some good passes once he came on but that’s all the Spaniard had to offer.
