Arsenal secured their sixth consecutive victory in the Premier League in a nervy game against Swansea City at home where there was much drama as the hosts were reduced to 10 men. The Gunners managed to hold on and grab all the three points to continue their run.
It was a strange game as it never looked like it would become so nervy in the latter stages but individual mistakes from Arsenal players allowed the opposition to get back into the game and Swansea took their chances to score two goals and fought hard till the end to make the match very entertaining. Let’s look at how the Arsenal players fared out of a total of 10.
Petr Cech (6.5/10)
Was called into action a lot more times in the second half and did well but also made a couple of mistakes which were uncharacteristic of the veteran.
Hector Bellerin (8/10)
Was excellent again in both the areas of the pitch, didn’t pass the ball well particularly but worked very hard and kept it very tight at the back marshaling his flank whilst providing great support in the forward areas
Shkodran Mustafi (7.5/10)
Steady and reliable, Mustafi kept his nerve and composure and showed his worth when the team was a man down. Played some very nice long balls.
Laurent Koscielny (8.5/10)
Absolute rock at the back for the Gunners, the captain led by example making sure the opposition gets nothing out of the game even when they had the upper hand.
Nacho Monreal (7.5/10)
Was given a hard time by Barrow in the second half as Mesut Ozil didn’t offer any kind of support when he was switched on to the flank. The Spaniard did brilliantly to come out on top for most of the occasions however with 5 interceptions, 4 clearances and 3 exceptional blocks.
Santi Cazorla (6/10)
Worked very hard for the team defensively and but couldn’t pass the ball with the intent and accuracy he is used to. Made 5 crucial blocks though and did his part off the ball retaining the team’s shape under pressure
Granit Xhaka (6/10)
Passed the ball with 93% accuracy and made 5 interceptions but made a costly error to gift Swansea their first goal and executed a bad tackle to be sent off in the second half.
Theo Walcott (8.5/10)
Excellent with his passing and link up play, scored two goals and should have had his hat-trick but shot one which came out after striking the inside of the post and then in the dying stages missed a sitter. Another excellent performance from the forward.
Mesut Ozil (7.5/10)
Became the second Arsenal Player to score on his birthday with a stunning volley which ultimately proved to be the difference between the sides. Was surprisingly poor in his passing getting 75% of them right but created 5 chances and also scored one goal.
Alex Iwobi (8/10)
Exciting performance from the youngster who dazzled with his trickery and brilliant passing. Was involved in all the attacking moves virtually till he was on the pitch and completed 4of his 5 attempted takeons.
Alexis Sanchez (8/10)
Tenacious display by the Chilean once again. Brilliantly set up Ozil for his goal and had 8 of his 11 attempted take ons completed. Passed the ball accurately and also created 2 chances for his teammates.
