A clinical performance from an under pressure Arsenal saw Manchester United suffer their first defeat in the Premier League under interim manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. The Gunners notched up a goal apiece in each half to seal the win against the Red Devils. This would come as a revival after their disappointing outing in the Europa League in the midweek tie against Stade Rennais.
Granit Xhaka scored from a long ranger in the first half as David De Gea was beaten by the curve on the shot as the north London club went ahead. Fred’s nudge on Alexandre Lacazette inside the Manchester United box saw the Gunners win a penalty. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang stepped up to beat the blues of the Tottenham Hotspur match and score the second goal of the match to seal all three points for his side.
Here is how the Arsenal players were rated from their win against Manchester United.
Bernd Leno: 8
A great night for the German custodian as he made some very good saves to keep the likes of Rashford and Lukaku from scoring. A clean sheet to boost his confidence.
Sokratis Papastathopoulos: 7
Did well to tackle the opposition players as cleanly as possible and clear the ball from the danger area. Kept a close eye on Rashford throughout the match.
Laurent Koscielny: 7
Brilliant composure from the veteran defender as he brought all his experience into the match to get the better of the opposition attackers. Took a few knocks in the process but looked indomitable.
Nacho Monreal: 7
Played decently in the three men backline and guarded the goal with a lot of energy throughout the match. Looked to sit deep after the goals were scored to restrict Lukaku from taking shots on goal.
Sead Kolasinac: 7
Made some good runs up the pitch to deceive the midfielders. Lacked accuracy in his passing in the attacking end of the pitch.
Granit Xhaka: 8
Dished out a solid performance to break down the attacks in the heart of the pitch. Scored the opening goal of the match with a well-taken long ranger to beat both the wit and reach of De Gea.
Aaron Ramsey: 6
Played well as the foil for Xhaka but looked a little on the back foot while going into challenges against Pogba and Matic. Did a fair job in the absence of Lucas Torreira.
Ainsley Maitland-Niles: 5.5
Tried to go up the pitch but was halted on most occasions by Luke Shaw. Could not do much physically and lost the ball on a few occasions.
Mesut Ozil: 6.5
Looked good in the first half as he made good strides with the ball into the opposition half and passed it around well. Lacked the vigour as the game progressed though.
Alexandre Lacazette: 8
Took the Manchester United defence on throughout the match as his physical approach opened up spaces for shot making. Set Xhaka up with a well-threaded pass to score the first goal while went down in the box after a tussle with Fred to win a penalty for his side. Showed great gesture to let Aubameyang take the spot kick to boost his confidence after the dismay of the Tottenham match.
Pierre-Emerick Aubamenyang: 7
Looked dangerous from the word go as he got the better of the defenders on a number of occasions. Dispatched the spot kick with absolute precision to score the second goal for his side and put the match to bed.
Substitutes
Alex Iwobi: 6
Did well in his limited time on the pitch to deceive the opposition defenders with his wily skills.
Denis Suarez: NA
Played too little to warrant a rating.
Eddie Nketiah: NA
Played too little to warrant a rating.
