Arsenal played hosts to Bournemouth at the Emirates Stadium earlier today hoping to pick up maximum points in front of their home supporters. The Gunners began the match on the front foot and took the lead in the 9th-minute courtesy of David Luiz’s header. However, they failed to add to their goal tally before the half-time break.
Both teams fought tooth and nail in the second half but were wasteful in the final third as the contest finished 1-0 in favour of the North London outfit after the full-time whistle.
Let’s take a look at how each Arsenal player fared during the match against the Cherries.
GK: Bernd Leno – 6/10
The German keeper was hardly tested during the game but managed to keep a clean sheet today which will please Unai Emery.
RB: Calum Chambers – 7.5/10
Chambers put in an impressive shift down the right flank. He was defensively sound as well after making two vital interceptions in the second half.
CB: Sokratis Papastathopoulos – 5/10
The Greek defensive ace struggled to cope with Callum Wilson’s pace on the counter and mistimed some of his tackles during the contest. However, he did enough to earn a shutout at the back.
CB: David Luiz – 8/10
The Brazilian defender found the back of the net in the 9th minute to give his team the lead. It was his first goal in Arsenal colours. He passed the ball accurately and was a dominant presence inside his own half.
LB: Sead Kolasinac – 6/10
He did his job when called into action and controlled the game well down the left flank. However, his final delivery left a lot to be desired.
CM: Matteo Guendouzi – 6.5/10
The French youngster put in a tireless shift in midfield but was not too creative with his passing.
CM: Granit Xhaka – 6.5/10
The Swiss international operated in a more deeper role in midfield than usual but managed to help his team earn a rare clean sheet.
RM: Nicolas Pepe – 6/10
The former Ligue 1 star’s corner was what orchestrated Luiz’s goal early on in the contest. He didn’t do much else in the game.
CAM: Daniel Ceballos – 7/10
The Spaniard linked up play well with his teammates but lacked the cutting edge in the final third. His nutmeg in the first half was a sight to behold though.
LM: Bukayo Saka – 6.5/10
The Gunners youngster was bright and energetic down the left-wing. Saka proved once again that he is a prospect to look out for in the future.
ST: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang – 5.5/10
The Gabonese centre-forward was average at best during the game as he failed to continue his prolific goal-scoring run in the Premier League.
Substitutes:
ST: Gabrielle Martinelli – 6/10
The Gunners rising star was brought on to add some energy to the frontline. He ran the channels well and put in a nice little cameo without scoring.
CM: Joe Willock – 6/10
He kept things ticking in midfield.
CM: Lucas Torreira – N/A
There was not enough time for him to make an impact.
