Aston Villa completed their double over Arsenal this season with a narrow 1-0 win at Villa Park this evening. The Gunners didn’t exactly perform badly after a horrendous display against Wolves, but their failures of breaking the opposing defensive line meant they struggled to restore the parity after initially going 1-0 down due to Ollie Watkins’ early strike.
Arsenal Players Rated Against Aston Villa
Mat Ryan 6.5/10
Mat Ryan failed to keep out Watkins’ early effort as the ball deflected off Rob Holding. Did make two good saves later on, in what was his Arsenal debut.
Hector Bellerin 6/10
Hector Bellerin didn’t exactly have a bad game on the far side, but his offensive support was far from impressive. Really a shade of a player he once was, lacking pace and tenacity to cause problems for the opposition.
Rob Holding 6.5/10
Holding had a decent game in the Arsenal backline. He used his imposing presence to keep check of Watkins and co, though the Englishman did have his nervy moments as well.
Gabriel Magalhaes 6.5/10
Gabriel Magalhaes was relatively better than what we have seen in recent matches. The Brazilian got rid of dangerous balls, though he may have done a little better in defending Traore for the goal.
Cedric Soares 5/10
Cedric made the error that led to the Aston Villa opener, with his poor backpass being intercepted by Traore. Looked uncomfortable in the left-back position.
Thomas Partey 6/10
Not the best of games for Thomas Partey, who had difficulties imposing his dominance in the middle of the park. Looked careless, at times too before making way for Willian during the final phase of the game.
Granit Xhaka 6.5/10
An average outing from Granit Xhaka, whose excellent free-kick tested Emiliano Martinez. The Swiss international passed the ball well, but it wasn’t enough to dominate Aston Villa.
Bukayo Saka 7/10
Bukayo Saka was lively in this game, always looking to cook something up in the final third. His link-up play was also impressive, though his efforts weren’t reciprocated by his teammates.
Emile Smith Rowe 6.5/10
A bad day at the office for Emile Smith Rowe, who struggled to influence the game in the number ten position. Needs to do better in the upcoming matches.
Nicolas Pepe 7/10
Nicolas Pepe looked quite confident on the ball, which should be a refreshing sight for any Arsenal fan. He was a tad too selfish at times, but also quite threatening whenever he had the ball. Failed to find a breakthrough, though.
Alexandre Lacazette 6/10
A disappointing outing for Alexandre Lacazette, who struggled to find a clear opening, often getting isolated by the Aston Villa defenders. Looked frustrated to be taken off around the hour-mark.
SUBSTITUTES
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang 6/10
Failed to change the complexion of the game after coming on for Lacazette around the hour-mark. The Gabonese international needs some more game-time to get up to speed.
Martin Odegaard 7/10
Martin Odegaard threaded some decent passes in the final third and had an excellent opportunity to find the back of the net, but his effort went wide of the mark.
Willian 6/10
A late replacement for Partey. Did not make any impact.
