Temperatures and moods were all negative at Emirates as Arsene Wenger’s men fell to yet another loss, their sixth this year, this week. Manchester City, who were off a high of the League Cup victory, gave the Gunners a lesson as goals from Bernardo Silva, David Silva and Leroy Sane put them three up before the half-time whistle.
It was the first time Arsenal conceded 3 goals in the first half in the PL history at home but they were given a chance to get back into the game when Nicolas Otamendi brought Henrikh Mkhitaryan down early in the second half. But Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang squandered it and made the rest of the game a training exercise for the visitors. Here are the player ratings for the Gunners in this tie:
Arsenal Players Rated And Slated
Petr Cech (5):
Took too many unwanted risks on the night but could not have done much to stop any of the goals.
Hector Bellerin (4):
Struggled to keep up with Leroy Sane on the flank and giving him too much space and also did very little at the other end.
Laurent Koscielny (5):
Was hurried by the City attackers as he had to go back to Cech time and again. Did well to keep Aguero in check but not enough to stop the visitors from scoring.
Shkodran Mustafi (4):
Turned too easily by Aguero on a number of occasions and misplaced quite a number of passes on yet another forgettable night for the German.
Sead Kolasinac (4):
Failed to keep a check on Bernardo Silva and was caught out of position too many times for Arsenal’s liking.
Granit Xhaka (4):
Was almost invisible for most of the game as he failed to keep a check on City’s transition from the back through the middle.
Aaron Ramsey (6):
Was one of the brightest players in Arsenal and tested Ederson on a couple of occasions. Was also willing to put in the hard yards but just not enough against the champions-elect.
Mesut Ozil (3):
A dreadful performance from the German, who was dispossessed almost every time he was on the ball. Failed to create any chance of note and was a part of the reason for Arsenal’s loss.
Henrikh Mkhitaryan (4):
The penalty he won was his best contribution in a game where he failed to establish himself.
Danny Welbeck (6):
Showed some energy and was willing to throw himself about but was not good enough to even test the City defence, who helped themselves to a clean sheet.
Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang (3):
Was deprived of service yet again but did very little when he was on the ball and also missed a penalty that could have spiced up the end of the game.
