Player Ratings

These are Fresh Football’s ratings for the FA Cup Quarter-Final tie between Chelsea and Manchester United at Stamford Bridge.

Chelsea

Thibaut Courtois – 7

The Belgian came up with a crucial stop in the second period, denying what would have been Manchester United’s equaliser through Marcus Rashford’s left-footed strike at goal.

César Azpilicueta – 6

Impressive at the back, less so going forward.

David Luiz – 7

Luiz was able to boss the circulation of possession, even throughout United’s sharpest spells.

Gary Cahill – 6

Noted as the weak link in Chelsea’s backline, exemplified by the rare surrender of possession in sight of United’s pressing traps, but such pressure was eventually eased on the ex-Bolton Wanderers man.

Victor Moses – 6.5

The former Crystal Palace and Wigan Athletic winger got up and down the flank well, despite it being crowded by a defensive-looking United line-up.

N’Golo Kanté – 8

The man of the match, N’Golo Kanté proved to be the decisive difference between the two FA Cup hopefuls with his goal from range.

Nemanja Matic – 6.5

Positive and tidy in possession, which boded well for Chelsea’s game plan in the second half.

Marcos Alonso – 6.5

Another to put in a decent performance, as his influence on proceedings grew in the second half.

Willian – 7

Sharp, direct and unlucky not to have earned himself a goal and assist along the way.

Eden Hazard – 8

Along with Kanté, Eden Hazard was as expressive as ever in the final third, escaping the aggressive press-traps from Man United and inflicting lasting damage.

Diego Costa – 5.5

This wasn’t the Diego Costa we’ve become accustomed to seeing in recent times, taking the bait when embroiling himself in physical battles with Marcos Rojo and missing a couple of dead-cert goals on another day.

Subs:

Cesc Fabregas – 6

Accentuated Chelsea’s dominance after coming on in the second half.

Kurt Zouma – N/A

Michy Batshuayi – N/A

Manchester United

David De Gea – 7.5

The Spaniard was the main reason why Manchester United kept Chelsea away from the lead in the first half, as the Blues dominated proceedings following Ander Herrera’s red card.

Antonio Valencia – 5

Plenty of fouls coming from a man who was visibly frustrated with his team’s performance. Antonio Valencia was a poorer player, as a result.

Phil Jones – 6

The Englishman was fairly sound at pressing higher up the pitch in the early stages, but Eden Hazard and co. soon had his number, as he succumbed to mistimed tackles.

Chris Smalling – 6

Few complaints hang over the centre back’s head as far as the result is concerned, but as a captain, and United boss José Mourinho also joins him in this equation, Chris Smalling perhaps could have done more to prevent his teammates from losing their cool in battle.

Marcos Rojo – 5

Rash and aggressive, Marcos Rojo was another to tread on a fine line with regards to his discipline.

Matteo Darmian – 5.5

Mirroring Phil Jones’ duties in pressing a little higher up the pitch, almost like a fourth centre back, Darmian also collected his fair share of failed attempts.

Ander Herrera – 5

Man United fans may bemoan Michael Oliver’s decision to red card the midfielder in the first half, especially after such a positive impact in the early exchanges, but the visitors should also be disappointed in Herrera’s foolish actions just seconds after the referee’s general warning.

Paul Pogba – 5

Little inspiration came from the French playmaker, in particular after being paired up with Marouane Fellaini.

Ashley Young – 4.5

Totally retracted, whereas Chelsea’s preference to attack down their own left-hand side saw Young come into the picture at a sporadic rate.

Henrikh Mkhitaryan – 5

Appeared fairly lively in and around the box, but the Armenian star was the one to be hooked early in response to Herrera’s red card.

Marcus Rashford – 5.5

Kept Chelsea on their toes, but the striker will be disappointed to have not finished a very good chance he managed to fashion for himself in the second period.

Subs:

Marouane Fellaini – 4.5

The Belgian never got into the game, much to United’s detriment.

Jesse Lingard – N/A

David Ospina – 7

Calm and collective, showing why he deserves more minutes in the Premier League. Despite conceding five goals in the second half, he was at mistake for none.

Hector Bellerin – 8

Had a very average first half, couple of poor passes/touches but was always looking to get into attacking positions. Much the same in the second half struggled when Arsenal down to 10 men.

Shkodran Mustafi – 7

Solid defensively and played an immense pass in the 33rd minute which led to a chance for Walcott. Was rather poor in the second half, miss placed many passes which led to goals and was a liability. A game of two halves for the German.

Laurent Koscielny – 6

Very mature and solid first half, as always by the Frenchman. A red card in the 50 minute and conceded a penalty, which has to be said was very harsh.

Nacho Monreal – 7

Was left isolated one-on-one with Arjen Robben and struggled at times, was always an outlet going forward. Struggled massively in the second half with Bayern’s fire power.

Aaron Ramsey – 8

Superb first half, pressing the Bayern midfield/defence and always driving the Gunners forward, a couple wayward passes/shots, though. Was one of the top performers for Arsenal and was subbed due to precaution on his calf injury, no doubt.

Granit Xhaka – 7.5

Great display in the first half, was playing some nice and tidy passes whilst staying defensively sound, needs to ensure he doesn’t press high up, though, he did get caught out. Second half he spent most of it at CB, was good and always looked to play football the correct way; which did lead to a few mistakes.

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain – 9

Was Arsenal’s best player on the pitch in the first half, a complete revolution in the CM position. Bayern was scared everytime he was in possession. Much the same in the second half, utterly breathtaking performance. Why oh why has he not been given a new contract thus far? his future is at CM and the Gunners need to ensure it is with them.

Theo Walcott – 8

Scored a great goal in the 20th minute and was absolutely fantastic going forward, he gave David Alaba a very tough opening 45 minutes with a supreme display. Could have arguably had a penalty after a challenge by Alonso too. Vice versa the second half, superb all round game. Was unfortunate not to score 2 or 3 goals.

Olivier Giroud – 5

Had a good chance in the opening 15 minutes and was a good option for Arsenal to go direct, another good performer in the first half. Very quiet before being subbed off in the second half.

Alexis Sanchez – 4

Despite some excellent passes, Sanchez was poor in the first half. He left Monreal isolated and just did not look himself. Second half he was poor, did not track back nor look interested. Yes, Alexis is Arsenal’s best player, but if he continues to laugh on the bench when his side are losing 5-1 then he can go. Oh, but thats passion isnt it? no. Poor performance and attitude.

All the Arsenal players rated for their performance vs. Liverpool below. 

Petr Cech – 4
Couldn’t do much about the goals, didn’t do anything positive to catch the eye, though.

Hector Bellerin – 6
A quick option down the Arsenal right and they utilised him more in the second half. His delivery could’ve been a bit better when in attacking situations.

Laurent Koscielny – 6
Not the best showing from Koscielny, who, like most of the team, was at sea in the first half.

Skhodran Mustafi – 7
Was part of Arsenal’s defensive shambles in the first half, but I think he had a good game overall. Made some important tackles and going forward he delivered some good passes, almost leading to goals. Some good interceptions to stop a fast Liverpool attacking force.

Nacho Monreal – 4
Really struggled to deal with Mane’s pace and trickery. For the 2nd goal he was completely out of position, leaving Mane unmarked to bury the second goal. That was unforgivable for a player with his experience.

Francis Coquelin – 2
When was his last good game? A horrific performance, losing the ball regularly and picking up a yellow card before being hauled off at half time.

Granit Xhaka – 4
Xhaka struggled to deal with the pace of Liverpool. He was better in possession than Coquelin but that wasn’t hard. Improved in the second half when Ox was his partner.

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain – 5
The Ox was put on the wing, weirdly considering his recent performances centrally. Was poor in the first half, moved central in the second half and improved.

Alex Iwobi – 2
Like Coquelin, was truly woeful. Two players who have been very poor in recent weeks, but two players who continue to be selected in the line up. It’s baffling, one of several baffling decisions Arsene Wenger continues to make.

Danny Welbeck – 7.5
A good performance from Welbeck. He offers power and pace and his 2nd half goal gave the Arsenal team hope and lifted everyone’s performance. He is perhaps our most in form player at the moment, which is quite worrying considering he has been out for a year.

Olivier Giroud – 4
Tested Mignolet once with a decent header, held the ball up a few times, but ultimately he was ineffective.

Subs

Alexis Sanchez – 7
Why was he on the bench? You’d have to guess something has happened behind the scenes because it just doesn’t make sense. He came on and completely changed the dynamic for Arsenal, and he notched an assist for Welbeck’s goal.

Lucas Perez – 5
Will have felt aggrieved not to have started the game, but was given 20 minutes at the end. Struggled to do anything of note.

Theo Walcott – 5
Like Lucas, came on for the last 20 minutes. Was ineffective aside from producing a run that should have resulted in Emre Can being sent off, but the ref bottled the decision.

These are Fresh Football’s ratings for the EFL Cup final between Manchester United and Southampton.

Manchester United

David De Gea – 6.5

Made a couple of decent saves throughout the encounter, with the Spaniard left with little chance in stopping the other two Southampton strikes in a 3-2 win.

Antonio Valencia – 6.5

Solid and active down the right flank, particularly towards the end of the game.

Eric Bailly – 5.5

Not the best showing in a United shirt, offering a few moments of unease when in possession and struggling to cope with Manolo Gabbiadini’s presence inside the box.

Chris Smalling – 6

Slightly better than his centre back duo, but, again, hardly the convincing performance José Mourinho will have been hoping for in a final.

Marcos Rojo – 5

Stranded and in real trouble out on the left-hand side of United’s defence, as Cedric and Dusan Tadic caused problems for periods of the game. Subsequently, the Argentine offered very little going forwards, too.

Ander Herrera – 5.5

Outfought for periods of the game, as the Saints swamped the midfield, but Herrera did eventually come up with the pass of the match when assisting Zlatan Ibrahimovic for the win.

Paul Pogba – 6.5

Struggled with the intensity of Southampton’s game for large periods, but once Claude Puel’s side waned, the Frenchman grew into the game to regain some control for United.

Juan Mata – 4.5

Ineffective throughout his 45-minute showing, which is why Mourinho saw him as the strongest candidate to make way for Michael Carrick at half-time.

Jesse Lingard – 6

Hit a big goal for United, but aside from that, there was little else to take note of, minus a lot of running.

Anthony Martial – 5

Lively and threatening when given space to attack, but the Frenchman was very rarely afforded the opportunities to do so.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic – 7.5

The match-winner for United, as he put the Red Devil’s ahead in the first half with a free-kick. Having lost many of his fair-share of battles against the Saints’ defensive duo, the Swede had the last laugh with the winning goal deep into the final stages of the game.

Subs

Michael Carrick – 6

Helped regain some sort of control and method to United’s play, as Southampton relinquished their dominance.

Marcus Rashford – N/A

Marouane Fellaini – N/A

Southampton

Fraser Forster – 5

Could have done better to stop Ibrahimovic’s goal from a free kick, although the wall also didn’t offer a great deal of help to the former Celtic man either.

Cedric Soares – 7.5

A quality performance from the Portugal international, who found Gabbiadini for the one-touch finish on two separate occasions, despite only one of them counting in accordance to the linesman’s flag.

Maya Yoshida – 7

The Southampton old-timer led by example up against Ibrahimovic at the heart of a depleted defensive sector.

Jack Stephens – 6.5

Bar a couple of costly mistakes in two of United’s three goals, Stephens but up a fight in front of Forster’s goal.

Ryan Bertrand – 6.5

A decent performance from the ex-Chelsea full back, both going forwards and backwards.

Oriol Romeu – 7.5

Took on the heavy duty of destroying United’s play and did so very well, despite being yellow carded early on.

Steven Davis – 7

A big effort from the Saints captain, who helped Romeu in his defensive duties to great success.

James Ward-Prowse – 6.5

One moment he was wide, the next closing down through the middle – a tricky role for the young midfielder, but he executed it quite well.

Dusan Tadic – 5

Despite a handful of decent deliveries from set-pieces, the Serbian playmaker can feel a little disappointed with himself in the final third.

Nathan Redmond – 8.5

A strong contender for Man of the Match, irrespective of being on the losing side, Redmond was at the heart of plenty of positive moves created by Puel’s side.

Manolo Gabbiadini – 8.5

Up there with Redmond, the ex-Napoli and Sampdoria man took his chances brilliantly when they came, as his hot streak with the South Coast club continues.

Subs

Sofiane Boufal – 5

In to refresh Southampton’s attacking sector, but Boufal ended up seeing very little of the ball.

Shane Long – N/A

Jay Rodriguez – N/A

These are Fresh Football’s player ratings for Manchester City’s 5-3 win in the UEFA Champions League at home to AS Monaco:

Manchester City

Willy Caballero – 7

A victim of Pep Guardiola’s expansive system, Willy Caballero constantly found himself in trouble with his short deliveries, but the Argentine was able to show his true qualities with a penalty save and a crucial stop in the final stages of the game versus Radamel Falcao.

Bacary Sagna – 5

Not quite as solid as he’s so often proven to be, which will stand as a disappointment for the Frenchman.

John Stones – 6.5

A mismatch for Falcao in Monaco’s third of the night, but the Englishman redeemed himself when placing City ahead at 4-3.

Nicolas Otamendi 4

Poor for both Mbappe’s goal and the foul that subsequently earned Monaco a penalty at 2-1, which was eventually missed by Falcao.

Fernandinho 4.5

He’ll have better games, perhaps a consequence of being, rather surprisingly, deployed at left back.

Yaya Toure – 6

Good in possession, but massively outnumbered in midfield.

David Silva – 7

Close to no contribution defensively, as expected, but Silva found all the right pockets and passes going forward.

Kevin De Bruyne – 7

Did his fair share of running and was typically good in the final third.

Raheem Sterling – 8

Sharp, direct and with a goal and assist to his name. Sterling’s fine form under Guardiola continues.

Leroy Sané – 8

Another who is beginning to thrive at City, bagging a terrific assist for Sterling’s opener and killing the game off eith the hosts’ fifth goal of the night.

Sergio Agüero – 9

A real menace with his runs in behind, as he brought City level on two separate occasions. A priceless performance.

Subs

Pablo Zabaleta – 6.5

A positive switch for City, cementing the defence somewhat and offering greater confidence for Guardiola’s man to charge after the desired result.

Jesus Navas – N/A

Fernando – N/A

AS Monaco

Danijel Subasic – 4

Disappointing stuff from the Croatian number one, who might have been lucky not to give away a penalty in the first half and offered City a way in with a clanger for Aguero’s goal.

Djibril Sidibe – 7

A little clumsy in places, but the right back’s anticipation and quality of passes shun through his imperfections.

Kamil Glik – 5

The better half of the two centre backs, but Glik won’t be looking forward to facing Agüero in a hurry.

Andrea Raggi – 4

Showed his age, as he struggled with that pass in behind to City’s forward line all night.

Benjamin Mendy – 6.5

Didn’t link up as nicely as he has done with Thomas Lemar during the current campaign, but his deliveries from wide areas were brilliant.

Bernardo Silva – 7

The diminutive playmaker put his dribbling traits on show, but tired towards the end.

Fabinho – 6.5

Decent, but another who lost influence as the game went on.

Tiemoué Bakayoko – 8

There are a handful of top Premier League clubs with their eyes on the box-to-box midfielder and it was easy to see why. A capable match against Yaya Toure’s imposing figure, Bakayoko read the game well and didn’t stop doing so until the final whistle.

Kylian Mbappé – 7

The next big thing out of Monaco’s ranks, the 18-year-old provided a threat in behind and even bagged a goal for himself to undoubtedly increase his stock.

Radamel Falcao – 8.5

In hot form domestically, the Colombian carried his good habits over to the European stage with two excellent goals, despite also missing a penalty.

Subs

Valerie Germain – N/A

João Moutinho – N/A

Arsenal were far from their best but they managed a professional 2-0 win against non-League Sutton United to move into the quarter-finals of the FA Cup. Here’s how their players rated.

David Ospina – 5

Didn’t make a save, but did look nervy when balls were lofted into the box, one particular flap attempt almost ended in disaster. Also passed the ball straight to a Sutton player.

Gabriel – 6

Nothing to do for much of the game, but got forward more than some may have expected, that was a positive and helped Arsenal retain the ball high up the pitch.

Skhodran Mustafi – 7

Thought it was a really strong performance from Mustafi, he was obviously up against much worse players than usual, but he needed to put in a commanding performance after the horror show in Bayern.

Rob Holding – 6.5

Holding was good for the most part, very composed on the ball. His one error was nearly punished, but other than that, another 90 minutes under his belt.

Nacho Monreal – 6

Dropped for Gibbs recently, Monreal had a quiet game – but did what he had to do and picked up an assist for Walcott’s goal.

Granit Xhaka – 7

A good controlling performance from Xhaka, one of the few to stand out for his passing, long and short, helped to keep Arsenal in control of the game. He also picked up an assist for the first goal.

Mohammed Elneny – 5

Off at half time, Elneny picked up an injury in the first half and had a very quiet game before that.

Jeff Rene-Adelaide – 3

Really poor from Jeff and one of the main negatives from the night. He tried too much and was rightly brought down to his level by some strong tackles from Sutton players.

Theo Walcott – 6

Very quiet performance, he managed to get his 100th goal for the club which will be a weight off his shoulders, but he needed to do more really against a lower league side.

Alex Iwobi – 4

Really poor from Iwobi, he has been extremely quiet in recent matches and his struggles continued tonight as he didn’t manage to get to grips with the quick, artificial pitch.

Lucas Perez – 7

Lucas was one of Arsenal’s brightest sparks, working hard offensively and defensively and getting his reward by scoring the opening goal. It may have been a cross, but it was whipped in with conviction and the Spaniard got his reward.

These are Fresh Football’s ratings for Arsenal’s 2-0 victory at home to Hull City in the Premier League.

Petr Čech – 7

With pressure on the veteran shot-stopper after last week’s debacle at Stamford Bridge, Čech responded with two very good saves from Oumar Niasse attempts to keep the Gunners in control.

Héctor Bellerín – 6.5

A decent display from the young Spaniard, who found himself in goalscoring positions on a couple of occasions, meanwhile also managing Hull’s new boy Kamil Grosicki.

Shkodran Mustafi – 6

A relatively stress-free day for Mustafi, who instead saw Niasse look to initiate attacks from the right-hand side of Hull’s attack.

Laurent Koscielny – 6

Had a lively iteration of Niasse and, at times, Lazar Markovic to deal with too, which the Frenchman did with varied success, as well as being a key figure in Arsenal’s initial construction of play.

Kieran Gibbs – 6

The left back was very good in associative play, a differing threat he holds over current mainstay Nacho Monreal, but there were a few moments in which he struggled to take care of Markovic that will stand as a concern surrounding his bid to start more often for Arsenal.

Francis Coquelin – 6.5

Far better from one of Arsenal’s under-fire figures, picking out carefully plotted tackles to commence counter-attacks in ways few others know how to replicate.

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain – 7

‘The Ox’ demonstrated a real eye for the final ball on occasions, which is sure to strengthen the case made for his transition into the centre of midfield.

Alex Iwobi – 6

Typically pleasing in and around the box, as Arsenal looked to crack down an in-form Hull side.

Mesut Özil – 6

He’ll have seen better days, by his standards, as he appeared to constantly be on the receiving end of an imperfect pass, when it wasn’t him who was providing them himself. Lively, however, which always bodes well going forwards.

Theo Walcott – 5.5

The link-ups in Arsenal’s attack were actively present, but throughout the Gunners’ greatest periods going forwards, Walcott very rarely came into the equation.

Alexis Sanchez – 7

Undoubtedly Arsenal’s key figure throughout the game, Alexis wrapped up his decent showing with both of the North Londoners’ goals to his name.

Subs:

Mohamed Elneny – 6

Tightened the game up alongside Coquelin in the second period, with Wenger sure to be pleased to have the Egyptian back at his disposal.

Lucas Perez – N/A

Danny Welbeck – N/A

Hull City

Eldin Jakupović – 5

The Hull goalkeeper cut a sorry figure in the lead-up to Arsenal’s killer blow in the dying moments of the game, as he recklessly abandoned his goal and basically left San Clucas resigned to blocking Perez’s header with his arm, as Mark Clattenburg pointed to the spot.

Omar Elabdelloui – 4.5

The ex-Olympiakos man never got anywhere near the likes of Iwobi, Alexis and Gibbs.

Andrea Ranocchia – 4.5

Another to suffer at the hands of Arsenal’s mobile attack, with the Gunners unlucky not to convert a couple of chances a lot earlier than Alexis’ controversial opener.

Harry Maguire – 5

A key figure in Hull’s recent renaissance, the ball-playing defender was unable to be as effective as he has been in recent weeks, as the Tigers struggled to get out of their own half for prolonged periods of the game.

Andrew Robertson – 6

Kept Walcott quiet and offered an outlet at the other end.

Tom Huddlestone – 5

Often so crucial to Hull’s game, Huddlestone was unable to get a grip of things in the centre of the park, limiting the away side somewhat.

Sam Clucas – 5

Another who never managed to impact the game from the middle, as a late red card wrapped things up for the playmaker.

Alfred N’Diaye – 6.5

The towering figure of the ex-Villarreal and Sunderland man began to impose himself as the game went on, often providing well-timed passes to the flanks on the break. A good start to his Hull career.

Lazar Markovic – 6.5

Not the best going backwards, but given space, Markovic really did come to life on the counter.

Kamil Grosicki – 5.5

The Poland international promised a lot with his first few involvements, but his impact gradually faded at the expense of Markovic starring.

Oumar Niasse – 6

In good form, the striker might well have added to the hype had it not been for Čech on a couple of occasions.

Subs:

Ahmed Elmohamady – 5

Replacing Ebdellaoui, Elmohamady did at least provid a greater threat down the right flank, but in turn, plenty of gaps were also left behind him.

Evandro – N/A

Adama Diomandé – N/A

Here are the Arsenal player ratings for the match against Chelsea.

Petr Cech – 0
The pundits gave him no criticism but he was poor for Alonso’s opener, with a terrible reaction speed once the ball had hit the bar. He made no effort to get up to challenge Alonso and then watched the ball sail past him into the net. The second goal was brilliance from Hazard but Cech went down too early and the third goal was completely his fault. He’s past it.

Hector Bellerin – 5
Should’ve been stronger to challenge Alonso for the opening goal. Injured in the process and subbed off, didn’t have a chance to redeem himself, hence the 5.

Shkodran Mustafi – 6
Was a decent performance from Mustafi. Had a good chance to fire Arsenal back into the game with a header at 2-0, wasted it. Overall his handling of Costa was good.

Laurent Koscielny – 6
Like Mustafi, Koscielny helped nullify the threat of Costa throughout the game but it wasn’t really Costa that caused the problems for the Gunners.

Nacho Monreal – 4
Poor from him again. Arsenal need a new left back, but for now, Kieran Gibbs surely deserves a run in the team. He really cannot do much worse than the Spaniard has in recent weeks.

Francis Coquelin – 2
Shocking. Truly shocking. I’m not his biggest fan but today he reached new lows. Terrible on the ball, constantly caught in possesion and was at fault for both the first and second goal. Xhaka might have some weak points but he is certainly better than this guy.

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain – 6
To be fair to him, he was one of the better Arsenal players on the afternoon. He tried throughout, working hard to attack and defend, and it was good to see a bit of passion from one of the player. More like that are needed if Arsenal are to even finish in the top 4 this season.

Mesut Ozil – 4
So disappointed with him. The German barely showed up again. He was one of Arsenal’s brighter players at times, but that really is not saying much. In the second half he was really really poor.

Alex Iwobi – 4
A good young player, but out of his depth in this game. He’s extremely indecisive and got caught on the ball far too often for someone who was supposed to keep the Arsenal team ticking.

Theo Walcott – 2
Did he even play? A shocking anonymous performance from Walcott once again. It’s too often we are saying things like this about Walcott, his time is up.

Alexis Sanchez – 3
Ran around a lot, but tried too hard and did pretty much nothing offensively to help us. Although he was bright at the start, after Chelsea scored their 1st goal he was barely involved.

Subs

Gabriel – 4
Terrible. Defensively all over the place at right back when he came on and had a great chance to make it 1-1 in the first half, but directed his header right at Courtois.

Olivier Giroud – 6.5
Scored a late consolation

Danny Welbeck – 6.5
A bright spark for Arsenal. He needs to be starting future matches, a big and important player.

These are Fresh Football’s ratings for Arsenal’s 2-1 defeat at home to Watford in the Premier League.

Arsenal

Petr Čech – 6

There was little the veteran could have done to have prevented Watford sinking two goals past him, whereas he stood up to be counted on a couple more occasions that the visitors threatened Arsenal’s goal.

Gabriel Paulista – 5.5

The Brazilian will take his slice of the blame for Watford’s second goal after a miscalculated throw-in to Aaron Ramsey, but the Brazilian did improve in the second period.

Shkodran Mustafi – 5.5

The German’s infamous invincibility record in an Arsenal shirt finally came to an end, with him cutting a sorry figure in the lead-up to Troy Deeney’s goal.

Laurent Koscielny – 6

Somewhat powerless in both Watford strikes, whereas he was often the man Arsenal were reduced to looking for when building from the back effectively.

Nacho Monreal – 6.5

Put on a decent tussle with Watford’s Daryl Janmaat on the flank, proving to be far from culpable in a night of disappointment for the Gunners.

Francis Coquelin – 4.5

Not a game the Frenchman will want to look back on in a hurry. He was dominated by Watford’s presence in the centre, meanwhile struggling in possession, so much so that Arsenal took the gamble midway through the second period to make do without him.

Aaron Ramsey – 4

Summing up Arsenal’s start to the game, Ramsey deflected Younes Kaboul’s free-kick into his own net prior to giving up possession in the lead-up to Deeney’s goal. Visibly incompatible next to Coquelin, Ramsey’s night was concluded with an injury. Royal Ascot 2017 is on its way, hopefully you’ll have more luck their than Arsenal do with injuries.

Alex Iwobi – 7

Starting on the right, before being switched out onto the left and ending up in a central pairing, it was Iwobi’s goal that offered Arsenal hope in the second half. The Nigerian gradually lost his handle on the game, however, in a makeshift coupling with Chamberlain.

Mesut Özil – 6

Involved in some eye-opening Arsenal moves, the German just didn’t see enough of the ball in habitual areas throughout particular periods of the game, largely down to the Gunners’ inability to play out from the back effectively.

Alexis Sanchez – 6.5

The Chilean forced Arsenal’s issue hard, of which Iwobi benefitted from when pulling the game back to 2-1, but it was a largely unsuccessful display by the forward.

Olivier Giroud – 5.5

If Özil didn’t see enough of the ball, you can imagine the count on Giroud’s imprint on the game. The Frenchman didn’t return for the second half, as the Gunners turned to Theo Walcott.

Subs:

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain – 6.5

The Englishman, after a big performance against Southampton on Saturday, demonstrated Arséne Wenger may have been wrong to overlook him in a central role prior to replacing the injured Ramsey. Despite helping regain some form of control, ‘The Ox’ picked up a knock during the second half and saw his impact shrink.

Theo Walcott – 5.5

On for Giroud as the game resumed, Walcott stretched Watford’s defence and threatened to turn the tables in Arsenal’s favour, but spurned a few good opportunities to do so.

Lucas Perez – 6

The substitution itself, replacing Coquelin, may not have been timed to perfection, as Chamberlain’s knock shortly after saw Arsenal lose their grip on a chase to equalise, but the Spaniard came agonisingly close to doing so with a shot thundering off the bar.

Watford

Heurelho Gomes – 7

The Brazilian shot-stopper made a handful of good saves against the likes of Iwobi and Walcott, crucial on a night like tonight.

Craig Cathcart – 5.5

The defender had a fairly serene first period, but with Iwobi on his case in the second half, he almost crumbled.

Younes Kaboul – 6.5

With an important, yet fortuitous goal to his name, Kaboul completed his night with a reasonably solid performance at the other end.

Sebastian Prödl – 6.5

Assisted Kaboul in keeping Giroud under wraps, and meanwhile the defensive pair came close to unravelling in the second half, the Austrian kept composed in moments of intense pressure.

Miguel Britos – 5

Theo Walcott caused the Uruguayan all sorts of issues, whereas the ex-Napoli man caused his own problems on occasions with indecisiveness inside the box.

Daryl Janmaat – 6

Put in a shift on the right flank, backing up both attacking and defensive phases.

Valon Behrami – 6.5

Anchoring the midfield, Behrami aided the early midfield domination through habitual aggressiveness.

Tom Cleverley – 7

Typically good at going box-to-box en route to a solid first half performance.

Etienne Capoue – 7.5

Watford’s key man on the night, proving to be a big player in the middle and the chief creator of the visitors’ eventual killer blow in the game.

Mbaye Niang – 6.5

A decent debut that saw the ex-A.C. Milan forward tire heavily towards the end, but his potential partnership with Deeney looks promising.

Troy Deeney – 7.5

Another key performer in Watford’s night of success at the Emirates Stadium, scoring their second of the night and working tirelessly towards victory.

Subs:

Abdoulaye Doucoure – 6

A smart change by Watford, as the Frenchman re-energised their midfield and took the sting out of Arsenal’s suffocating resurrection.

Isaac Success – 5.5

On to freshen up the flanks and add bite to any potential Watford counter-attack, but that chance never came.

Liverpool

Simon Mignolet – 7

Was caught off guard for Luiz’s free kick and was not watching even though the whistle was blown. Made a good save from a Willian free-kick but had a relatively quiet first half. Saved Costa’s penalty in the 76th minute to keep the scores level.

Nathaniel Clyne – 6

Showed great drive in offensive situations but was very wasteful in possession, good defensively when called upon.

Joel Matip – 6

Looked shaky all evening and gave away a penalty in the second half after fouling Diego Costa but was saved his blushes after Mignolet made a fine save.

Dejan Lovren – 7

Was not overly worked in both halves as Liverpool were the more attacking team, but still managed to keep Diego Costa at bay.

James Milner – 7

Struggled in the first half but got in behind the Chelsea defence and grabbed an assist for Wijnaldum’s header and was much more efficient in the second half.

Emre Can – 5

Had a very quiet first half, struggled to help Liverpool break down Chelsea and failed to make an impact again in the second half in a rather poor showing.

Jordan Henderson – 6

Despite a bright opening 15 minutes, the Liverpool captain struggled to help control the midfield battle throughout the match.

Georginio Wijnaldum – 8

Had a great shot outside the box in the 11th minute and was one of the more promising players in the first half. Scored in the 57th minute to level the scoreline and had a very positive all-round game.

Adam Lallana – 6

Considering he has been so influential for Liverpool this season, he had a very quiet game and struggled somewhat to make anything happen.

Roberto Firmino – 6

Missed a golden chance in the 48th minute, should have scored and showed much more composure and much like most of Liverpool’s attacking trio, had a very quiet night for his standards.

Philippe Coutinho – 5

Much like Eden Hazard, Coutinho had a very quiet evening but did try and press the Chelsea backline in the second half. Was subbed off for Mane in the second half.

Chelsea

Thibault Courtois – 6

Made a good save early on to deny Wijnaldum but had next to nothing to do for the rest of the first half, Wijnaldum finally got the better of him with a header in the second half which helped the Reds get a point.

Cesar Azpilicueta – 6

Had a very quiet first half but was defensively sound when relied upon, much the same in the second half as he helped grind out a point.

David Luiz – 9 (MOTM)

Scored a wonder free-kick in the 24th minute and was excellent defensively and knew when to step into midfield to help build-up play from the back, much the same in the second half despite being under extreme pressure.

Gary Cahill – 7

Had a solid defensive performance throughout and kept the Liverpool attacking threat at bay despite being under pressure for most of the second half.

Victor Moses – 7

Was the more busier wing-back out of the two, both attacking and defensively. Moses did get himself into good positions in the final third but was very wasteful.

N’golo Kante – 8

As always, covered every single blade of grass, was everywhere on the pitch, broke up play, kept things ticking and his high level of energy showed for Chelsea, another good performance by the Frenchman.

Nemanja Matic – 6

Again, much like Alonso, he has a very quiet evening but done enough to help his side take a point. Was ok in possession and was always solid defensively.

Marcos Alonso – 6

Had a very quiet evening in both phases but did not play badly, just was not exceptional either. That said, done well in possession and was committed as always.

Willian – 6

In the 28th minute he nearly scored a free-kick which goes all the way through the box and was unlucky not to be tapped in by David Luiz. Had a somewhat quiet night after that.
Diego Costa – 6

Struggled to get into the game in the first half but was always making runs in behind the Liverpool defence. Missed a penalty in the 76 minute which could have won the game, an off night for the Chelsea hit man.

Eden Hazard – 5

Had a very quiet evening, to the extent where I forgot he was actually playing. Was subbed off after 70 minutes.

These are Fresh Football’s player ratings for Arsenal’s 5-0 victory away to Southampton in Saturday night’s fourth round tie of the FA Cup:

Southampton

Harry Lewis – 5

A little helpless up against Arsenal’s attacking force, but the young goalkeeper won’t be satisfied with himself after a portion of the goals he conceded.

Cuco Martina – 5.5

Produced a quality opportunity for Shane Long to pull a goal back for Southampton, but, moreover, struggled with the inspired Danny Welbeck on the night.

Florian Gardos – 5

Back after a lengthy spell on the sidelines, the defender had his work cut out against the pace and creativity of Welbeck, Lucas Perez and Theo Walcott.

Jack Stephens – 5

Much like Gardos, Stephens always looked second best against Arsenal’s on-song attack.

Sam McQueen – 5.5

Sam McQueen was another who struggled greatly with the pace of the Gunners’ attacking transitions, with Walcott and Hector Bellerin both marauding down his flank.

Pierre-Emile Højbjerg – 6

Perhaps Southampton’s best on the night, despite struggling to place his stamp on the game, but the former Bayern Munich hotshot did threaten Arsenal’s goal on occasions.

Harrison Reed – 5

The Southampton academy graduate was totally dominated and ineffectual versus his midfield counterparts.

Jordy Clasie – 5

Along with Reed, the ex-Feyenoord star looked dwarfed versus a newly-constructed Arsenal midfield, which will stand as a great disappointment to Claude Puel’s side given the vast first-team experience the 25-year-old has to his name.

Josh Sims – 6

The 19-year-old was in and around a handful of Southampton attacking phases, but lacked a bit of finesse when called upon.

Lloyd Isgrove – 5

The wide man looked lively in pressing and causing the Arsenal defence into decisions, but didn’t see enough of the ball to make a noteworthy impact.

Shane Long – 5.5

Feeding off scraps, Long was reduced to just one half-chance versus David Ospina, which was dealt with by the Colombia international.

Subs:

Dusan Tadic – 5

The Saints turned to one of their key performers to salvage something from the game in the 64th minute, but the tide was too much for the Serbian to overcome.

Nathan Redmond – 5

Another who Puel had hoped for inspiration, as his side sunk to a 5-0 defeat.

Arsenal

David Ospina – 5.5

The erratic goalkeeper offered a few scares and miscalculations, but with a clean sheet to his name, it’s one to brush off for the moment.

Hector Bellerin – 6

The Spaniard wasn’t short of opportunities to lay down the marker on the flanks, but lacked that final pass on the night.

Shkodran Mustafi – 7

The leader in the heart of defence, Mustafi dealt with much of the defensive confusion which, at times, threatened to blemish a standout performance by the collective.

Rob Holding – 6.5

Covering for Laurent Koscielny, Holding did well against Long and co. throughout the game.

Kieran Gibbs – 6

Solid, but unspectacular stuff from the Arsenal full back, considering the Gunners’ dominance.

Ainsley Maitland-Niles – 8.5

Often deployed on the flanks, Wenger trusted the young prospect in the defensive midfield position this time around and his versatility didn’t disappoint, eating up possession alongside Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain – 9

A lot has been made of Chamberlain’s potential transition into the centre of midfield over the years, and versus his ex-club the Englishman was given the chance to showcase his capabilities. Arsenal fans will now be keen to see more of the explosive star after a man of the match performance.

Jeff Reine-Adelaide – 7.5

Another future prospect thrown into the XI by Wenger, excelling in and around the Southampton area with his playmaking prowess.

Theo Walcott – 8

In the correct place at the right time, as Walcott walked away from his old home with a hat-trick.

Danny Welbeck – 8.5

In his first start of the season, Welbeck took much of the plaudits with a breath-taking first-half performance, topped with two goals and an assist, before making way for Alexis Sanchez in the second period.

Lucas Perez – 7.5

The Spaniard looked typically impressive in combination with Arsenal’s attacking components, with only a goal for the striker evading his great showing.

Subs:

Alexis Sanchez – 7

Came into the game hungry and landed himself two assists in the process, after little more than 25 minutes on the pitch.

Alex Iwobi – N/A

These are the Fresh Football player ratings for the Arsenal players performances against Burnley.

Petr Cech – 7

Big Pete had a decent game in general. Although he didn’t have a lot to do, he was commanding and made the saves you would expect him to make. He didn’t save the penalty though, of course. 

Gabriel – 6.5

Keeping his place at right back Gabriel had to show more going forward than he will have been used too. Overall he put in a decent performance and his aerial prowess certainly helped us. 

Skhodran Mustafi – 7.5

First goal for Arsenal! The German will certainly be pleased to get off the mark on that front and he deserved it, putting in a quality defensive display to help nullify the minimal attacking threat from Burnley. Back to his best. 

Laurent Koscielny – 7

A good performance from Koscielny, though, like Mustafi, he was relatively untested. Was given the job of handling Gray’s pace on the break and did just that. 

Nacho Monreal – 6

Very quiet game from the Spaniard. I would’ve liked to have seen more of an attacking threat from him in a fixture like this, but he instead allowed Alexis more of a free roam going forward. 

Granit Xhaka – 6

If it wasn’t for that stupid lunge, Xhaka would certainly have a higher rating. Based on his first 60 minutes he was brilliant, dictating the midfield and starting nearly every Arsenal attack. Bizarrely he appeared composed today, right up until the incident that saw him get sent off. Two similar challenges have seen him receive red cards and he needs to eradicate that part of his game. 

Aaron Ramsey – 7

I thought Ramsey had a good game in the centre of midfield. As usual he wasn’t pretty in possession, or particularly neat or tidy, but he played the box to box role well. Certainly needs to work on his end product, though. 

Alex Iwobi – 6

Iwobi was given the start in this fixture after a brilliant performance vs. Swansea, but he was a lot less influential today. In the end he made way for Coquelin as Wenger looked to hold on to a 1-0 lead. He’ll need to do more in the future to keep him place, especially with Theo now back in the mix. 

Mesut Ozil – 8

Arsenal’s best player. Ozil was influential throughout and got an assist for Mustafi’s opener. He created many good chances, though he could’ve perhaps done better his a few shots of his own. Ozil has had a couple of good games in a row now and it looks as if he is back to his best. 

Alexis Sanchez – 7

He wasn’t at it today but still produced the goods with a cool as you paneka penalty right at the end. 

Olivier Giroud – 5

Probably his worst performance of the season. The Frenchman had all the right intentions but it just wasn’t happening for him today. Can be forgiven considering his recent form. 

Subs

Francis Coquelin – 5

Came on after Xhaka’s red to see the game out, instead he was just as stupid and game away a late penalty. Luckily Alexis got him out of jail.

Danny Welbeck – N/A

Hector Bellerin – N/A

These are Fresh Football’s player ratings for Everton’s home clash versus Manchester City this Sunday.

Everton:

Joel Robles – 6.5

The Spaniard had little more than three or four shots at goal to deal with, which he did, on top of making a couple more chances tougher to execute from the opponent’s perspective by making himself big on occasions, as well as keeping a clean sheet.

Seamus Coleman – 6.5

A reasonably solid performance from Coleman, considering the opposition he was up against today. The Irishman was typically good at supporting play down the flanks.

Mason Holgate – 6.5

A real prospect, who had to deal with the likes of Kevin De Bruyne, Sterling and Aguero attacking him for much of the afternoon, but the young defender came out on top.

Ashley Williams – 6.5

A no nonsense performance, sweeping everything in his sight at the heart of Koeman’s back three (five).

Ramiro Funes Mori – 6.5

Much like Williams, Funes Mori kept things simple for the most part, even if his positioning wasn’t entirely up to scratch.

Leighton Baines – 7

As he enjoys an injury-free spell in Everton’s XI, Baines kept on top of things down a relatively quite left flank.

Tom Davies – 8.5

A real moment in Everton’s season, as 18-year-old Tom Davies emerges as the Man of the Match. Combative in midfield and purposeful in possession, the new Goodison Park hero fully deserved his goal. See more reaction to his performance here.

Gareth Barry – 7.5

A strong and simplistic performance from Barry, standing as the base for counter-attacks by anchoring Koeman’s midfield with success.

Ross Barkley – 7.5

A key outlet in Everton’s attack, Barkley offered a bold reminder of just how good he can be.

Kevin Mirallas – 7.5

The Belgian winger produced the goods alongside his compatriot, Lukaku, with an assist for his international teammate and a well-taken finish in the second half.

Romelu Lukaku – 7

Owner of the opener with a first-time finish, as he held his own against the majority of the City’s defence.

Subs:

Morgan Schneiderlin – 6

The new signing offered brief glimpses of his capabilities, as he strived to shut down the game.

James McCarthy – N/A

Ademola Lookman – N/A

Difficult to hand a rating based on six minutes, but a well-executed strike for a debut goal really was the cherry on top of the icing for all concerned.

Manchester City:

Claudio Bravo – 4.5

Not his finest hour and shipping four will do little settle the question marks around the Chilean goalkeeper.

Bacary Sagna – 5.5

The better half of City’s full backs, Sagna did go close to pulling a goal back for the visitors with a looping header at the back-post, but he might well have required more in support of attacks.

Nicolas Otamendi – 4.5

Often toyed with by Lukaku, proving to be no match for the Belgian forward on the day.

John Stones – 5.5

Not the comeback of dreams he would’ve hoped for. Wasn’t the worst by any means.

Gael Clichy – 4.5

Culpable in Everton’s first goal and left chasing shadows for the hosts’ third. One to forget.

Pablo Zabaleta – 4.5

Totally ineffective in build-up, as the Argentine was neither here or there positionally against an industrious Everton midfield.

Yaya Toure – 6.5

Among the best in a City shirt, connecting dots well from a deeper role than we’re accustomed to seeing him in – a nice throwback to his younger days.

Kevin De Bruyne – 6.5

Perhaps the most likely to create magic for City from the left, so there can be minimal, if any, complaints over the playmaker.

David Silva – 5

Had little-to-no effect on Everton’s defensive posture, despite a few warnings in the first half.

Raheem Sterling – 5.5

Found himself in good areas in the first half and might well feel he deserved a penalty for his troubles in the first 45 minutes too, but the Englishman ultimately cut a frustrated figure.

Sergio Aguero – 5

Looked to force his way into the game, subsequently without success.

Subs:

Kelechi Iheanacho – 4.5

Joining Aguero in attack, the forward almost went unnoticed upon entrance.

Here are the Fresh Football player ratings for Liverpool’s starting eleven vs. Plymouth Argyle from their 0-0 draw on Sunday. 

Loris Karius 6

Karius was asked very few through the match, giving him little chance to impress and stake a claim to replace Simon Mignolet in the starting lineup.

Trent Alexander Arnold 7

Bright in the first fourty five minutes, Alexander Arnold’s overlaps down the right hand side were a resourceful outlet for Liverpool. In the second half he was less involved going forward, but he did his job well defensively and put in a solid display.

Alberto Moreno 6

Moreno defended well in the rare moments he was called upon. Most of the match was spent in the opposition half and despite advancing down the left flank, he failed to produce a quality final ball.

Joe Gomez 6

It was a pretty easy re-introduction to match football for Joe Gomez, with the 19 year old not really tested by Plymouth’s attack. He showed his quality in possession to ensure Liverpool kept probing away in the second half. He has received lots of praise for his performance from Liverpool fans. 

Lucas Leiva 6

Due to the absence of a Plymouth attack, Lucas was able to venture forward into midfield and provide the extra man for the Reds, allowing them to enjoy comfortable possession throughout the match. He produced a rare shot on goal in the second half that was saved by McCormick, and didn’t put a foot wrong.

Kevin Stewart 6

Made a key interception to stifle Plymouth’s counter attack in the second half, with Tanner threatening to race clear on goal in the final ten minutes of the match. However, he showed his inexperience with some poor long range shots towards the end of the match and he will need to improve that decision making if he’s going to break into the side.

Emre Can 7

Kept Liverpool ticking over in midfield, sweeping the ball out wide whenever possible to try and get Divock Origi some service. Can set up Woodburn’s first half chance and was replaced mid-way through the second with Klopp eager to prevent a replay.

Ovie Ejaria 6

Ejaria had minimal impact on the game, especially in the second half. The youngster wasn’t able to make a telling contribution in the final third despite being the furthest forward of the midfield three.

Ben Woodburn 7

Woodburn had the best chance of the first half for Liverpool after being set up by Emre Can but the Plymouth goalkeeper did well to block his shot. He showed little bursts of his ability before being replaced by Roberto Firmino.

Sheyi Ojo 6

Ojo take on his man enough in the game and was often a rather subdued figure within the game. The lack of space in behind the Plymouth back line made it a frustrating afternoon for the youngster.

Divock Origi 5

Origi was largely anonymous for Liverpool as the away side shut off all space, preventing him from running in behind and using his pace. Dropping deeper and deeper in the second half to get involved, he had little chance to really test the Plymouth keeper.

These are Fresh Football’s ratings for Arsenal’s away clash versus Bournemouth in the Premier League.

Bournemouth

Artur Boruc – 5.5

Rarely brought directly into action by Arsenal, the ex-Celtic stopper had little chance in stopping the efforts that did hit the target.

Simon Francis – 6.5

A solid performance that was later blemished by a red card for a late tackle on Aaron Ramsey.

Steve Cook – 6.5

Reliable for the most part, but his performance faltered as Lucas and Alexis Sanchez joined Giroud centrally.

Charlie Daniels – 8

An excellent first half, and game in general, coupled with a goal that could’ve sent Bournemouth on their way to a historic victory in the Premier League era.

Junior Stanislas – 7

Worked the channels well and threatened Čech’s goal on a few occasions. A real handful.

Dan Gosling – 7

Another lung-bursting performance from the box-to-box midfielder, although Gosling is sure to look back on his left footed effort in the latter stages of the game that could’ve regained Bournemouth’s lead.

Harry Arter – 7

The industrious midfielder didn’t disappoint, with his pressing proving priceless in rocking Arsenal to their core in the first half.

Ryan Fraser – 9

Direct and explosive, Fraser dug Bournemouth out from Arsenal’s spells of possession on the counter en route to scoring the Cherries’ third of the night. A constant threat out on the left flank that proved to be a huge bonus to the Gunners’ once he limped off.

Joshua King – 6

Plenty of industry provided from the man partnering Callum Wilson in attack, supporting counter-attacks and back-tracking at every given opportunity to help out his team.

Callum Wilson – 6.5

Claimed good ground in behind Arsenal’s defence with regularity. Overall, it was a good performance, more noteworthy for his work rate than anything else.

Subs:

Andrew Surman – 5.5

Came on to regain some control in the second half, which worked initially prior to Bournemouth amplifying the score line to 3-0, but the deep-lying midfielder and his team were caught retreated in their own half for far too long after Fraser’s goal.

Adam Smith – N/A

Brad Smith – N/A

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Arsenal

Petr Čech – 4.5

Question marks have begun rounding the veteran goalkeeper in recent weeks, and the former Chelsea man was again partially culpable in a game that saw Fraser score with a cheeky finish through his legs at the near-post.

Héctor Bellerín – 4

Among his worst performances in an Arsenal shirt, as all three of Bournemouth’s goals originated from Bellerín’s right flank.

Shkodran Mustafi – 4.5

There was a real lack of synergy in the backline awaiting Mustafi in his return to the first team. Often naïve in possession and made to look silly by the in-form Fraser, the German can at least polish up his invincibility record following Olivier Giroud’s late equaliser.

Laurent Koscielny – 4.5

Left chasing shadows for the best part of the game, with it being unclear whether his early substitution was related to any knock picked up in battle.

Nacho Monreal – 4.5

The 30-year-old has made steady progress on his form in recent weeks, but the likes of Stanislas looked adamant to bring Monreal back to square one, with varied success.

Francis Coquelin – 3.5

Struggled to impose himself early on versus Bournemouth’s pressing game and an injury midway through the first half robbed him the time to rectify that order.

Granit Xhaka – 5.5

His general play was decent, and Xhaka can even claim the assist from Giroud’s equaliser, but the penalty given away in the 20th minute does little to clear up his erratic image, meanwhile proving to be costly to his team.

Aaron Ramsey – 5

Fashioned a few half-chances for himself going forwards, but, clearly, he’s no Mesut Özil.

Alex Iwobi – 4

Nothing in this one from Iwobi, who might well be feeling the effects of two games in three days. Offered the rare hope for an Arsenal goal in the first half, but struck the ball wide.

Alexis Sanchez – 6

A very fiery version of Alexis Sanchez was on show again, as the Chilean dug deep to follow-up Giroud’s flick-on and kick-start Arsenal’s comeback in the 70th minute.

Olivier Giroud – 6.5

Even underperforming, Giroud came up big when it mattered most, assisting Sanchez for Arsenal’s first of the night and grabbing the headlines for himself with a late equaliser. Yet another clutch moment for the Frenchman this season.

Subs:

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain – 6

Not so inspirational going forwards, but Oxlade-Chamberlain did come up with a crucial 11th hour intervention on Fraser, as the Scot eyed up his second of the night one-on-one with Čech.

Lucas Perez – 6

Noteworthy in most build-ups late on and the proud owner of the goal of the night, driving in a left-footed volley from an acute angle.

Gabriel Paulista – 5.5

Steadied the ship a little at the back, though a deeper block from the home side made sweeping up possession a lot easier the Brazilian, but Gabriel was on hand to support the Gunners’ aerial threat that eventually earned them two goals.

These are Fresh Football’s ratings for West Ham United’s home clash versus Manchester United in the Premier League:

West Ham United

Darren Randolph – 6.5

Came up with an important reflex save to deny Antonio Valencia a simple tap-in, with the Irish goalkeeper left with little to work with in denying the visitors’ two goals.

Håvard Nordtveit – 4.5

The weak link in West Ham’s defence, adapted at right back and fully exposed by Marcus Rashford’s entrance in the second half.

Winston Reid – 6

Kept the likes of Zlatan Ibrahimovic as quiet as possible throughout much of the game, eventually falling foul to an offside goal by the Swede.

Angelo Ogbonna – 6

Much like Reid, Ogbonna kept things tight as best as he could in what seemed to be an inclined pitch following Sofiane Feghouli’s early red card.

Aaron Cresswell – 5

Due to obvious circumstances, we didn’t see the ex-Ipswich Town full back bomb up and down the left flank as often as he would’ve hoped, taking away a key outlet in the Hammers’ attack.

Cheikhou Kouyaté – 5.5

Closed many avenues centrally but also tired substantially as the game went on, allowing for greater dominance by United.

Pedro Obiang – 6

Among the best in a West Ham shirt, evading the bodies situated in the middle of the park to set counters with the ball in his possession, but like his midfield counterpart, Kouyaté, Obiang appeared visibly fatigued in the latter stages of the game.

Sofiane Feghouli – N/A

In his first start for the London club, the former Valencia wide man was sent off rather controversially after just 15 minutes of football.

Manuel Lanzini – 6.5

The key threat going forward, somewhat muted following Feghouli’s red card.

Dimitri Payet – 5.5

Looked sharp in the early exchanges, but he also shrunk in size and effectiveness after Mike Dean’s controversial decision in the game’s infancy.

Michail Antonio – 4

The West Ham top scorer spurned a great chance one-on-one to give the hosts the lead and United weren’t so merciful soon after at the opposite end.

Subs:

Andy Carroll – 4.5

Came on in response to United taking the lead, but the man most likely to find him inside the box turned out to be the player he replaced – Payet. A missed opportunity from Slaven Bilić, rather than anyone else.

Edimilson Fernandes – N/A

Manchester United:

David De Gea – 7

As reliable as ever, De Gea came up with two big saves to deny Lanzini and Antonio a goal either side of the half time interval.

Antonio Valencia – 5.5

Arguably should’ve scored from close range, didn’t, but there’ll be few complaints from a defensive perspective, which is never a bad thing.

Phil Jones – 6

Another clean sheet for the file, strengthening the defender’s case to enter the defensive equation definitively in the José Mourinho era.

Marcos Rojo – 6

Started the game at centre back, ended it at left back. Solid, once again, in both positions, as his versatility begins to prove fruitful.

Matteo Darmian – 5

Victim of a tactical shift at half-time that saw Juan Mata replace him against 10-man West Ham. A solid, if insignificant, first-half performance by the Italian.

Michael Carrick – 6.5

Very sound in conducting United’s search for a goal, keeping them composed, as they eventually broke through the Hammers’ barricade.

Ander Herrera – 6.5

Typically kept play ticking, pressed high to retain possession and provided a threat late in the second half, as the game opened up. Good again from the Spaniard.

Paul Pogba – 6.5

In the same boat as Herrera, the multi-million pound man grew as the game went on, going close to goal himself a couple of times in the second period.

Jesse Lingard – 4

Hit the post from just yards out in United’s clearest goal-scoring opportunity in the first period, as the 24-year-old failed to inflict damage upon a compact West Ham side prior to be replaced by Marcus Rashford.

Henrikh Mkhitaryan – 5

Not his finest performance of late, with space to operate in proving to be limited.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic – 5

Starved of service for the best part, but Ibrahimovic still managed to add a goal to his name, despite being in an offside position.

Subs:

Juan Mata – 6.5

The goal scorer of yet another crucial goal for the Red Devils, as he tipped the balance once more in United’s favour.

Marcus Rashford – 7

The key to unlocking the game, Rashford was able to cause disruptions down the left flank and, crucially, assist Mata for the game’s opening goal.

Chris Smalling – N/A

Here are the Fresh Football player rating’s for this afternoons clash at the Etihad Stadium.

Manchester City

Claudio Bravo – 5

Had little to do during the first half and could not doing anything about Theo Walcott’s opener, much the same in the second half, cannot recall him making a save.

Pablo Zabaleta – 6

Was relatively solid at the back and tried to get forward as much as he could, was subbed off at half time.

Nicolas Otamendi – 7

Was all over the place for Walcott’s opener as he looked set to have a tough afternoon, but after composing himself he grew into the game and dominated Arsenal’s attacking force in an impressive performance.

Aleksandar Kolarov – 8

Kolarov was superb at the back for City today and certainly the better of the two centre-halves, he was calm, excellent in possession and defensively solid in a fine performance.

Gael Clichy – 6

As always, a very strong outlet going forward but was a bit more vulnerable defensively, seemed to be behind the pace at times of the games but overall was impressive against his former team.

Fernando – 8

Showed fantastic energy and drive from the midfield and dominated the likes of Coquelin and Xhaka, was defensively solid and disciplined whilst recycling possession very well.

Leroy Sane – 8.5

Always looked positive going forward and showed some glimpses of trickery in tight positions in the first half. Scored a very well taken goal in the 47th minute and caused Arsenal’s back-line havoc all afternoon.

Yaya Toure – 8

Toure was again superb for City this afternoon and has been growing in confidence again since his return to the starting XI, he dominated the midfield in an all round brilliant display.

David Silva – 7.5

Silva provided an excellent assist for Sane’s opener and was brilliant in possession as always, was rightly booked for a cynical foul but was at the heart of everything good for Manchester City.

Raheem Sterling – 8

After missing a golden chance in sixth minute to equalise he did not let this dwell on him. He was brilliant all game and got his reward in the 71st minute after scoring an excellent goal, getting away from Monreal and firing past Petr Cech.

Kevin De Bruyne – 9

Was City’s most dangerous player in the first half and always looked like he could create something. Arguably made pass of the season for Sterling’s winner after switching play exquisitely, was technically ahead of every single player on the pitch.

Arsenal

Petr Cech – 4

Cech broke a new record today after going eight games without a clean sheet as Arsenal’s defensive struggles continue, although he made some good saves his distribution was atrocious and put the Gunners under extreme pressure. Could’ve done better for the winner too.

Hector Bellerin – 6

Showed some glimpses of his pace and broke from the back to start the build up to Walcott’s goal, was quiet apart from that and was pegged back for most of the game due to City’s dominance.

Gabriel Paulista – 3

Today again showed why Arsenal miss Mustafi, Gabriel was absolutely diabolical. He blasted a ball at Hector Bellerin which nearly led to an own goal, was woeful all round defensively and always hoofed the ball long, not the Arsenal way.

Laurent Koscielny – 6

Koscielny was probably one of Arsenal’s better players on the afternoon, as always held his own and showed solidarity at the back, will probably be annoyed with himself for not getting in front of Sterling’s shot.

Nacho Monreal – 5

Had a tough afternoon against City’s attackers and was beaten so easily by Sterling which he scored from, a defender can only back off so much until he realises he’s allowed his marker into a dangerous position, an absolute disaster by Monreal.

Granit Xhaka – 5

Xhaka was poor in the midfield for Arsenal today, he gave the ball away in dangerous areas and for not one minute did he or Coquelin have any control for Arsenal, very poor performance.

Francis Coquelin – 4

Coquelin has many limitations in his play and this showed again today, he has no technical ability and is a disaster in building play from defensive situations. Yes he shows passion, but that will not win games, for someone starting for Arsenal without any ability to play football is quite baffling, it drags the team down.

Theo Walcott – 6

Walcott’s pace got the better of City, he scored a very well taken goal in the fourth minute and could have had another. Worked very hard all afternoon and was one of the better performers for Arsenal.

Mesut Ozil – 2

Was the worst performer on the pitch in an utterly horrible display, twice this week Ozil has gone missing when Arsenal needed him most and for a player demanding a pay rise then maybe he should start playing like he deserves one. When the tackles started flying in he started walking about the pitch feeling sorry for himself. Did not applaud the away fans at the end and should be embarrassed.

Alex Iwobi – 5

Worked hard to press from the front with Sanchez but had a quiet first half, gave the ball away at times when he needed to be more composed, faded away in the second half and was subbed off for Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.

Alexis Sanchez – 7

Beautiful assist for Walcott’s goal and ran himself into the ground as usual in the first half, much the same in the second half, you won’t find a more determined player than Sanchez and to be honest he deserves a lot better.

Subs

Manchester City

Bacary Sagna – 7

Came on at half-time and was excellent down the right-hand side, hardly had any defensive duties but was solid when called upon.

Jesus Navas – N/A

Kelechi Iheanacho – N/A

Arsenal

Alex Oxlade – Chamberlain – N/A

Olivier Giroud – N/A

Mohamed Elneny – N/A

These are Fresh Football’s ratings for Everton’s Premier League clash at home to Arsenal on Tuesday night:

Everton

Maarten Stekelenburg – 6

Nothing spectacular from the Dutch goalkeeper in between the sticks, but he did provide a few successful ‘Cruyff turns’ on Arsenal’s stars that went down well with sections of the home crowd. His experience throughout periods of the game were also an invaluable feature in Everton riding spells of Gunners attacks, cutting the impetus.

Seamus Coleman – 7

A typical, tenacious Seamus Coleman performance, completed by the goal late into the first-half that brought the Toffees level.

Ashley Williams – 7

From zero to hero – the Welsh defender was at the centre of Arsenal’s first goal, deflecting Alexis Sanchez’s free-kick past Stekelenburg, but the ex-Swansea skipper more than made up for his less than fortunate moment with an 86th minute winner.

Phil Jagielka – 6.5

Solid alongside Williams and pivotal in the build-up that led to his defensive partner’s late heroics, but the former Sheffield United man will be ruing a late tackle that saw Mark Clattenburg brandish a red card upon him, subsequently ruling him out of the Merseyside derby next Monday.

Leighton Baines – 8.5

The English left back was on top form versus Theo Walcott, picked up an assist for Coleman’s equaliser and was on hand to salvage Everton with an 11th hour clearance off the line from Alex Iwobi’s shot in the dying seconds of the game.

James McCarthy – 6.5

Lifted the crowd with some borderline tackles which, ultimately, Everton benefited from over the course of both halves.

Idrissa Gana Gueye – 6.5

Alongside McCarthy at the base of midfield, Gueye’s energy was priceless in maintaining Everton’s often relentless tempo and making things uncomfortable for Arsenal through constant pressure.

Ross Barkley – 6

A better performance from the under-fire Englishman, who on another day might well have chipped in with a goal or two with the chances he had to either score or assist.

Aaron Lennon – 4.5

The ex-Tottenham Hotspur winger put a shift in when required to do so, but he was, ultimately, disappointing in the final third.

Enner Valencia – 7

Among his best performances for his new club, Valencia ran the channels well and ensured an uncomfortable night for Nacho Monreal with his pace.

Romelu Lukaku – 6.5

An incredibly sacrificial display from Lukaku, often hanging within Laurent Koscielny’s radius to occupy Arsenal’s star defender for the benefit of his teammates. The Belgian’s link-up play from direct balls proved to be sound, despite rarely threatening to beat Petr Cech himself.

Subs:

Kevin Mirallas – 5

The winger came on to refresh the left flank when replacing Aaron Lennon, but didn’t have much success up against Hector Bellerin.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin – N/A

Ramiro Funes Mori – N/A

Arsenal

Petr Cech – 6.5

There was little the Czech Republican could do for both headed goals scored by Everton, but Cech did come up with a big save to deny Jagielka just moments before Williams’ winner.

Hector Bellerin – 6.5

The Spaniard grew into the game from an offensive aspect, meanwhile keeping both Lennon and Mirallas at bay on the right flank.

Gabriel Paulista – 6

Filling in for the injured Shkodran Mustafi after spells at right back, Gabriel appeared to have made the smooth transition back into the heart of the defence, initially, but the likes of Valencia and Lukaku did get the better of the Brazilian on a few occasions as the game opened up.

Laurent Koscielny – 7.5

Busy with Lukaku in his peripheral view, the Frenchman dealt with much that came his way.

Nacho Monreal – 6

A game of phases for Monreal. At times he looked troubled, in particular when in foot races next to Valencia, but there were also moments when the experienced left back was on hand to trouble the Everton back line with associative play on the flank.

Granit Xhaka – 5.5

The Swiss midfielder failed to impose himself on a hectic, end-to-end game, and how Arsenal could have done with someone to set the tempo on a night filled with disappointment.

Francis Coquelin 6.5

Played his part in combating Everton’s tenacity, pressing with success himself and winning his fair of 50/50s that kept Arsenal somewhat competitive in the middle of the park.

Theo Walcott – 4.5

Unfortunately for Arsenal, Walcott was never in the game.

Mesut Özil – 4.5

The pace of the game blew past the German playmaker, who will also be kicking himself for missing a great opportunity to make it 2-1 to Arsenal midway through the second half.

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain – 4.5

Another who never managed to leave his imprint on the game, cutting a frustrated figure on Arsenal’s left flank and committing his fair share unnecessary fouls as a consequence.

Alexis Sanchez – 7

Looked to be the likeliest Arsenal player to tip the balance all night after scoring the first goal of the game, but too many of his teammates just weren’t on the same wavelength.

Subs:

Olivier Giroud – 4.5

The Frenchman’s introduction didn’t quite have the desired effect the Gunners imagined him to have, as Everton pushed up their defensive line and made it difficult for the target man to spearhead Arsenal’s counters through a natural lack of pace.

Alex Iwobi – 5

Promised more than both Walcott and Oxlade-Chamberlain from wide areas when coming on, but his general passing game was a little off in crucial moments.

Lucas Perez – N/A

These are Fresh Football’s player ratings for the game in between Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League.

Manchester United

David De Gea – 7

The Spaniard made some good, if uncomplicated saves to keep Man United’s register clean throughout the game.

Antonio Valencia – 6.5

Maintained a solid display from start to finish, entering in interesting disputes with Danny Rose out on United’s right flank.

Phil Jones – 7.5

The former Blackburn Rovers man continues to offer José Mourinho food for thought with yet another impressive performance, this time marking Harry Kane out of the game.

Marcos Rojo – 7

Solid once more, accommodating Jones from a technical aspect at the heart of defence. Rojo has been given lots of praise from the fans, see some reaction here.

Matteo Darmian – 6

The Italian had his hands full with both Kyle Walker, Son Heung-Min and later Moussa Sissoko bombarding his flank, but Darmian didn’t let his side down.

Michael Carrick – 6.5

At the base of United’s midfield, Carrick was on hand keep things compact, evade Spurs’ habitual high press and set purposeful counters.

Ander Herrera – 6

Combative in midfield, priceless in supporting Carrick up against the likes of Vincent Wanyama, Mousa Dembélé and Dele Alli.

Paul Pogba – 7

Among his best performances in a United shirt, the Frenchman took full advantage of the space beyond him in an open second half, threatening Spurs in a number of attacks and leaving his compatriot, Hugo Lloris, stunned when smashing the post from a dangerous free-kick. Better.

Henrikh Mkhitaryan – 8

Another man of the match performance from the Armenian, the man to break the deadlock with an emphatic finish in the first half. Mkhitaryan served as the main outlet in spearheading counter-attacks.

Anthony Martial – 5

Very passive and unsupportive of his full back partner, Darmian. The weak link in United’s side.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic – 6.5

Far from being the main threat, but the spaces occupied by Ibrahimovic proved to be incredibly beneficial in confusing a high defensive line from Spurs.

Subs

Marcus Rashford – 5

There was nothing of note in the final third from the young Englishman, but his mere presence and fresh legs was enough to dampen Kyle Walker’s appetite to roam forwards.

Eric Bailly – N/A

Marouane Fellaini – N/A

Tottenham Hotspur

Hugo Lloris – 6.5

Kept Spurs’ hopes of taking something from the game alive with a couple of good saves from Pogba and Ibrahimovic efforts.

Kyle Walker – 6

Often supportive high up on the right flank, but didn’t quite find the openings that have so often seen him inflict damage in Mauricio Pochettino’s set-up.

Toby Alderweireld – 6

A little rusty and limited further by United’s tactical approach to prevent him from playing the ball out from the back, but the Belgian was generally okay.

Jan Vertonghen – 5

Never quite managed to patch up the gap between him and Danny Rose, exposed fully by Mkhitaryan on his way smashing in the game’s only goal.

Danny Rose – 5.5

Lively as always, but second best up against Mkhitaryan and Valencia.

Victor Wanyama – 5

Missed a very good chance to equalise in the second half with a tame and inaccurate header, whereas the Kenyan, moreover, was an unnecessary quantity in midfield in Spurs’ search for an equaliser.

Mousa Dembélé – 5.5

Never quite got ahold of the game as he usually does, to Spurs’ detriment.

Son Heung-Min – 5.5

Appeared the most likely player in the first half to bring Spurs level, testing De Gea from range on a couple of occasions, but the South Korean was sacrificed for Pochettino’s tactical switch early in the second period.

Dele Alli – 4.5

Failed to link the midfield to a stranded Harry Kane in a toothless performance from the young Englishman. Tottenham fans aren’t happy with his performance, see some reaction here.

Christian Eriksen – 5

Always a threat from a set-piece, that’s almost a given, but Eriksen continued to be somewhat uninspired as one of Spurs’ chief creatives.

Harry Kane – 4.5

Buried in United bodies and culpable in Mkhitaryan’s goal, giving the ball away prior to the hosts’ quick counter.

Subs

Moussa Sissoko – 5

Came on to take full advantage of Martial’s flawed back-tracking, but the Frenchman lacked a little finesse in his thought process to ever hurt the Red Devils.

Harry Winks – N/A

Georges Nkoudou – N/A

Manchester United qualified for the Europa League next stage with a fairly comfortable 2-0 away win against Zorya Luhansk. Although it was a fairly good performance from Jose Mourinho’s men, they will be disappointed as despite the 3 points, they finished 2nd in the group because Fenerbahce beat Feyenoord in the other match in the group. 

These are Fresh Football’s ratings for Manchester United’s Europa League clash away to Zorya Luhansk.

Manchester United

Sergio Romero – 5

A comfortable night for Man United’s number two between the sticks, with the Argentine pulling off a decent save when required in the 72nd minute to prevent a Zorya equaliser.

Ashley Young – 5

No fireworks, but Young was able to do a job without any flagrant complaints. Kept himself in Mourinho’s plans by again showing versatility, this time at right back.

Eric Bailly – 7

A big display from Bailly, steadily returning to full fitness. The ex-Villarreal man swept up much of what was played in and around of United’s defence, providing a fair share of crucial interceptions in the meantime.

Marcos Rojo – 6

Comfortable in possession and helpful in recycling possession. Had little to do with regards to defending, however.

Daley Blind – 5

A quiet one from Blind, but solid nonetheless.

Ander Herrera – 6.5

Alongside Bailly, Herrera proved to be pivotal in pressing higher up and ensuring that the Red Devils recouped possession as soon as possible.

Paul Pogba – 4.5

Pogba was one of the few to try and speed up proceedings within the visitors’ large spells of possession, but his general execution of passes/shots from range left a lot to be desired.

Juan Mata – 6

The Spaniard has been among the most impressive for United this season and today, albeit throughout lacklustre spells, the former Chelsea midfielder stood out again before being replaced by Jesse Lingard.

Wayne Rooney – 3

A no-show from the United captain on the night. Passes going astray, poor control…forgetful. Does he warrant a place in the starting eleven at the moment? Not based on this performance.

Henrikh Mkhitaryan – 6.5

The goalscorer of the well-taken first goal prior to dazzling the Zorya defence with individual some brilliance. Mkhitaryan continues to impress in a United shirt since he was finally selected by Jose.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic – 5

A bit hit and miss, but the Swede began to grow into the game once Rooney was taken off, freeing up his habitual radius of action. Ibrahimovic was on hand to kill the game off late on with United’s second goal.

Subs

Jesse Lingard – 4

The winger was able to quicken play up, but made his fair share of poor choices in the final third.

Marouane Fellaini – N/A

Timothy Fosu-Mensah – N/A

 The Gunners ran riot against FC Basel on Tuesday, winning 4-1 and remaining unbeaten in the Champions League thus far. With PSG drawing, the win meant Arsenal topped their group for the first time in 6 years. Here are Fresh Football’s ratings for the Arsenal eleven. 

David Ospina – 7

Made two good saves and looked very comfortable in between the sticks in the first half and could do little about Doumbia’s consolation goal for Basel.

Gabriel – 7

Since Hector Bellerin’s injury Gabriel has slotted in at right-back and has done superb thus far, he was solid in the first half and won tackles whilst being defensively strong in the air with much of the same in the second half, solid performance.

Rob Holding – 7.5

The 21-year-old’s first start in the Champions League this season was a success, in the first half he was composed in possession and defensively sound with much the same in the second half, apart from maybe losing his marker in Basel’s goal he was a rock at the back and did not look out of place.

Laurent Koscielny – 7.5

As always, the Frenchman was solid at the back for Arsenal and comfortable in possession throughout and kept the Basel attack at bay.

Kieran Gibbs – 9

Gibbs was superb in the first half, he grabbed an assist in the 8th minute with a smart pass across goal paving the way for Lucas to slot home, he then saw his shot saved to lead the way for Perez to net again, a carbon copy of the first goal.Not only was he superb going forward but also defensively brilliant in a marvellous performance.

Granit Xhaka – 8.5

Solid and efficient in possession as always, did not let the occasion of returning home get to him and played some brilliant passes through the lines throughout the match.

Aaron Ramsey – 8

Playing in the midfield pivot for the first time with Granit Xhaka was a new experiment for Arsene Wenger, the Welshman was good in possession and was always an outlet going forward but did leave Xhaka isolated in his defensive role at times in the first half but showed much more solidarity in the second.

Alex Iwobi – 8

Iwobi, who has been fighting for his place in recent weeks looked really up for the game in the early stages and was closing down and good on the ball, he gave away possession at times in the latter stages of the half though. Scored Arsenal’s fourth goal in the second half with a tidy finish and his work rate was immense throughout.

Mesut Ozil – 8.5

The German magician was superb for the Gunners in the first half, he passed the ball to Gibbs exquisitely in the build up for the second goal whilst remaining immense on the ball. A brilliant assist in the 53rd minute to set up Alex Iwobi, pulled the strings and was majestic throughout before being subbed on the 73rd minute.

Lucas Perez – 9.5 (MOTM)

Talk about being a fox in the box, Lucas was alert for both his goals in the first half poaching at the back post. Scored his third goal in the first minute of the second half with a brilliant finish running away from goal and was working hard for the Gunners from start to finish. Lucas played most of the game on the right-wing.

Alexis Sanchez – 8.5

The man who scored a wonderful hat-trick on Saturday was again quality for the Gunners, his pass to Gibbs for the first goal was beautiful, a hawk-eye pass which was pitch perfect, Arsenal’s Chilean was quiet going forward but was brilliant on the ball and closed down quickly from the front. Beautiful pass to Ozil to assist Iwobi, hit the bar with a magnificent free-kick before being substituted in the 69th min.

Subs

Olivier Giroud – 6

Nearly scored in the 73rd minute but saw his effort just go past the post but did not make much of an impact in the time he had.

Mohamed Elneny – 6

Solidified the midfield and kept things ticking in the closing moments.

Theo Walcott – 6

Made a few runs at the Basel defence and had one shot comfortably saved, but like Giroud, did not influence the game when he come on.

Manchester United once again failed to pick up three points this weekend and it will be a cause of frustration for many United fans. We take a look at how their players performed in the 1-1 draw with Everton. 

David De Gea – 7.5

Made a few crucial saves to ensure the three points went back to Old Trafford in a good performance.

Antonio Valencia – 6

As always, was an outlet going forward and was excellent defensively too against a dangerous Kevin Mirallas.

Phil Jones – 6

Since his return, he has been solid in the United defence and was once again impressive today against Lukaku, was solid in tackles and in the air and is giving Mourinho a headache for when Bailly is deemed fit to play.

Marcos Rojo – 6

Firstly, he should not have lasted the whole game and should have been sent off for an appalling challenge on Gueye, but apart from his horror challenge was very strong at the back for United and has surprisingly improved in recent weeks.

Matteo Darmian – 3

Darmian, for me, is woeful and proved to be woeful again today. He struggled tremendously defensively and doesn’t offer anything going forward, it must be a matter of time before Blind and Shaw take his spot.

Michael Carrick – 6.5

Finally, Mourinho has integrated Carrick into the starting XI and he is yet to disappoint, his intelligence and passing in the middle of the park is superb. Perhaps in January, with Carrick’s age in mind, Mourinho may be looking for a player of his ilk to take over at some stage, or at least share the burden. Jon Obi Mikel has been linked. 

Ander Herrera – 6

Herrera, who slotted alongside Carrick, was impressive again today, apart from his short pass to Rojo (which could have cost his team to lose a man) he was very good in the midfield and as always was bursting forward.

Henrikh Mkhitaryan – 8

Well, who thought this Armenian was so special, well, everyone did bar Mourinho. But, finally he has seen sense, when Henrikh is on the ball anything can happen, he was at the heart of everything good for United again today and was a headache for Everton all afternoon after another immense showing.

Paul Pogba – 4

The Frenchman struggled to make an impact throughout the 90 minutes and was wasteful in possession, Mourinho has yet to get the best out of Pogba but will need their most expensive signing ever to pick up in these types of games, he was not quick enough on the ball and struggled to make an impact, a poor showing.

Anthony Martial – 6

Firstly, lets touch on his exquisite assist for Ibra, it was a superb pass with sublime technique. He had a brilliant battle against Coleman, a 50:50 duel which was very pleasing on the eye for viewers.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic – 6.5

Apart from his wonderful goal to open the scoring, Ibra found himself dropping far too deep (again) to collect the ball, he did not offer too much after he opened the scoring. It’s not the first time that has been the case and Mourinho may have to pluck up the courage to remove Zlatan from the attack to improve the overall performance of his team. 

Subs

Marcus Rashford – N/A

Had little impact in the closing stages of the game.

Marouane Fellaini – 0

Woeful, embarrassing, disgrace. A few words to describe his laughable cameo, gave away a penalty after being on for 3 minutes in his 100th appearance for the club, turning out to be a disastrous one.

Here are Fresh Football’s ratings the clash between Everton and Manchester United at Goodison Park. First, we look at the Everton ratings. 

Maarten Stekelenburg – 5

What on earth was he thinking for United’s opening goal? The decision making and communication was poor with him being left red-faced after Ibrahimovic’s goal, apart from the howler, he had little to do in the afternoon and looked comfortable between the sticks.

Seamus Coleman – 7

What a battle it was with Martial, he had his hands full all afternoon but was solid defensively whilst, as always getting forward to help his side on the attack.

Ashley Williams – 7

Had a tough afternoon against Zlatan Ibrahimovic but held his ground well in a very physical battle.

Funes Mori – 7

In the same situation as Williams, had a tough afternoon against the big Swede but was good defensively, holding his own against the United attackers in general.

Leighton Baines – 7.5

Well, against one of the most efficient players in the league, he struggled with Mkhitaryan’s magic but was not left red-faced and had the last laugh scoring the equalising penalty in the 89th minute.

Idrissa Gueye – 9

Gueye was absolutely immense again today, he was impressive from start to finish and dealt with the likes of Herrera and Pogba well, he won the penalty late on and was awarded MOTM after a great display.

Gareth Barry – 6

To be honest Barry was lucky to be on the pitch for the time he was after a few clumsy tackles not being dealt with by the referee, was not his most impressive display though but as always dug deep to help his side.

Tom Cleverley – 5

Facing his former club, it was normal he was well up for it and helped out defensively and offensively but things just did not pull off for the Englishmen and was left frustrated at times.

Yannick Bolasie – 4.5

For someone that promises something so beautiful, Bolasie was very quiet this afternoon against the Red Devils and had little impact on the game, he was subbed off in the second half and was quite poor in possession.

Kevin Mirallas – 6.5

Likewise Bolasie, was quiet through the first half especially as he struggled to make an impact, he could have scored in the 52nd minute but was denied by a superb save from De Gea, did not give up and caused to be a real nuisance in the latter stages.

Romelu Lukaku – 4

For someone who was probably most hungry for the match to send a statement to former boss Jose Mourinho, things didn’t go his way, was shrugged off the ball by United’s defence and was kept quiet during the game, a poor showing.

Subs

Gerrard Deulofeu – 6

Coming on in the 65th minute you just knew Darmian would be in for an even bigger challenge, Deulofeu was brilliant in the closing stages and was a menace going forward.

Mason Holgate – 6

Replacing the injured Coleman, was solid whilst showing glimpses of promising signs, won the battle against Martial and Rashford.

Enner Valencia – 6

Valencia was a true menace when he entered the fray, he could have scored from a bullet header but De Gea was equal to his effort, was a very good cameo for the Toffees man.

Here are the Player Ratings for Arsenal’s 2-2 draw at home to PSG.

David Ospina – 6

Coming in as usual for the Champions League, Ospina could do very little about Cavani’s opener. Didn’t really have much to do throughout the game as although PSG had a lot of the ball, he was rarely tested. Has nothing really to be rated on.

Carl Jenkinson – 5

Jenkinson looked a little out of his depth in truth. His crossing was constantly rash and his control and movement wasn’t much better. Fair play to him though he did put a decent delivery in for Verratti’s own goal. Lost his man for Lucas’ headed equaliser. Was subbed off for the Ox with 10 to go.

Skhodran Mustafi – 6

Lost Matuidi for the opener and then didn’t have the pace to get back on him. Not his best game in an Arsenal shirt by any stretch.

Laurent Koscielny – 6

Couldn’t do much for Cavani’s goal, but was caught in possession after 52 minutes, giving the ball away and proceeding to foul – it could’ve been fatal as Lucas’ resulting free kick hit the bar with Ospina nowhere near it.

Kieran Gibbs – 6

He’s in a personal battle with Nacho Monreal for the left back spot and although he hasn’t been a regular, he looked natural, albeit far from spectacular, in the Arsenal back four.

Francis Coquelin – 5

Coquelin was not at the races. Many wanted to see Xhaka start and I think it would have been better. Coq got a yellow card in the first half with a silly foul and his passing blunted Arsenal’s attack before it could even start. In the 2^nd he was hampered by his yellow and didn’t do much – subbed off with 10 to go.

Aaron Ramsey – 8.5

Starting in his favoured central role, Ramsey was very strong in the tackle and looked keen to impress from the off. Arsenal’s best player in the 1^st half without a doubt. He certainly showed that he is more natural playing in the middle.

Mesut Ozil – 7.5

Ran around a lot in the first half but to no avail. A great disguised ball to Alexis Sanchez for the penalty. He helped Arsenal retain the ball in the PSG half very well – using his small frame well to hold off the tough PSG midfielders.

Alexis Sanchez – 8

Quiet first half until the very end when his good run was found by Ozil and then a good quick turn saw him brought down to win a penalty. His carving pass opened up PSG for Verratti’s own goal and he deserves credit for that also. Looked fit enough and worked hard to create chances all night.

Alex Iwobi – 4

He looks tired even though he’s had a lot of rest recently. Was certainly one of the most anonymous players on the pitch on the night. To top off his bad night he headed the ball into his own net just before getting subbed off.

Olivier Giroud – 6

Wanted to get into the starting line up and probably deserved to following a couple of goals from the bench recently, but in the early stages he was poor and laboured. Got his one chance on the edge of half time from the penalty spot and credit to him, he converted calmly.

Subs

Granit Xhaka – N/A

Theo Walcott – N/A

On for Coquelin with 10 minutes to go in an attempt to get all 3 points, did he touch the ball?

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain – N/A

Like at Old Trafford, the Ox came on at right back with 10 to go to try and win the game, couldn’t have any effect.

These are Fresh Football’s ratings for Tottenham Hotspur’s London derby versus West Ham United at White Hart Lane.

Tottenham Hotspur

Hugo Lloris – 5

Nothing of note from the French goalkeeper, who was fairly powerless in stopping Michail Antonio’s opening goal and the penalty converted by Manuel Lanzini later on.

Kyle Walker – 5

Spurs will be left wanting more from the full back in the direct duel with Aaron Cresswell on the right flank, whereas his general play also proved to be a little rough around the edges, today.

Eric Dier – 6

A solid performance from Eric Dier, slotting in at centre back without any considerable concerns.

Jan Vertonghen – 7

Provided a platform to play out from the back, as always, and came up with a few crucial tackles at a time when the hosts were chasing the game.

Danny Rose – 6

Much like Walker, Rose looked unable to function down the flanks as he’s accustomed to doing, but he did manage to get the better of Antonio on a few more occasions in the second half, most importantly in the lead-up to Harry Winks’ equaliser.

Victor Wanyama – 6

The Kenyan undertook fairly simplistic duties throughout the second half, but did so very well, sweeping up possession in the middle of the park to set Spurs back on their way to attacking West Ham.

Mousa Dembélé – 6

He’ll have had more dominant performances, but Mousa Dembélé appeared relatively neat in possession nonetheless, before being replaced by Son Heung-Min

Harry Winks – 8

Intensity, tenacity, creativity and an important goal, all on the 20-year-old’s Premier League debut. A very mature performance.

Christian Eriksen – 5

The Dane is currently a long way away from what we’ve been used to seeing from him in a Spurs shirt, acting as a chief culprit in losing possession in this one.

Harry Kane – 6

Operating around Vincent Janssen in a two-striker formation, Kane never quite got into the game, but his mark on the occasion is there for all to see; Two goals, three points.

Vincent Janssen – 4

Lacking synergy between him and Kane, as well as many more of his teammates. The Dutchman is looking increasingly difficult to fit into the first XI, especially with Son thriving.

Subs:

Son Heung-Min – 6.5

A big introduction into the game, having a helping hand in both of Spurs’ late goals that gives the home side all three points and maintains invincibility in the Premier League.

Dele Alli – 5

Didn’t quite have the desired effect coming on in the second half, as difficult as it may be in a derby.

West Ham United

Darren Randolph – 7

Made a few key saves, particularly one from an Eric Dier header in point-blank range, but the Irishman was arguably at fault for the turnaround when his attempted save from Son’s cross diverted the ball away from Angelo Ogbonna and into Kane’s path.

Michail Antonio – 6

A great first half display up and down the right flank, complete with yet another headed goal, but the Englishman may well have blown his engine in the second period, as Rose and Son exposed his defensive flaws on a number of occasions.

Cheikhou Kouyaté – 7

A quality performance from Kouyaté, somewhat of a throwback to his Anderlecht days when instructed to play as the third central defender. The towering figure did very well, particularly in the first half when driving the ball out from defence to commence purposeful counter-attacks.

Winston Reid – 6

A solid performance from the captain was later marred by the Spurs turnaround and a second yellow card in injury time.

Angelo Ogbonna – 6

Another who, like Reid, performed to a good standard in the heart of defence.

Aaron Cresswell – 6

In the left wing-back role, Cresswell specialised in minimising Kyle Walker’s effectiveness

André Ayew – 4

West Ham will have been hoping for spurts of inspiration from Ayew, but the opportunities for the Ghanaian never came.

Pedro Obiang – 6.5

Stood his ground in quite an offensive midfield from the Hammers, on top of being the go-to-guy to settling down play in certain phases of the first half.

Manuel Lanzini – 7

Among the best in a West Ham shirt, it was Lanzini who spearheaded the counters for the visitors and caused Tottenham’s defence the greatest cause for concern.

Dimitri Payet – 4

Totally uninspired, perhaps fatigued, and how the Hammers could have done with an on-song Payet for certain openings late in the second half.

Diafra Sakho – 4

Lots of running and little else from the striker who was soon replaced by Simone Zaza in the second half.

Subs:

Simone Zaza – 6

Provided greater involvement from as a focal point, perhaps courtesy of the game opening up, but lacked any real conviction from shooting areas. A positive cameo, however.

Edimilson Fernandes – 5

The young Swiss was on hand to rejuvenate the West Ham midfield as best as he could and combat the eventual Dele Alli entrance.

Håvard Nordtveit – N/A

Few were the minutes the former Arsenal man had on the field, but it was he who turned out to be among the most decisive characters of the tale, sweeping Son’s foot and gifting Spurs the late penalty that won the clash.

We take a look at how each Arsenal player performed in their 3-2 win over Ludogorets.

David Ospina – 5.5

Poor for both Ludogorets goals and looked very uncomfortable in the first half, especially with set-pieces. Made a few vital saves in the second half but did not look at his best at all.

Carl Jenkinson – 4.5

Put in a few dangerous crosses in the first half but was non existent defensively, got the run around in the second half and was lucky not to be sent off. Could he leave in January? Check bet-uk for advice.

Skhodran Mustafi – 5.5

Poor first half from Arsenal’s rock at the back, looked very shaky whenever Ludogorets were on the attack. Much the same in the second half, left gaps in behind and was not at his best by all means.

Laurent Koscielny – 6

Much like Mustafi in the first half, poor defensively, saw the ball a lot but did little with it, second half vice versa, struggled against their attacking flair but done enough to ensure the Gunners only conceded two.

Kieran Gibbs – 5

Poor defending for their second goal, you learn to stay on your feet in under10 football, looked very vulnerable defensively but was a good option offensively.

Granit Xhaka – 7

Scored a well taken goal in the 20th minute and saw a lot of the ball in the first half but struggled to dictate anything in the second half before being subbed off.

Francis Coquelin – 6

A very quiet first half from the Frenchman, did not seem to win the battle in the middle of the park and endured a very frustrating second half, much the same.

Aaron Ramsey – 7

Ramsey took a while to get going and showed cases of rustiness with his passing, but he made a brilliant assist for Giroud to draw the Gunners level. Having 75 minutes under his belt he is certainly in good shape ahead of the North London Derby on Sunday and endured a good second half.

Mesut Ozil – 9 (MOTM)

Ozil should have put Arsenal ahead after seven minutes but saw his shot easily saved by the keeper, he assisted Xhaka’s goal with a good delivery but apart from that the German was quiet in the first 45. In the second half he did well and always looked to get the attack going, he scored the winning goal in the 90th minute, and may I add, it was one of the best goals I have seen in Europe for some time, a Bergkamp-esque finish.

Alexis Sanchez – 6

Playing out on the left hand side restricted Sanchez’s game massively, he doesn’t have the same freedom and was a different player in the first half and this was telling again in the second half as he was not able to create as much as he has done playing in the central role, a very quiet night for Arsenal the star.

Olivier Giroud – 7

Giroud started his first game for the Gunners and was very average up until his goal in the 40th minute and had much the same type of performance in the second half, very quiet but won the tackle which saw the break for Ozil’s goal.

Subs

Alex Iwobi – N/A

Mohamed Elneny – 7
Came on and composed the Gunners midfield whilst getting the all important assist for Mesut Ozil’s winner.

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain – N/A

Southampton were 2-0 losers at home to Chelsea on Sunday afternoon. We take a look at who impressed for the under par Saints, and who let them down.

Fraser Forster 5: admittedly, Forster made two fine saves in the game, but he also parried plenty back into the box. Not the best showing from the big man.

Cuco Martina 5: Martina was at fault for the second goal after comically attempting to block the strike – he also failed to influence the game in the opposition’s half.

Jose Fonte 6: Fonte put in a number of strong tackles, but being the captain of a defence that’ conceded two goals, he has to receive a six.

Virgil Van Dijk 6: Van Dijk had a very similar game to Fonte. His ability was clear for all to see, but Chelsea were so prolific in front of goal.

Ryan Bertrand 6: considering that this is Bertrand’s first game back from injury, he was looking sharp and had the right idea on numerous occasions, but failed to make the final ball count.

Oriol Romeu 6: despite arguably being at fault for the first goal, Romeu soon grabbed a grip of the game and won plenty of midfield battles. However, Hazard often left him split in two minds, hence why Romeu only receives a six.

Jordy Clasie 4: Clasie was poor today and failed to influence the game at either end of the pitch.

Steven Davis 5: Davis failed to initiate enough counter attacks or be expressive enough in today’s game

Dusan Tadic 7: Tadic was one of the few Southampton players who asked questions of the Chelsea defence

Charlie Austin 5: In fairness to Austin he received little service, but when his one chance arrived, he failed to take it.

Nathan Redmond 6: Redmond gave his all today and put together a number of nice dribbles and passing moves.

Sofiane Boufal 6: It’s clear to see that Boufal looks to make the difference whenever he gets the ball. Some tricks worked out, others didn’t, but ultimately, the Chelsea defence was just too organised.

Chelsea were 2-0 winners when they faced a tough away trip to Southampton. It was another 3 points for Conte’s men in his new 3-4-3 system. We take a look at how the players rated.

Thibaut Courtois 7: Courtois carried everything that was asked of him in a calm fashion.

Cesar Azpilicueta 7: Azpilicueta is one of the League’s most consistent performers and today was no exception.

David Luiz 8: Luiz was not only strong in the tackle today, but also exceptional on the ball, delivering a number of inch perfect 40 yard diagonals to the feet of Hazard.

Gary Cahill 7: Antonio Conte’s system is doing a fantastic job of hiding some of Cahill’s recent flaws. A strong performance from the England International.

Victor Moses 9: Moses was a driving force in all areas of the pitch today. He got stuck in amongst the tackles, was assured on the ball and gave the Southampton defence plenty to think about.

Ngolo Kante 8: as per, Kante was alive to every loose ball and redistributed play exceptionally.

Nemanja Matic 8: Matic is returning to his best. Strong, intelligent and precise showing from the Serbian today.

Marcos Alonso 6: Alonso was useful in build up play, but was ripped to shreds by Tadic and made some poor decisions in the final third.

Pedro 6: Pedro carried out his job in pressing and vacating certain areas of the field, but failed to make an impact up top.

Diego Costa 8: when Costa is fit, there are few better centre forwards in world football. His passing was crisp when needed, he carried out his defensive duties and of course, found the back of the net in sensational style.

Eden Hazard 9: Hazard was a nightmare to contain throughout the 90 minutes, causing the Southampton defence to twist and turn whilst the ball stayed glued to his feet. He found and made the most of every inch of space that he was given and even placed his name on the scoresheet.

Below are the Arsenal player ratings for their impressive 4-1 win at the Stadium of Light vs. Sunderland in Saturday’s early kick off. 

Petr Cech – 5: Wasn’t really tested in the first half, in the second he was stupid to bring down Defoe, and that let Sunderland back into the game, luckily Cech’s slip up didn’t cost us but it was another worrying blip from him, not the first time this season. 

Hector Bellerin – 7: Good attacking outlet down the right, his usual self. 

Skhodran Mustafi – 6.5: Had a really good performance for all but 10 seconds where his misjudgement gave Sunderland the penalty. His ball skills are very good 

Laurent Koscielny – 7: Koscielny was as assured as ever on the ball and strong in the tackle, helping to nullify Sunderland’s threat at the root, high up the pitch. 

Kieran Gibbs – 8: With Monreal having a knock, Gibbs was given another chance to impress and he did so very well. He made several quality crosses and even got an assist for the crucial second Arsenal goal. I think after this performance he must keep his place in the side, even when Monreal is back fit.

Francis Coquelin – 6: Had a quiet game, perhaps didn’t have to do as much defensively as he often does, his presence at least gave Arsenal some defensive security. 

Mohammed Elneny – 8: Was criticised for his display last week by many, but he was quality in midfield today. He always looks so calm and reliable on the ball, he’s also got a cool head. A very useful player for he squad and a bargain at £5million in January. 

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain – 7: With Theo out injured, The Ox was given a chance and he very quickly showed what he can do, using his pace before providing an excellent assist for Alexis. 

Mesut Ozil – 7: He has added another dimension to his game, making lots of quality attacking runs into dangerous areas. He could and maybe should have scored at least one goal today though, so his finishing still needs work. Great link up play in midfield, getting an assist and carving more openings. If he put one of them in he’d be getting at least an 8. 

Alex Iwobi – 5: He has played a lot of football recently and his effectiveness has decreased a lot in the last couple of weeks. Need a bit of time out of the 11 to freshen up and come back stronger. 

Alexis Sanchez – 8.5: With Giroud back in the frame, Alexis very quickly dismissed murmurs that he wasn’t an all round central striker. His early headed goal showed he can be a fox in the box and his work rate and play between the lines was top top quality. 

Subs

Olivier Giroud – 8: For all of Alexis’ quality, Giroud gives us another dimension and a plan B, we needed him today and luckily he was back fit and delivered. He scored with his first and second touch – such a useful asset when he is in the mood. 

Aaron Ramsey – 6: Came back in at 3-1 and kind of assisted the fourth goal with a scuffed effort. Looked good on the ball.

Ainsley Maitland-Niles – N/A

Manchester United edged past local rivals Manchester City in the fourth round of the EFL Cup, courtesy of a Juan Mata goal in the second half. United fans were delighted with the Spaniard’s performance with many calling on Jose Mourinho to start him on a more regular basis in the Premier League. 

The first half was extremely even at Old Trafford, but United started to take control of the game in the second half. Zlatan Ibrahimovic played a nice ball through to Paul Pogba, who hit the post after Willy Caballero saved his shot.

The breakthrough for Manchester United came shortly after. Ibrahimovic was involved again as his square ball was converted into the bottom corner to give the Reds the lead.

The home side had to withstand some late Manchester City pressure, who introduced Sergio Aguero midway through the second half, but Mourinho’s men had more than enough to get over the line and into the quarter-finals of the EFL Cup.

Juan Mata marked his return to the starting line-up with the decisive goal in the derby, and impressed many with his performance in the derby. Fans took to social media to heap praise onto the Spaniard, also hailing the performance of Michael Carrick in the midfield.

Thank you Mata. We really needed that win after that rough weekend #MUFC

— Kelvin Mathea (@KelvinMathea) 26 October 2016

Some day he’ll understand when he starts Mata we win 👏🏻🔴⚪️

— Ryan Nolan (@RyannNolann) 26 October 2016

We play so much better with Mata and Carrick in the side, not sure why they don’t start more often

— Lee Webb (@LeeWebby) 26 October 2016

Someone explain to me how Mata is droppable but Zlatan isn’t? #MUFC

— Ryan McDermott (@Banners_Up) 26 October 2016

Good game, and again mata starts and we don’t lose, mourinho should read between the lines. #mufc

— E.C.E (@Elvis_corp) 26 October 2016

Carrick and Mata can’t be left out of another United team this season if fit, surely? ??

— Michael Noone (@MichaelNoone4) 26 October 2016

It’s proven yet again, when mata starts we win

— MITHUN GARCIA (@MithunCher) 26 October 2016

Juan Mata hasn’t always been Jose Mourinho’s favourite man, just look back at when the two were at Chelsea to see what I mean. However, Mata’s performances have been immense for United this season, and generally when he starts, the Red Devils come away with a positive result, and fans have been calling for Mata to become a regular starter in Jose Mourinho’s starting elevens.

Michael Carrick has also been knocking on the door for an extended run in the team, but has so far been unsuccessful, with Mourinho preferring Ander Herrera alongside Paul Pogba or Marouane Fellaini in defensive midfield.

However, the Portuguese boss went with Herrera and Carrick in the defensive midfield, and after this positive result, Mourinho may explore the option of starting the two together in the midfield on a more regular and consistent basis.