Tag Archives: Player Ratings

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.

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

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

These are Fresh Football’s ratings for the EFL Cup tie between Manchester City and Manchester United at Old Trafford:

Manchester United

David De Gea – 5

It’s a 5 for De Gea, purely on the basis that he had absolutely nothing to do all game.

Antonio Valencia – 5

Tactically disciplined, but largely unrefined in attack. Not a great deal got past Valencia, mind

Marcos Rojo – 6

There were a few concerned faces at the prospect of Rojo deputising at centre back, but the Argentine appeared comfortable, particularly in possession.

Daley Blind – 5

Technically comfortable, as we’ve come to expect from Blind, but another who didn’t appear to have much to do with regards to defending.

Luke Shaw – 5

Although the ex-Southampton man linked up fairly nicely with Rashford on the left flank, handling Jesus Navas’ pace proved to be an issue. The distance kept in the second half, however, made the task of containing the Spaniard become far more manageable for Shaw.

Michael Carrick – 6

A super composed performance from the midfield veteran, which once again adds to the case being made for him to start more regularly for Man United.

Ander Herrera – 6

Carrick’s presence freed Herrera of some of his newly-appointed defensive responsibilities of late, which allowed him to press higher up the pitch to great effect.

Juan Mata – 6

Floated in and out of the right flank, which kept the home side’s possession flowing, but also limited the options out wide. Mata, of course, came up with the all important goal too in a 1-0 victory.

Paul Pogba – 5

The Frenchman looked to make something happen every time he got onto the ball, often a little forceful in doing so.

Marcus Rashford – 8

Head and shoulders above everyone on the night, proving to be a menace to young Pablo Maffeo on United’s left wing and causing City plenty of issues on the counter-attack.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic – 6

It looked as though the former PSG man would be heading for another disappointing display based on his first-half performance, but Ibrahimovic managed to up his game in the second period to create a couple of good chances and assist Mata.

Subs:

Morgan Schneiderlin – N/A

Manchester City

Willy Caballero – 5

Pulled off a good save from a left-footed Pogba shot in the second half, but rare were the occasions when the Argentine shot-stopped was called into action.

Pablo Maffeo – 6

An impressive display from young Maffeo, who was undoubtedly among the best in a City shirt, despite having his hands full with dealing with Rashford.

Vincent Kompany – 5

A standard performance by the Belgian, who was taken off at half-time, presumably with another injury to add to the tally.

Nicolas Otamendi – 3

Far too dedicated to pressing and winning the ball back, which often left massive gaps behind him for Man United to target.

Gael Clichy – 4

Fairly anonymous, particularly in attack, which is disappointing from the ex-Arsenal defender considering the potential licence to do so thanks to Juan Mata roaming inwards.

Fernando – 6

He’s not everyone’s cup of tea, but Fernando appeared fairly solid and much improved on the ball.

Aleix Garcia – 6

Another, alongside Maffeo, to catch the eye in the middle of the park. Garcia looked the likeliest to make something happen.

Jesus Navas – 4

Attacked Shaw well, but at the same time, Navas appeared very predictable once more in his decision making.

Leroy Sané – 3

The winger, operating behind the striker in this encounter, failed to inflict any damage in the final third, meanwhile ghosting through much of the second half before being replaced by Raheem Sterling.

Nolito – 4

Found a couple good passes in attack, but notable involvement came few and far between.

Kelechi Iheanacho – 3

Missed a great opportunity to stun Old Trafford in the early exchanges of the tie, but the Nigerian’s miss would go on to commence a lacklustre performance.

Subs:

Aleksandar Kolarov – 3

Slotted in terribly next to Otamendi in the second half, allowing United to grow in confidence and eventually take the lead.

Raheem Sterling – 4

Replacing Sané, Sterling tried, but ultimately failed to ignite any potential City comeback.

Sergio Agüero – N/A

Arsenal

David Ospina: 8 – Did very well in the first half to keep Arsenal in front when the defence was struggling with Ludogorets dominating possession (strange). He’s like a cat off his line and made several great saves because of his fast reactions. In the second half he didn’t have much to do at all.

Hector Bellerin: 6 – Bit more of a quiet game from Hector today, but once again let’s not underestimate how important his pace is defensively. His interception led to the 1st Arsenal goal.

Skhodran Mustafi: 8 – Looked a bit out of sorts today, drifing out of position and struggling to follow his man. It was almost as if he did not expect to do much on the night and was shocked by what the Bulgarian side had to offer. In the second half he was much more alert and the German made several key headers and interceptions to ensure Arsenal’s sheets remained clean.

Laurent Koscielny: 8 – Mr. Reliable in defence, Koscielny may have been busier than he expected on the night, but he did really well. The Frenchman was solid.

Kieran Gibbs: 6 – Didn’t have a lot to do on the night, but did what he had to do well. It was good to see him come into the 11 and keep a clean sheet, slotting in seamlessly to the back four, he’ll get plenty of games this season.

Franics Coquelin: 7.5 – Came back from injury and looked really good. He won the ball a lot and although his limitations restrict Arsenal from dictating the game, he has clear quality and is useful for the squad.

Santi Cazorla: 5 – In the first half I’m not sure I saw Santi do anything at all. He looked tired and was completely anonymous. This lack of energy let the visitors dictate possession and put Arsenal on the back foot. He assisted Ozil’s first but then was removed with more than 30 minutes to go, looks like he needs a rest.

Theo Walcott: 7 – Squandered a couple of early chances where you would have expected him to do more, but got his goal from outside the box with a well hit shot, although the keeper made it look better than it probably was.

Mesut Ozil: 10 – It’s got to be 10 for Mesut. In all honesty he struggled in the first half, he couldn’t find his passing rhythm and aside from a great assist, he was poor. In the second half he flourished though, making attacking runs and clinical finishes giving him his first hat trick of his professional career. Congrats! Read the fans reaction to Ozil’s performance.

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain: 7 – Struggled in the first half. He was enthusiastic but lacked a final ball (although got an assist for the 1st). He needs to spend some time with Theo and see what he did to turn his game around, because he needs some help. But let’s take nothing away from his goal where he did very well, and he also assisted the first with a smart pass, some progress.

Alexis Sanchez: 7 – Looked very tired in the first half, but that will be forgotten thanks to a sublime chipped finish. Wenger will need to be careful not to overload the Chilean though – Arsenal need him at his best. He was removed with around 30 minutes to go, which he wasn’t too pleased about, but it was needed.

Substitutes

Mohammed Elneny – N/A
Barely touched the ball after he came on, but helped Arsenal in the latter stages, keeping the door shut defensively and winning the ball back when danger was posed.

Lucas Perez – 7.5
A brilliant little cameo from Lucas, who assisted two of Ozil’s goals. The Spaniard has great pace about him and his two assists show he can also link the play very well, he’ll be a useful asset.

Alex Iwobi – N/A

These are the Fresh Football player ratings for West Ham vs. Southampton. 

Southampton

Forster 6 – Forster had little to work for with thanks to the Southampton defence, but as always, he claimed each and every cross with confidence

Cedric 6 – Cedric took up some superb positions but failed to come up with the goods. He so nearly could have had an impressive game.

Fonte 7 – Fonte was back to better form today with some intelligent passes and well timed interceptions. Much more of this please.

Van Dijk 8 – calm on the ball and physically dominant. Van Dijk is well and truly placing himself amongst the League’s best defenders.

Bertrand 8 – Bertrand was incredible in all areas of the pitch. As ever, he was strong in his decisions and in carrying them out. West Ham found no joy down the left side of the pitch.

Romeu 9 – Romeu was my man of the match. Not only did he win the ball back on numerous occasions, but he also built from deep, constantly offered himself as an option when others are on the ball and he even initiated multiple counter attacks.

Hojbjerg 7 – the more Southampton fans see from this man, the more they love, and rightly so. He was controlled, classy and positive on the ball.

Davis 7 – Davis covered his ground superbly, however, he stalled a number of attacks with some slow decision making. He was brilliant on all other areas.

Tadic 8 – Tadic is flourishing under Claude Puel and it seems like he’s loving every last minute of it. He found pockets of space and his team mates with absolute ease throughout the game. In addition, he was as cool as you like with his finish too.

Redmond 7 – Redmond is already showing growth at Southampton. His movement and ability to work the channels cause the West Ham defence multiple issues.

Austin 8 – Austin done what Austin does best, and that’s find the back of the net. It must also be noted that he played a sensational pass into the feet of Tadic for the Serbian’s goal too.

Subs: Ward-Prowse 6.5 – he scored a valuable goal in the closing stages of the game, helping to put the final nail in the coffin.

Long 6 – he had little time to impact the game, but he hurried the West Ham defence in the final minutes.

West Ham

Adrian 7 – without Adrian the game could have finished 6-0. He made a number of very impressive stops, in particular one save against Tadic whilst the game still had all to play for.

Nordtveit 4 – he was playing out of position and boy did it show. Nordtveit was at fault for the first goal and was continually troubled throughout the game.

Ogbonna 5 – Ogbonna was dragged out of position on too many occasions with thanks to Tadic and Redmond’s movement.

Reid 5 – like Ogbonna, he is capable of performing far better. The Southampton attack gave him a real test throughout.

Arbeloa 5 – Arbeloa failed to make an impact and was under pressure all afternoon

Noble 4.5 – Noble was played in a packed midfield to help nullify Tadic, but that plan clearly didn’t come to fruition.

Kouyate 5 – the Southampton midfield had Kouyate running around mindlessly on many occasions.

Antonio 5 – he’s been in superb form in recent weeks, but Bertrand showed his class today.

Payet 5 – In truth, it’s hard for Payet to play well when everyone around him is struggling so badly, but nevertheless, he failed to impact the game.

Lanzini 5 – Romeu ensured that Lanzini had almost no joy through the middle.

Zaza 4 – it’s been one to forget for Zaza as his worryingly poor start at West Ham continues.

Subs: Feghouli 6 – he found some nice areas in Southampton’s half but couldn’t quite make that final ball.

Fletcher 5 – not much more can be expected from such a young player when others are failing to carry out the most simple of tasks

It was an afternoon to forget for Chelsea and their fans. They are used to having it all their own way against Arsenal but the tide well and truly turned in this one. The Gunners were dominant and Chelsea were full of errors. Here’s our Chelsea player ratings. If you want to see our Arsenal Player Ratings, click here. 

Chelsea

Thibaut Courtois: 6 – Couldn’t really do anything about the Arsenal goals, but he will be gutted to concede so many. He did lack authority and look a little nervy though, worrying.

Branislav Ivanovic: 3 – Terrorised by Alex Iwobi all afternoon and looked way off the pace. Chelsea fans will surely want to see him dropped, Azpilcueta moved to the right, and the new big money signing Marcos Alonso given a real chance on the left. He had a torrid time and would’ve been relieved to hear the full time whistle.

Gary Cahill: 2 – A horror moment for Cahill gifted Chelsea the lead. He’s not had a good start to the season and his place is now surely under threat. Also poor for Arsenal’s third as he failed to track an unmarked Ozil to score.

David Luiz: 4 – Was better than Cahill, but that is no achievement. The Brazilian looked a little lost and it is evident that the duo are yet to develop a relationship.

Cesar Azpilicueta: 5 – Pretty ‘meh’ performance from Azpilicueta. Got more involved when Chelsea switched to wing backs, but still did nothing special. He really struggled with Iwobi in the first half, especially when the Nigerian drifted inside.

N’Golo Kante: 4 – Was embarrassed in the first half by Ozil’s sheer guile and skill. Kante was given the job of distributing the ball but he struggled due to technical limitations in his game. He was supposed to stop Arsenal’s rhythm in the final third but the Gunners ran riot. A performance to forget.

Nemanja Matic: 3 – Matic was playing in a more advanced midfield role than he was used too, and he looked really uncomfortable to be honest, always a yard or so behind the Arsenal midfielders.

Cesc Fabregas: 4 – Was the headline change from Conte for this fixture after impressing in midweek but he really struggled to get into the game and was hooked off just 9 minutes into the second half. Perhaps he was tired after 120 minutes in midweek.

Eden Hazard: 5 – In the first half he looked the most likely to do something for Chelsea – however his lack of defensive discipline cost Chelsea for Arsenal’s 2nd goal as Bellerin had far too much space and time to pick out Theo Walcott. He was perhaps the most lively Chelsea player, but he did make a lot of errors with his final ball. Needs to be better.

Willian: 4 – Found a lot of space on the left in the first half and should have done more with that, needed to capitalise. In the second half Monreal gave him much less time and the Brazilian really failed to make any sort of impact, replaced with 20 to go.

Diego Costa: 6 – Battled really hard, caused problems for the Arsenal defence by using his strength to shrug them off often. But for the most part, he cut a huge frustrated figure as Mustafi and Koscielny relished the physical duel. In the end his frustration continued to spiral and he was booked for dissent in the final 10 minutes of the game. In Costa Chelsea have such a quality player, and even though he was quiet today, he was one of their best – Conte needs to play around the Spaniard because he is a match winner. Today Costa did his bit but the performance of Mustafi and Koscielny meant that Costa was isolatd and couldn’t effect the game as he would’ve liked.

Subs

Marcos Alonso: N/A – Came on after 55 minutes to play as a wing-back in a changed, 3 at the back Chelsea formation. Didn’t really do anything of note as Arsenal continued to dominate proceedings.

Michy Batshuayi: N/A – Had 20 minutes to show his quality in a 2-man attack. He was lively and game Costa some much needed support, but ultimately the Belgian fluffed his chance to give Chelsea a glimmer of hope. He did at least though, force a save from Cech.

Pedro: N/A – Came on, had no effect.

These are the Arsenal Fresh Football player ratings for Arsenal vs. Chelsea, which finished 3-0 to the Gunners thanks to goals from Alexis Sanchez, Theo Walcott and Mesut Ozil. The Gunners put aside their recent terrible performances against Chelsea and put their London rivals to the sword from the off. Wenger deployed a high-pressing tactic that put a huge amount of pressure on Chelsea’s defence, who were attempting to play it out from the back. 

Arsenal

Petr Cech: 7 – Chelsea didn’t have a shot on target until the 84th minute, so Cech really didn’t have much to do. But he was very confident coming for catches and his experience certainly helped Arsenal in this fixture. He’ll be delighted to get one over his former club.

Hector Bellerin: 8 – Excellent assist to set up the 2nd Arsenal goal. His general play was very good and the Spaniard made a goal saving tackle with 20 to go, using his incredible pace to deny Pedro. The Gunners do truly have a real talent in Bellerin and they need to keep hold of him as the likes of Barcelona lurk. 

Skhodran Mustafi: 9 – Won an incredible amount of aerial duels and was also very strong in the tackle. He looked well up for the battle with Costa and bar a communication problem with Koscielny at one point, the German was faultless.

Laurent Koscielny: 9 – Koscielny’s pace helped handle the quality of Costa. He and Mustafi are really developing a great partnership and they’ll be delighted to get their first clean sheet under their belts today. 

Nacho Monreal: 7 – Chelsea had some early openings down his side, but he got a lot better in the second half, getting closer to Willian and the introduction of Gibbs to help him in the latter stages was certainly beneficial. Not Arsenal’s best player but didn’t really do a lot wrong.

Francis Coquelin: 6 – Had a decent start but jarred his knee 30 minutes in and had to come off. Will be really upset about that after winning his place in midfield.

Santi Cazorla: 8 – Cazorla kept Arsenal ticking so beautifully. When the Spaniard is in the mood he just helps the Gunners take control of any game. Playing against Kante, Fabregas and Matic is no easy task, but Santi made it look so effortless to overrun them.

Mesut Ozil: 8.5 – Was quiet for the first 39 minutes but the 3rd goal was all about him. He turned Kante and left the Chelsea mdfield for dead, before playing a one-two with Alexis and scoring with a scuffed volley. After this goal he really grew into the game and sometimes humiliated the Chelsea midfield. 

Theo Walcott: 8 – Cool as you like finish to give the Gunners a 2-goal lead. His work rate throughout was much improved and helped Arsenal deal with the threat of Hazard. Walcott could have been more clinical a couple of times in the second half but overall he was much better than he has been in recent years on the right hand side.

Alex Iwobi: 8.5 – Didn’t get an assist for it, but carved Chelsea open to create the 2nd Arsenal goal. Iwobi just looks so effortless, gliding across the pitch and causing havoc for the Chelsea defence. He has really matured in the last 12 months and now looks a certain inclusion in the Arsenal line up. He will drift in and out of the team over the season, but Iwobi has the potential to be an Arsenal great. 

Alexis Sanchez: 9 – Hunted Cahill down and scored the opener with a lovely chipped finish. A great run and assist to assist Ozil for the third goal. He was electric and looked much more comfortable than he has previously in that lone striker role. Rightfully received a standing ovation when he was subbed (with midweek in mind) with 12 minutes to go.

Subs

Granit Xhaka: 7 – Would have been disappointed not to start but after 30 minutes due to a Coquelin injury, he got his chance. The Swiss international was so calm in possession and also strong in the tackle. Gave away a couple of needless fouls which he needs to stop doing, but overall a very good performance. He may now have a chance to establish himself in this team thans to Coquelin’s injury. 

Kieran Gibbs: 7 – On for just over 20 minutes to help Chelsea cope with the wing back formation they changed too with 30 minutes to go. He did exactly that, getting back to restrict the effectiveness of

Olivier Giroud: N/A – Back from injury, the Frenchman was given the last 12 minutes to get a bit of fitness. Looked a bit rusty as his touches were mostly bad. 

These are Fresh Football’s ratings for Manchester United’s home clash versus Leicester City in the Premier League.

Manchester United

David De Gea – 6

Despite a relatively quiet game, De Gea was left stunned by a Demarai Gray strike in the second half. By the same token, the Spaniard pulled off a good save from similar circumstances in the latter stages of the game.

Antonio Valencia – 6

A standard Antonio Valencia, with lots of running, work ethic, as well as a handful of hit and miss crosses. He did, however, struggled to contain Gray in the second half.

Chris Smalling – 7.5

The England international remained casual up against the likes of Jamie Vardy and Islam Slimani, meanwhile opening the scoring for Man United in the first half.

Eric Bailly – 7

Equally as sound as Smalling throughout much of the game, but there was the odd occasion where he found himself stretched in unison with Valencia on the right side of defence. Decent overall.

Daley Blind – 8

The versatile defender was particularly successful in thwarting main man Riyad Mahrez, on top of combining expertly with his teammates thanks to some crisp passing. A big performance.

Paul Pogba – 7.5

A far better showing from the record signing, who was gifted time by the Leicester midfield to manipulate the ball and also went on to score his first goal in United colours.

Ander Herrera – 6.5

Operating deeper, Herrera’s presence allowed the likes of Pogba and Juan Mata greater freedom.

Marcus Rashford – 7

Busy on the flanks, exposing quality hold-up play and a fearless attitude that was again rewarded with a goal.

Juan Mata – 7.5

With Wayne Rooney benched, Mata took initiative and roamed expertly to link up play and cause the Leicester defence all sorts of problems. The Spanish playmaker got onto the scoresheet in the 37th minute.

Jesse Lingard – 6.5

Active in and around the box, tracked back well and added an assist to his name.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic – 7.5

The Swede left both central defenders trailing his associative play and troubled the Leicester backline with well-timed runs in what was a performance that only lacked a goal.

Subs:

Michael Carrick – N/A

Wayne Rooney – N/A

Leicester City

Ron-Robert Zieler – 3.5

Fairly powerless in all four of the goals, but few, if any, positives surround his day.

Danny Simpson – 3

Left unhappy in his duel versus Marcus Rashford and his marking inside the box from set-piece scenarios.

Robert Huth – 3

Had his work cut out with Ibrahimovic inside the box, whereas his marking and organisation was very disappointing for three of the four goals Leicester conceded.

Wes Morgan – 3.5

Much like Huth, Morgan’s so often the heart and soul of the Foxes’ side with his Herculean defending, but that wasn’t the case today.

Christian Fuchs – 3

Usually so reliable, the Austrian turned in one of his worst performances since joining the current Premier League champions.

Riyad Mahrez – 3.5

Fairly uninspired and hooked off at half-time with the midweek clash versus Porto in mind.

Danny Drinkwater – 3

Outnumbered in the middle of the park, whereas he’s sure to have better days going forward.

Daniel Amartey – 3

In much the same vein, Amartey struggled to cope versus a 3-man midfield.

Marc Albrighton – 3

Simply non-existent.

Islam Slimani – 4

Worked hard to charge Leicester forward, but was often left isolated.

Jamie Vardy – 4

Led on behind Slimani, attempting to place Leicester’s stamp on the game, but lacked support and was subbed off at half-time.

Subs:

Demarai Gray – 6.5

The shining light in a dismal afternoon for the Foxes, offering refuge from Man United’s suffocating domination and providing a quality goal from range for fans to at least smile about.

Andy King – 5.5

Might feel he could have done better in his second-half stint, but his mere presence served to balance the game and limit the damage that had already been done prior to his entrance.

Jeffrey Schlupp – N/A

Here are the Arsenal Player Ratings from their League Cup games against Nottingham Forest on Tuesday night. Arsenal won 4-0 on the night thanks to two goals from Lucas Perez, another long distance effort from Granit Xhaka and a late goal from Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain. 

Emiliano Martinez: 6 – Arsenal’s third choice goalkeeper was given a chance between the sticks for this match. Was rarely tested as Arsenal dominated the game, but did what he had to do. Good to see him get some minutes under his belt.

Ainsley Maitland-Niles: 8 – The young Englishman is a great prospect, but natural a central or right midfielder, he was played out of position at right back on Tuesday night. Despite this, he put in a quality performance and drifted in-field to showcase his qualities. One to watch.

Gabriel Paulista: 7 – Back from injury for his first appearance of the season, stayed out of the limelight and didn’t have much to do at all, but good for him to get 90 minutes and a clean sheet.

Rob Holding: 7 – Picked up a yellow, but it wasn’t his fault. Not very busy but did what he had to do well and with maturity beyond his years. Another one to watch and a great young talent for both Arsenal and England.

Kieran Gibbs: 6 – Making his first appearance of the season, Gibbs captained the Gunners. He looked a little rusty but apart from a few stray passes, did his job well, although he was rarely directly tested.

Mohammed Elneny: 7 – Did really well. The Egyptian is quite low down in the pecking order currently, but he is athletic and good on the ball and under pressure, a very good signing and useful player for the squad.

Granit Xhaka: 7.5 – Scored another long-distance goal, albeit via a deflection. He controlled the game in midfield and played with maturity throughout. Not just good in the pass, Xhaka made several key tackles and interceptions to keep the Gunners on top.

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain: 6 – One of Arsenal’s most senior players on the night, he really struggled and looked so poor. This was a great chance for him but he failed, slowly he is dropping further and further down the pecking order. Needs to improve his link up play if he is to ever get into Arsenal’s first team. He certainly improved in the second half, and scored a good goal right at the end. 

Jeff Rene-Adelaide: 7.5 – Playing in the number 10 role Jeff excelled. He almost scored at the end of the first half and was lively throughout. He looks a real talent at just 18, could he be this seasons Iwobi? I love how he is tall, but also so good on the ball. He has a unique mix of attributes and I think he has a big future at the club.

Chuba Akpom: 8 – Rotated with Lucas between the left wing and central striking berth. Was lively all night and looked stronger than he has in the past. Made a good run to win the Arsenal penalty. Assisted Lucas’ second goal too with a neat through ball. On tonight’s evidence he looks more prepared for first team football than we’ve seen him before.

Lucas Perez: 8 – The Spaniard’s 2^nd start as an Arsenal player saw him rotate between striker and left wing. Struggled to get into the game in the first half. In the second half he came to life and set up the penalty with a good through ball and then converted it coolly to open his Gunners account. For his second he used his pace and strength well to round the keeper and give Arsenal their third. Got into better positions in the second half and had chances to get a hat trick. Picked up a late assist too for Ox’s goal!

Substitutes

Gedion Zelalem: N/A – Had 10 minutes at the end. Only had a few passes but looked very good on the ball.

Chris Willock: N/A – Also came on for the final 10 minutes.

Krystian Bielik: N/A – Only given 5 minutes at the end.

Watford secured their first win against Manchester United for 30 years, in an emphatic 3-1 win. But, how did the players individually get on?

Heurelho Gomes – 7

Started off very shaky, but as the game wore on he got better and better. His highlight moment of the game has to be his save from Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s header, which kept Watford in the game. It was a stunning one handed reflex save, and the Brazilian won’t have made many better.

Craig Cathcart – 6

Looked a bit rusty against his old side, with Prodl having to bail him out after a severely under-hit back pass almost cost the Hornets the lead. He will have to put in some stellar performances to stop Kaboul taking his place in the starting XI.

Sebastian Prodl – 10

The big Austrian had one of the most assured defensive displays that I have seen in my 17 years as a Watford fan. He contained Ibrahimovic for the whole game, which is no easy task. He definitely won the battle of the man-buns, and he almost got an assist too. He cushioned a header to the far post from Holebas’ free kick, with Deeney inches away from finishing. By far the best defender on the pitch.

Miguel Britos – 6

Had an ok game, solid defensively as usual but that was about it. The main contribution from the Uruguayan was dispossessing Martial and laying it off to Janmaat so he could tee it up for Capoue to get the first goal.

Daryl Janmaat – 8

Another great performance from the Dutchman. Newcastle fans were telling me that he was terrible at defending, but from what I’ve seen he can both defend and attack! He always got back to deal with the threat of Martial and Young, and always got forward when he had the chance. He also got the assist for Capoue’s goal to top off a great performance.

Valon Behrami – 7

Since Walter Mazzarri has come in, it has given Behrami a new lease of life. He acts as a sweeper for the midfield, picking up all of United’s misplaced passes, and clearing the ball whenever he needed to. You could say that he was at fault for Rashford’s goal, but there’s nothing more that he could’ve done. Good all round performance.

Etienne Capoue – 8

The goal machine churned another one out on Sunday. Showed Pogba how it is done, even when you were bought for 15 times less money. After last season with no goals, and feeling like he will miss with every shot, he has turned it all around and now whenever he shoots, you know it’s either on target or in the back of the net.

Roberto Pereyra – 7

A quieter performance from the Argentine on Sunday. For the first 60 minutes he was almost invisible, made a few good runs and won a couple of free kicks, but other than that was very subdued. In the last 30 minutes, however, he found a second wind and sprung to life. Provided the fantastic assist for Zuniga’s goal, and would not stop running, even getting back defensively. Great to watch.

Jose Holebas – 8

Seems to improve with every game. Over the summer he has turned into a completely different player. He has been fantastic defensively, and was in this game too. He also has been great going forward, putting in some great crosses and good free kicks. Very nice to see him growing into a great Premier League player.

Troy Deeney – 8

What a captain’s performance. Controlled everything that was happening when Watford were seeing out the win. He was also all over the pitch, clearing corners then getting up the pitch to set up a chance. Of course, topped off with a goal to confirm the win. Seems to be back to his old self.

Odion Ighalo – 5

A game to forget for Ighalo. After missing an open goal following a De Gea mistake, it seemed as if his confidence just left. Everything he did from then on seemed like it would go wrong. Needed to be taken off for Success earlier, but that didn’t matter in the grand scheme of things.

Substitutes:

Nordin Amrabat – 7

Had a massive impact on the game, didn’t give Luke Shaw a moments rest. His pace was very welcome in the closing stages, as he chased down every ball and won it. Much better performance following his one against Arsenal.

Juan Zuniga – 8

What an impact Zuniga had. Scoring after 53 seconds on the pitch to put the Hornets 2-1 up with an emphatic finish. He had a massive impact on seeing the game out too, holding the ball up, and winning the penalty that sealed the 3 points for the Golden Boys.

Isaac Success

Wasn’t on the pitch long enough for me to give him a rating, but he completed the most take-ons in his 6 minutes on the pitch than any other Watford player. Should’ve come on earlier for me, but he still had a great impact, mugging off Bailly twice on his mazy run in to the box. Hopefully gets a start soon, maybe to replace the dwindling Ighalo.

So, that’s my Watford player ratings from the historic win against Man United! Agree? Disagree? Let me know!

By Tom Cobbing (@tomcobbing)

These are the Fresh Football Player Ratings for Arsenal’s game against Paris Saint-Germain. We have rated all the Arsenal players below. Share your thoughts with us on the ratings by tweeting us @FreshFootball

David Ospina: 9 – Wenger decided to go with Ospina in goal for the Champions League again and it did not backfire this time around. The Colombian was unbelievable between the sticks. His speed off the line gave security to a new defensive bond and he was the match-drawer in my opinion.

Hector Bellerin: 6 – Struggled under intense wide pressure with the full back doubling up on him. Didn’t have much help at all from Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain which didn’t help. Had to work hard and for the most part covered his defensive duties well. Couldn’t effect the game in an attacking sense.

Skhodran Mustafi: 7 – Mustafi played his second game in a row, alongside Koscielny as it looks like the duo are Wenger’s first choice. Some confusion with positioning for the goal and a couple of times, but ultimately won a lot of headers and his fair share of tackles. Overall a good performance, will get better as his understanding with Koscielny grows.

Laurent Koscielny: 6 – Not sure where he was for the first goal and his positioning put Mustafi under pressure a few times. Was very committed though, and looked like he really wanted to win. He seemed a little slower than usual and he needs to develop a better understanding with Mustafi – it’ll come.

Nacho Monreal: 5.5 – Also struggled with two players up against him in wide areas. Alex Iwobi, in the first half at least did not offer much protection. Monreal was certainly not at his best, allowing Aurier in behind far too easily on the night.

Francis Coquelin: 5 – Looked out of his depth. Quality was too much for him with PSG’s midfield dominating and the play bypassing him for much of the first half. Was more disciplined in the 2nd but Arsenal looked better once Xhaka replaced him.

Santi Cazorla: 6 – Really struggled with the pace in the first half as he had to chase the game, but when Arsenal were in control in the second half he saw much more of the ball. The Spaniard needs the right midfielders around him to give the team the right balance and Wenger ultimately got that wrong today. Needs to be addressed in the long term.

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain: 4 – This is getting really worrying. The Ox was hopeless yet again and the decision to keep him at the club for another season will raise eyebrows now. He really hasn’t progressed in the last few years.

Mesut Ozil: 6 – Struggled in the first half as Arsenal were made to chase the game. Made a great pass to open it up for the vital goal. Like the rest of the team, improved hugely in the second half and helped Arsenal retain possession high up the pitch.

Alex Iwobi: 6.5 – Bottled a chance to win the game for Arsenal right at the death with a brilliant chance to win it in a smash and grab for the Gunners. He was poor in the first half and still lacks perfection in his game, but I was pretty impressed overall by Iwobi considering he was one of the youngest players on the pitch. Played with more maturity than others.

Alexis Sanchez: 7.5 – Arsene surprised again by opting for Alexis to play at centre-forward. It didn’t work, but for the last 30 minutes Alexis was on the left and looked great. He was tracking back right until the end and ultimately scored the goal to give Arsenal a vital point away from home.

Substitutes

Olivier Giroud: 6 – Changed the game when he came on with his presence needed up top. Like last season though, he picked up two stupid yellow cards and was dismissed right at the death.

Granit Xhaka: 6.5 – Physical presence helped give Arsenal more control in midfield for the last 20 minutes.

Mohammed Elneny: N/A – Helped close the game out.

These are the Fresh Football Player Ratings for Arsenal’s game against Paris Saint-Germain. We have rated all the Arsenal players below. Share your thoughts with us on the ratings by tweeting us @FreshFootball

David Ospina: 9 – Wenger decided to go with Ospina in goal for the Champions League again and it did not backfire this time around. The Colombian was unbelievable between the sticks. His speed off the line gave security to a new defensive bond and he was the match-drawer in my opinion.

Hector Bellerin: 6 – Struggled under intense wide pressure with the full back doubling up on him. Didn’t have much help at all from Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain which didn’t help. Had to work hard and for the most part covered his defensive duties well. Couldn’t effect the game in an attacking sense.

Skhodran Mustafi: 7 – Mustafi played his second game in a row, alongside Koscielny as it looks like the duo are Wenger’s first choice. Some confusion with positioning for the goal and a couple of times, but ultimately won a lot of headers and his fair share of tackles. Overall a good performance, will get better as his understanding with Koscielny grows.

Laurent Koscielny: 6 – Not sure where he was for the first goal and his positioning put Mustafi under pressure a few times. Was very committed though, and looked like he really wanted to win. He seemed a little slower than usual and he needs to develop a better understanding with Mustafi – it’ll come.

Nacho Monreal: 5.5 – Also struggled with two players up against him in wide areas. Alex Iwobi, in the first half at least did not offer much protection. Monreal was certainly not at his best, allowing Aurier in behind far too easily on the night.

Francis Coquelin: 5 – Looked out of his depth. Quality was too much for him with PSG’s midfield dominating and the play bypassing him for much of the first half. Was more disciplined in the 2nd but Arsenal looked better once Xhaka replaced him.

Santi Cazorla: 6 – Really struggled with the pace in the first half as he had to chase the game, but when Arsenal were in control in the second half he saw much more of the ball. The Spaniard needs the right midfielders around him to give the team the right balance and Wenger ultimately got that wrong today. Needs to be addressed in the long term.

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain: 4 – This is getting really worrying. The Ox was hopeless yet again and the decision to keep him at the club for another season will raise eyebrows now. He really hasn’t progressed in the last few years.

Mesut Ozil: 6 – Struggled in the first half as Arsenal were made to chase the game. Made a great pass to open it up for the vital goal. Like the rest of the team, improved hugely in the second half and helped Arsenal retain possession high up the pitch.

Alex Iwobi: 6.5 – Bottled a chance to win the game for Arsenal right at the death with a brilliant chance to win it in a smash and grab for the Gunners. He was poor in the first half and still lacks perfection in his game, but I was pretty impressed overall by Iwobi considering he was one of the youngest players on the pitch. Played with more maturity than others.

Alexis Sanchez: 7.5 – Arsene surprised again by opting for Alexis to play at centre-forward. It didn’t work, but for the last 30 minutes Alexis was on the left and looked great. He was tracking back right until the end and ultimately scored the goal to give Arsenal a vital point away from home.

Substitutes

Olivier Giroud: 6 – Changed the game when he came on with his presence needed up top. Like last season though, he picked up two stupid yellow cards and was dismissed right at the death.

Granit Xhaka: 6.5 – Physical presence helped give Arsenal more control in midfield for the last 20 minutes.

Mohammed Elneny: N/A – Helped close the game out.

Manchester United

David De Gea: 7 – Could not do much about the goals and made some key saves in the second half to keep his team in the contest.

Antonio Valencia: 7.5 – One of United’s best players in a difficult game. He did well to nullify the threat of Nolito for the most part and continues to look comfortable playing at right back.

Eric Bailly: 5.5 – The first game where Bailly has really struggled in a United shirt. Up against a big team he looked nervous, too easily beaten in the air for City’s first and a few bad challenges saw him pick up a yellow.

Daley Blind: 6 – Slightly better than Bailly but also looked uncomfortable for the most part and was to blame for De Bruyne’s goal perhaps. He did however make a few (3) tackles.

Luke Shaw: 6.5 – Spent too much time defending because of City’s dominance and that meant his attacking influence was limited.

Marouane Fellaini: 7 – One of United’s better players, putting in a midfield shift and helping disturb City, but ultimately struggled to get on the ball enough.

Paul Pogba: 6 – Poor game from the Frenchman, he really struggled to get into the game and considering the money United paid, he needs to turn up in the big games in the future.

Henrikh Mkhitaryan: 5 – Maybe this was why Mourinho hasn’t been starting him. The Armenian looked really out of sorts and was substituted at half time after failing to make any sort of positive impact.

Jese Lingard: 5 – Much like Mkhitaryan, Lingard struggled to make any kind of impact at all. Granted he struggled to because City had the ball for so long, but he needs to do more. I’m sure Martial will be back in in the next game.

Wayne Rooney: 6.5 – Really struggled in the first half as City dominated proceedings, but he grew into the game in the second half as United started to get more chances.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic: 7.5 – What a signing. He is incredibly lethal and took his only real chance of the game with a good volley. He was a handful and if United had more of the ball I’m sure he would have caused even more problems for City.

Subs

Marcus Rashford: 6.5 – A lot better than Lingard but still struggled with the final ball.
Ander Herrera: 7 – Helped United take more control in the game coming on for the invisible Mkhitaryan.
Anthony Martial – 6

Manchester City

Claudio Bravo: 5 – Woops. With all eyes on new boy Bravo between the sticks, he made a serious error for the Manchester United goal and looked uncomfortable throughout from corners and crosses as the South American keeper attempted to adapt to a new style of football in England. Amazingly his distrbution was one of the things to let him down. Needs work.

Bacary Sagna: 6 – Rarely tested as Lingard struggled to get on the ball. Looked a little uncomfortable once Rashford replaced Lingard though.

Nicolas Otamendi: 8 – Terrific from Otamendi. We are starting to see why City paid so much money to bring him to England. Completing 91% of his passes and shutting out United on several occasions, winning 5 tackles and 4 aerial duels. Otamendi comes close to MOTM with his performance.

John Stones: 6.5 – Not nearly as tidy in possession as his defensive partner, Stones only completed 76% of his passes. Still, he was pretty solid and was up against one of the best strikers in the league in Zlatan. He continues to learn and improve under Pep.

Aleksandr Kolarov: 6.5 – Decent performance from Kolarov, who seems a favourite of Pep’s. Trusted on the ball a lot and looked solid defensively.

Fernandinho: 7.5 – Looks great in Pep’s system. He does all the defensive work in midfield and that allows for City to play with two attacking midfielders alongside in Silva and KDB.

David Silva: 7 – Not the best we’ve seen from Silva, as he handed the limelight to KDB, but ultimately he helped City dictate the game in Manchester United’s half for much of the 90.

Kevin De Bruyne: 8.5 – KDB had struggled to make his impact under Pep so far, but today he really announced himself. Not only the goal, but he played incredibly well in midfield, running the show. The sides primary playmaker on the day managed a massive 6 shots.

Raheem Sterling: 6.5 – Not his best game by any means, Sterling struggled to make an impact as Shaw was defensively sound.

Kelechi Iheanacho: 7 – Continued his incredible goalscoring record at City with what turned out to be a vital goal. Not an extraordinary performance but ultimately, he gets in the right place at the right time.

Nolito: 6.5 – Apart from the early stages, Nolito struggled to make an impact as Valencia did a good job of keeping him quiet.

Subs

Fernando: 6
Leroy Sane: 6
Pablo Zabaleta: 6

Ratings by Aidan Small from freshsaints.com

Arsenal

Cech 7 – Despite being marked as the scorer of Southampton’s goal, Cech was of no fault for the goal. It was simply one of those unlucky things in football! But aside from that, Cech psyched Shane Long out during a one on one and forced him to place the ball wide. He also held each strike well.

Bellerin 6 – Bellerin was comfortable in deep areas, but struggled to be effective in the final third due to Bertrand’s strong showing.

Koscielny 8 – Strong in the air, comfortable on the ball and scored a stunning bicycle kick. Not a bad birthday eh?

Mustafi 7 – Like Koscielny, Arsenal’s new man was also comfortable on the ball. He also put up a good fight to deal with Long’s aerial threat.

Monreal 6 – Monreal found some nice areas but struggled to make that final ball. He was rarely troubled defensively.

Coquelin 6 – Coquelin limited Arsenal’s build up play heavily in the first half, and despite improving over the second half, he is capable of far better.

Cazorla 8 – The little maestro is a joy to watch when he plays like he did today. Quick feet, impressive passing range, solid defensive contributions and a goal to top it off too. Cazorla was Arsenal’s man of the match.

Ozil 5 – Ozil took control of the game over a five minute period prior to Koscielny’s goal, but minus that, Romeu kept him quiet for the rest of the game.

Walcott 5 – thinking back, I struggle to think of any moments involving Walcott over the 90.

Chamberlain 4 – the former Saint had a game to forget. Not only did he fail to capitalise on Cedric’s attacking mindset, but he also delivered some woeful crosses. No impact on the game whatsoever.

Perez 5 – granted, its Perez’s debut, but he was very much out of time with the rest of the team’s attacking fluidity and failed to find space or challenge Van Dijk/Fonte.

Subs

Iwobi 6 – Iwobi managed to contribute to some neat passing play, but couldn’t directly affect the game.

Sanchez 6 – the Chilean worked some good attacking angles, but failed to make any use of them.

Giroud 7 – Giroud came on to act as a focal point for the Arsenal frontline, and despite slipping at one good chance, he ensured that he would be receiving the ball on a number of occasions. His work paid off after winning the penalty.

Southampton

Forster 6 -The Southampton keeper was worked very little, but played out from the back in an assured manner.

Cedric 5 – Cedric’s defending didn’t prove to be the issue today, instead, it was his poor deliveries and wasteful passing into central areas.

Fonte 5 – It’s safe to say that Fonte hasn’t had the greatest of starts to the season so far. Whilst he made effective use of the ball, he also needlessly gifted Arsenal free kicks, gave away the penalty and looked erratic whilst tackling.

Van Dijk 6 – his passing was exceptional at times and proved to once again destroy many players in the air. However, Van Dijk was at fault for the first goal and almost gifted Arsenal a second after a risky ball.

Bertrand 7 – It’s almost like he was never away. Bertrand was strong in all areas of the pitch.

Romeu 8 – The Spaniard was without doubt Southampton’s man of the match. He pressed superbly, intercepted intelligently and made some cutting passes to set Southampton free against the Arsenal defence.

Davis 6 – Davis is still adjusting to life as a central midfielder and today was certainly better than his past few showings. Tidier in all areas.

Clasie 7 – The Dutchman finally appears to be getting to grips with English football and today’s performance was promising. Much to the annoyance of the Arsenal midfield, Clasie proved to be a real defensive pest at times

Tadic 6 – Tadic started the game brightly in the opening 20 minutes but as we’ve seen so many times, he soon faded out of the game.

Redmond 6 – Redmond’s general play and passing was very comfortable and calming, but his performance was missing drive and grit in attack.

Rodriguez 5 – Rodriguez contributed little in the first half and asked almost no questions of the Arsenal defence. Its no surprise that Puel dragged him off at half time.

Subs

Long 4 – Shane Long managed to place himself in some dangerous positions throughout the game, but at the end of the day, he’s a striker, and therefore, missing key chances simply isn’t good enough. That’s exactly what he done on three separate occasions, leaving me no other option but to score him so poorly.

Hojbjerg 7 – from the moment that Hojbjerg entered the pitch, Southampton instantly become far more offensive in their play and fashioned themselves a number of chances. This seems to be a recurring effect from the Danish midfielder.

Ward-Prowse 5 – he had little time to make an impact and in truth, done little.

These are Fresh Football’s ratings for Tottenham Hotspur’s home clash versus Liverpool in the Premier League:

Tottenham Hotspur:

Michel Vorm – 7

Deputising for the injured Hugo Lloris, Michel Vorm came up with a coupled of crucial saves in the first half to keep Liverpool within touching distance.

Kyle Walker – N/A

Forced off with an injury in the 26th minute.

Toby Alderwiereld – 6

The Belgian struggled to thwart Liverpool’s attacking cavalry on occasions, only for the Reds to not take full advantage of their chances. Alderweireld did, however, prove to be a threat from set pieces.

Jan Vertonghen – 5.5

Perhaps courtesy of his injury sustained during Euro 2016, Vertonghen looked fairly rusty, just as he did versus Everton, as Sadio Mané and co. tormented him all afternoon with runs in behind.

Danny Rose – 6.5

Not the most impressive defensively, but Rose was typically enthusiastic going forward and pulled Spurs back with a goal in the 72nd minute.

Eric Dier – 6

The ex-Sporting man struggled under Liverpool’s intense pressure in the first half, but improved steadily as he covered for the injured Kyle Walker at right back.

Vincent Wanyama – 6.5

Spurs’ summer signing came out on top in his fair share of midfield battles, surprising a few with his technical attributes.

Dele Alli – 6

He’s far from the Dele Alli from last season thus far, but there were some encouraging signs in the second half with the positions taken up by the Englishman, who was dropped back into the double pivot role for much of the game.

Erik Lamela – 4.5

An ineffectual performance from Lamela, whose biggest contribution to the game was giving away a penalty late into the first half.

Christian Eriksen – 5.5

Fairly uninspiring stuff from Eriksen, but he did offer a handful of well-placed set-pieces.

Harry Kane – 5

The wait for Harry Kane’s 50th Premier League goal continues, as does his below-par form.

Subs:

Vincent Janssen – 4.5

Mobbed completely by Dejan Lovren and Joel Matip from the moment he stepped onto the pitch.

Anthony Onomah – N/A

Harry Winks – N/A

Liverpool:

Simon Mignolet – 6.5

Mignolet provided some decent saves, meanwhile also demonstrating some uncharacteristically good footwork throughout.

Nathaniel Clyne – 6

Clyne brought additional intensity to the game from the flanks, but his end product wasn’t such a welcome feature to Liverpool’s game.

Joel Matip – 7.5

A very good Premier League debut from the Cameroon international, marking the likes of Vincent Janssen and Harry Kane out of the game.

Dejan Lovren – 6.5

Some solid stuff from Lovren throughout the encounter, who worked in unison next to Matip.

James Milner – 6.5

Composed throughout all the hustle and bustle, as he also tucked away Liverpool’s only goal in the game via the penalty spot.

Jordan Henderson – 7

The Liverpool captain upped his game hugely since the visit to Turf Moor, evading pressure well and leading his attacking midfielders simultaneously with the pressure applied.

Georginio Wijnaldum – 6

Despite being somewhat eclipsed by most in Liverpool’s attack, but the Dutchman’s bursts from midfield, on top of the ability to press accordingly, concluded a decent performance.

Adam Lallana – 7

Everywhere the ball was, from the first to last minute. Laudable energy and quality from Lallana when on the ball.

Philippe Coutinho – 6

Not the Brazilian’s best of performances. Coutinho could, and probably should, have put Liverpool ahead early in the first half, whereas nothing quite came off for the playmaker in other associative moves.

Sadio Mané – 7.5

Perhaps a little fortunate not to see a red card, but other than that, Mané looked lethal with his runs in behind Spurs’ high line.

Roberto Firmino – 6.5

Drifted in and out of the game, but Firmino was another to press Spurs into making mistakes and aid Liverpool’s chance creation.

Subs:

Divock Origi – N/A

Kevin Stewart – N/A

Here are the Fresh Football player ratings for Leicester City vs. Arsenal. 

Arsenal

Petr Cech – 7: Looked confident between the sticks, didn’t have much to do at all but watch as Arsenal dominated possession. Made an important save in the dying seconds.

Hector Bellerin – 6: A chance to give Arsenal the lead 15 minutes in, but as is often the case with Hector, his final ball was missing.

Rob Holding – 7: Selected ahead of Chambers, Holding played with maturity and the Gunners looked solid defensively, although Leicester barely caused them any troubles at all.

Laurent Koscielny – 8 (MOTM): Arsenal looked much safer with the dominant Koscielny back in defence, he was a dominant presence throughout.

Nacho Monreal – 7: Did really well coping with the threat of Mahrez. Added defensive security and maturity to the Arsenal defence.

Francis Coquelin – 6: As is often the case, picked up a stupid yellow just 20 minutes in. Technical ability, or lack of it, restrict his effectiveness when Arsenal try to break down a defence.

Granit Xhaka – 6.5: Alongside Coquelin, Arsenal had a tough tackling midfield. He made some good tackles but also a terrible backpass that almost allowed Vardy to take the lead. Still needs time to adjust.

Theo Walcott – 4.5: Really struggled to get into the game. Had a good chance to score with 20 to go but his shot went straight at the keeper. Could’ve put it on the plate for Giroud with 10 to go, instead his shot was blocked.

Santi Cazorla – 6: Always showing for the ball and linked the midfield and attack well. One of Arsenal’s more influential players in the first half.

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain – 5: Looked dangerous and went close in the first half after cutting inside and curling just wide. Ultimately didn’t do enough to break down Leicester’s defence.

Alexis Sanchez – 5: Dropped deep a lot to try and get involved as Leicester’s deep defence frustrated him. Needs to find his position and rhythm again.

Subs

Mesut Ozil – 7.5: On for Cazorla with 18 to go. Made an instant impact and created a good opportunity for Walcott. Looked a level above the other Arsenal players.

Jack Wilshere – 6.5: Had 18 minutes to make an impact, was lively but couldn’t break down the defence.

Olivier Giroud – N/A: Had just over 10 minutes to make an impact, didn’t.

Leicester City

Kasper Schmeichel – 6: Looked uneasy and reluctant to catch the ball. Enjoyed looking heroic when it wasn’t necessary.

Danny Simpson – 7: Had a lot to do as Arsenal often attacked down Leicester’s right hand side, did it well.

Robert Huth – 6: Back from suspension, an early slip almost left him red-faced but Morgan covered well for him.

Wes Morgan – 6.5: Important interception early on to deny Walcott. Stayed close to Alexis and pocketed him.

Cristian Fuchs – 6: Didn’t get involved much, spent his game ensuring Walcott couldn’t get in behind, which he rarely managed to do.

Danny Drinkwater – 6.5: Having to run more and do more off the ball in Kante’s absence and his quality is suffering because of it. Doesn’t have the ability to affect the game at both ends, but put more effort in than any other player on the pitch.

Napy Mendy – 6: Still trying to replicate what Kante did for this team, over enthusiasm caused him to make some silly fouls. Off with a worrying looking ankle injury after 52 minutes.

Riyad Mahrez – 5: All eyes were on Mahrez after committing his future to the club, but in truth, he struggled to trouble Monreal all evening.

Marc Albrighton – 5: Dropped deep and didn’t get at Bellerin enough, therefore missed a chance to get at 20 year old Holding.

Jamie Vardy – 5: The striker who turned down Arsenal earlier in the summer. Ran a lot, drew an early yellow from Coquelin, probably lucky not to be booked himself for a tackle on Monreal. Vardy had a couple of good openings but squandered them. If this was last season it would’ve ended 1-0, Vardy goal.

Shinji Okazaki – 5: Ran a lot but struggled to disturb Arsenal’s midfield from deep, which therefore allowed Arsenal to dominate the game.

Subs

Andy King – 5.5: On for Mendy after just 52 minutes due to injury.
Leonardo Ulloa – N/A: On for the last 25 minutes, replacing Okazaki.
Ahmed Musa – 7: Didn’t have long but made an instant impact, could and maybe should’ve won Leicester a penalty.

These are Fresh Football’s ratings for Burnley’s home clash versus Liverpool in the Premier League.

Burnley

Tom Heaton – 6.5

A solid performance from the England hopeful, offering confidence to his backline when called upon and a small collection of saves made up against long-range shots.

Matthew Lowton – 7

The ex-Aston Vill full back gambled on sitting narrow and invited James Milner forward, blocking just about every cross the Liverpool man attempted.

Michael Keane – 8

A totally imperious performance from the Manchester United academy graduate, who seemed to be a magnet for the ball at the heart of Burnley’s defence.

Ben Mee – 7.5

Keane’s partner in crime, Mee was equally as effective in safeguarding Heaton’s net.

Stephen Ward – 6

Ward followed on from his defensive counterparts, which was all that could have been expected from him.

Scott Arfield – 6

An incredibly sacrificial performance from Arfield, who essentially acted as a second left back.

Steven Defour – 7

Despite lasting just 55 minutes, Burnley’s new signing was all-action at both ends, powering his way through Liverpool’s midfield in the first half to assist Andre Gray.

Dean Marney – 7

The midfielder was on-song with his team mates, putting in a real shift and preventing Liverpool from finding their way into Burnley’s box.

George Boyd – 6.5

Another to sacrifice his habitual influence for the greater good of his team, Boyd completed the two deep blocks of four at Turf Moor.

Andre Gray – 7.5

The match winner at the other end, Gray opened his account for the new season, on top of assisting Vokes for Burnley’s first goal of the game. Gray continued to be a valued outlet for counters throughout the game.

Sam Vokes – 6.5

It was one of those games where the striker, naturally, saw little of the ball, but Vokes made sure it counted when he did finally come into play, scoring and setting the tone for Burnley as early as the 3rd minute.

Subs:

Johann Gudmundsson – 5.5

Gudmundsson came into the game at a difficult time, but the Iceland international, other than adding to the work ethic, did provide options on the attack, too.

Lukas Jutkiewicz – N/A

Liverpool

Simon Mignolet – 5

The Belgian perhaps could have done better to prevent Gray from scoring with a low-placed finish, but he was pretty much powerless, otherwise.

Nathaniel Clyne – 5

Clyne provided avenues on the right flank, as always, but every cross of his found a Burnley shirt.

Dejan Lovren – 5

Often stretched, but made no alarming mistakes.

Ragner Klavan – 4

A deep contrast to his Premier League debut versus Arsenal, Klavan struggled to cope with Gray all afternoon.

James Milner – 5.5

A tricky afternoon for Milner covering at left back, who was controlled by Lowton all game.

Jordan Henderson – 4.5

The Liverpool captain’s struggles were very apparent, failing to add penetration from deep and, at times, landing himself into trouble with misplaced passes and poor control.

Georginio Wijnaldum – 5

Completely ineffectual throughout, which is understandable considering the sheer amount of players retreating into his area of action.

Adam Lallana – 5.5

The former Southampton star was fairly lively, but added to the growing list of players who failed to inflict damage.

Philippe Coutinho – 5.5

Completely limited to shots from range, but only once worked the goalkeeper with the numerous efforts he had, ultimately adding to Liverpool’s frustrations.

Roberto Firmino – 5

Burnley’s solidity forced the Brazilian to look for involvement and space from deep, minimising his threat.

Daniel Sturridge – 5

Totally gridlocked inside the box, Sturridge’s rare occasions on the ball came from deep and out wide. Ultimately, away from danger zones. Didn’t look fully fit.

Subs:

Divock Origi – 4.5

Origi’s presence went unnoticed in the 30 minutes of game time afforded to him.

Alberto Moreno – N/A

Marko Grujić – N/A

These are Fresh Football’s ratings for Stoke City’s home game versus Manchester City at the Bet365 Stadium.

Stoke City

Shay Given – 5

There wasn’t a great deal the veteran goalkeeper could do to deny Sérgio Agüero and Nolito a brace each.

Phil Bardsley – 6.5

The ex-Manchester United man was lively throughout the encounter, on top of sussing Raheem Sterling’s routines.

Ryan Shawcross – 6

Shawcross managed to silence Agüero for large periods of the game, but his performance was, ultimately, blemished by the penalty committed on Nicolás Otamendi in the first half.

Philipp Wollscheid – 5

The German defender looked fairly unaware at times at the back, whereas his passing was also disappointing.

Erik Pieters – 5.5

His influence grew slightly as the game went on, but the left back looked visibly rusty. Did all he had to do, mind, in impeding Navas’ crosses.

Glen Whelan – 5

A quiet performance from Stoke’s anchorman.

Gianelli Imbula – 3.5

Stoke’s record signing tried to make things happen every time he got hold of the ball, but the trickiest part of all was keeping it. The story of his game.

Joe Allen – 6

The ex-Liverpool player never gave in to the score line. Noteworthy work ethic, as always.

Bojan Krkić – 5.5

Bojan’s input was stifled out wide, but the Spaniard started to come into the game as he roamed centrally in the second half, in particular following Imbula’s exit.

Marko Arnautović – 5

There was nothing but tantrums in the first half, but the Austrian managed to channel much of that anger into his will to turn the game around, which, unfortunately for him, proved to be fruitless.

Mame Biram Diouf – 5

Diouf caused John Stones a spot of bother with his runs and physicality, but couldn’t cope with Otamendi’s added presence.

Subs:

Jonathan Walters – N/A

Manchester City

Willy Caballero – 5.5

Bar a forgetful spell of 15 minutes in the second half, Caballero remained fairly composed throughout.

Pablo Zabaleta – 5.5

Zabaleta will have played better games, but he certainly could have done a lot worse.

John Stones – 5

The £47 million-pound man struggled with Diouf’s physicality, whereas his passing needed a bit of tuning too.

Nicolás Otamendi – 7

One of Otamendi’s best displays in a City shirt from a defensive perspective, covering for Stones’ shortcomings and anticipating much of the danger throughout the entirety of the game.

Aleksandar Kolarov – 5.5

A surprisingly timid performance from Kolarov going forward, but there can be little complaints about his defensive duties.

Fernandinho – 7

Pulling the strings from deep, the Brazilian was particularly impressive with his passes between the lines to bypass Stoke’s midfield.

Jesus Navas – 4

A dismal afternoon for Jesus Navas, making all the right runs on his flank, but lacking accuracy with his passes at almost every noteworthy opportunity he had.

Kevin De Bruyne – 5

The Belgian hasn’t quite got into the new routines of a Guardiola side, whereas his final ball in transition was surprisingly disappointing, too.

David Silva – 6.5

Not the mercurial performance we’d often associate with David Silva, but the Spaniard led City’s pressing well in an attempt to regain possession as soon as possible.

Raheem Sterling – 5.5

Nothing quite came off for Sterling today, who was also pretty unfortunate to give away a penalty in the second half, but the ex-Liverpool winger did at least gift Nolito a goal as the game came to a close.

Sérgio Agüero – 6.5

Often starved of service in the second half, Agüero had already done his job in the first period with a brace.

Subs:

Nolito – 6.5

Goals win games, and that’s what Nolito was able to do when replacing Navas with his two goals, albeit from very close range and with the keeper Shay Given, out of position.

Kelechi Iheanacho – N/A

It’s difficult to rate Kelechi’s performance based on ten minutes or so of football, but the young striker stayed true to his tradition of making an impact with little time left, assisting one and, soon after, dummying a pass to Sterling expertly that led to City’s fourth goal.

Here are Fresh Football’s ratings for Arsenal’s opening game against Liverpool.

Arsenal

Petr Cech – 5

A day to forget for the Arsenal keeper, conceded four goals and did not look sharp, although couldn’t do much on most of the goals.

Hector Bellerin – 5

Brilliant tackle on 22 minutes to stop Firmino with a clear chance, but Liverpool’s dominance in attack shown through in the end, struggled to support the attack.

Calum Chambers – 4.5

Poor pass in the 39 minute which led to a Liverpool break, was against a top Liverpool attack and struggled to cope with the pressure. Scored a consolation goal.

Rob Holding – 5

Gave away the free-kick for Coutinho’s goal (decision was harsh), but there was some bright glimpses for the youngster, good passing and was positioned well, but like Chambers, a very tough afternoon for the youngster on his debut.

Nacho Monreal – 5

First half he was brilliant and supported the attack well, second half was outclassed by Mane for his their fourth and was under pressure non-stop.

Francis Coquelin – 4

Gave away silly free-kicks but was OK in possession. Did not control the midfield which was required and was lucky to not get sent off.

Mohamed Elneny – 5.5

Nice and tidy in the middle of the park as always. Was good in the first half but was dominated in the second, removed for Xhaka but Arsenal missed his legs after he came off.

Theo Walcott – 5.5

Missed the penalty after he won it but made up for it with a great finish to put the Gunners ahead. Was non-existent in the second half and lacked the quality the Gunners needed.

Aaron Ramsey – 4.5

First shot on target inside five minutes after good link up pay with Alexis, did not offer much after and went off injured.

Alex Iwobi – 5

Always positive on the ball and looked lively going forward, was over loaded in the end and struggled massively before going off injured.

Alexis Sanchez – 4.5

Struggled to get into the game in the first half and the same in the second half, improvement is needed by the Gunners Chilean although with not much pre-season behind him, he is one player that can be forgiven.

Liverpool

Simon Mignolet – 4

Made a great save to deny Walcott’s penalty but couldn’t do much with his goal, conceded two goals after and like Cech, and afternoon to forget.

Nathaniel Clyne – 6

Helped the attack well and had a shot in the 12th minute which was saved. Brilliant assist for Coutinho’s goal and was good defensively.

Dejan Lovren – 6.5

Solid at the back and kept Alexis out of the game.

Ragnar Klavan 6.7

Much like Lovren, dominate in the air and kept Alexis out of the game.

Alberto Moreno – 3.5

Great tackle on Ramsey in the 14th minute to disposes Ramsey in the box. Gave away the penalty in the 28th minute. Caught out for Arsenal’s opener had a torrid first 45 minutes and much the same in the second.

Adam Lallana – 6.5

Scored a well taken goal in the 49th minute and grew as the game went on.

Jordan Henderson – 6

Kept Liverpool’s midfield ticking and tracked back well, did little going forward.

Georginio Wijnaldum – 7

Solid debut for Wijnaldum, good in possession and supported the front three very well.

Saido Mane – 8.5

Always looked to go forward and caused Arsenal problems. Sublime goal in the 63rd minute and ran the Arsenal defence all over the pitch.

Roberto Frimino – 8

Lively as always and caused Arsenal many problems in the second half, grew into the game and was very positive going forward.

Phillipe Coutinho – 9 (MOTM)

Scores an absolute class free kick in the 45th minute to level the score and scored his second in the 56 minute. Grew into the game massively in the second half and ran the Arsenals makeshift defence raged, sublime performance by the Brazilian.

Subs

Santi Cazorla – 5

As always, good on the ball and offered Arsenal creativity, great assist for Chambers goal.

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain – 5

Should have started. Scored Arsenal’s second goal and looked very lively, wrong call by Arsene to leave him out.

Granit Xhaka – 4

Did not have enough time to do much, booked and gave away more fouls than he should of.

Emre Can – 4

Came on to secure the three points for the Reds.

Divock Origi – 4

Struggled to make an impact.

Kevin Stewart – N/A

Here are Fresh Football’s ratings for Guardiola’s first game in charge of City against Sunderland at the Etihad Stadium.

Manchester City

Willy Caballero – 5

Great save in the 40th minute to deny Defoe. Poor distribution and did not look too comfortable throughout the game, made dodgy decisions and his handling was pretty poor. Could not do much for Defoe’s goal.

Bacary Sagna – 6

Nice and tidy in possession and was solid throughout. Saw a header glance just wide in the 82nd minute.

John Stones – 7

Solid debut, well positioned in defence and was very comfortable on the ball.

Aleksandar Kolarov – 7

Partnered Stones at CB, good in possession with brilliant cross field passes, solid showing.

Gael Clichy – 6.5

Clichy done well this evening, playing in the new system he looked comfortable, kept Watmore quiet and helped out the midfield and attack.

Fernandinho – 8

Excellent in the middle of the park, strong and was always an outlet for Stones / Kolarov from the back.

David Silva – 6.5

Played in a deeper role and looked ok, his link up play with Noltio was very good on the eye. Recycled the ball well as always and was always positive on the ball.

Nolito – 6

Looked sharp and showcased some excellent skills.

Kevin De Bruyne – 6

Was not his best game by all means but was good in possession and often looked to create chances.

Raheem Sterling (MOTM) – 8.5

Looked lively all game, won the penalty for Aguero in the opening three minutes. Good on the ball and was positive most of the time, good first game for Sterling.

Sergio Aguero – 7

Converted City’s first goal inside three minutes with a clinical finish, was kept reasonably quiet but always looked good on the ball and was always on the move. Missed a golden chance in the 60th minute but did not see much of the ball after.

Sunderland

Vito Mannone – 5

Conceded the penalty but was very quiet for most of the game. Good save from KDB free-kick then conceded thanks to an OG.

Donald Love – 6

Had a tough afternoon against the skillful Nolito and then Sterling, was not always beaten though and certainly showed some character.

Lamine Kone – 6.5

Was solid at the back for Sunderland, saw his header fall to Defoe who nearly scored, good performance.

Younas Kaboul – 6.5

Much like Kone, did not have the busiest afternoon but was solid when called upon.

Patrick Van Aanholt – 4

Given the run around by Sterling to give away the penalty, had a head to head battle all afternoon in a tough game.

John O’shea – 5

Played in a unnatural position in midfield, was often overrun by the brilliant Silva / De Bruyne but did protect the back four well.

Jack Rodwell – 4.5

Struggled to cope in the middle, often was dispossessed or was given the ball away, not the best afternoons for the former City man.

Fabio Borini – 5

Was quiet for most of the game, always wanted to go forward on the ball and did deliver some good crosses.

Duncan Watmore – 5.5

Was very direct and positive with the ball, was not able to create much and the City defence kept him quiet.

Lynden Gooch – 5.5

Looked lively on the ball and put in some dangerous crosses. Confident on the ball and tracked back well. Good debut for the youngster.

Jermain Defoe – 6.5

Saw a good chance saved by the City keeper, but scored a great clinical goal in the 71st minute.

Subs:

City

Jesus Navas (58) – 6

Played on the right and often used his pace to try beat his marker, put in some good crosses but didn’t make a huge difference. Assisted the goal on the 86th minute.

Fabian Delph (64) -5

Showed a consistent showing as always, Pep will use him in many different positions throughout the season.

Kelechi Iheanacho (79) – N/A

Missed a golden chance in the 89th minute, was quiet apart from that.

Sunderland

Adnan Januzaj (64) – 4.5

Done ok when he come on, worked the wing well and won a few set pieces for Sunderland. He often took the set-pieces and hit the first man, poor corners.

Wahbi Khazri (64) – 4

Was kept quiet and struggled to get into the game.

Paddy Mcnair (82) – 1
Within four minutes scored an own goal, sure he wished he stayed on the bench.

These are Fresh Football’s ratings for Leicester City vs. Manchester United in the Community Shield.

Leicester City

Kasper Schmeichel – 5.5
Bar a couple of sketchy moments, Schmeichel will have more strenuous games throughout the season. Some decent distribution to go with his performance.

Danny Simpson – 5.5
Started pretty well, often forcing Anthony Martial wide rather than onto the Frenchman’s preferred foot, but quickly became reckless after Lingard’s goal. Yellow carded and later replaced by Luis Hernández.

Robert Huth – 5.5
Struggled a little with the movement from Man United’s attack, whereas his role in Lingard’s goal won’t have covered him in much glory, either.

Wes Morgan – 5.5

Much like Huth, Morgan saw his display tarnished by the way he committed to tackling Lingard, as the Englishman skipped away to open the scoring.

Christian Fuchs – 6.5
Very solid throughout, with the left back rarely breached in his presence. After being subbed off for Jeffrey Schlupp, it took just two minutes for
Man United to have some joy on that side, as Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored his first official goal for his new club.

Riyad Mahrez – 5
The ideas were visible, but nothing seemed to come off for the Algerian. Minor improvement in the second half.

Danny Drinkwater – 5.5
With an eye for the direct option for Vardy to latch onto, the long passes needed a little more calibration.

Andy King – 5.5
The Welshman remained disciplined throughout the game, presumably the message pre-match. Safe, perhaps overly so.

Mark Albrighton – 4.5
Typically, Albrighton’s defensive duties were never neglected throughout the game, but the Englishman’s consistency on the ball going forwards was particularly disappointing.

Shinji Okazaki – 5
The Japanese striker did all the all the things we’ve come to expect from him in his time at the King Ppwer Stadium, working hard for his team, but other than the chance deflected wide in the first half and a near-post header onto the bar, little else came from the ex-Mainz man.

Jamie Vardy – 7
His touch was a little off at first, but his tenacity more than made up for it, as he welcomed Eric Bailly to English football. Equalised for Leicester in the 52nd minute.

Substitutions:

Ahmed Musa – 5.5
Looked particularly threatening on the counter, but fluffed his lines deep into the second half when he headed over from inside the 6-yard-box.

Demarai Gray – 6
A positive display from Gray, providing the Foxes with an outlet on the break.

Nampalys Mendy – 5
Looked interesting enough following his introduction in the 63rd minute, but a little too reserved in a two-man midfield, often leaving Drinkwater isolated.

Luis Hernández – 5
Kept Marcus Rashford fairly quiet once he came on, not that he had a great deal to handle.

Jeffrey Schlupp – N/A

Leonardo Ulloa – N/A

Manchester United

David De Gea – 5.5
Simple saves made throughout the game, with the ex-Atlético Madrid goalkeeper having little chance in stopping the efforts he failed to reach.

Antonio Valencia – 5.5
Demonstrated good anticipation from right back, but fairly ineffectual going forward.

Eric Bailly – 6.5
Among the Red Devils’ best, as he fought hard against Vardy. Some battles won, others lost, but he seemed to control his erratic nature quite well, nevertheless.

Daley Blind – 6
A sound display from Blind, rarely troubled by Vardy and Okazaki swarming to provoke the Dutchman’s decisions in possession.

Luke Shaw – 6
A fairly good performance up against Riyad Mahrez, who he kept quiet throughout his time on the field. Subbed off in the 70th minute.

Michael Carrick – 6.5
A standard Carrick performance, with all the composure you’d expect from the 35-year-old. Sacrificed in the 60th minute for Ander Herrera’s entrance at 1-1.

Marouane Fellaini – 4.5
Offered De Gea a target from goal kicks, winning his aerial duels in the meantime, but that was about it. Oh, and an assist for Vardy.

Jesse Lingard – 6
Struggled to come into the game, later opting to switch wings with Anthony Martial. Made the Leicester defence pay with his solo effort in the 32nd minute and grew in confidence before being replaced with an injury.

Wayne Rooney – 6
A good display from a far more liberated Rooney than we’ve become accustomed to in past months. May feel he should have done better with either one of his two chances from the edge of the box, though.

Anthony Martial – 4.5
Among the quietest Martial displays you’ll see.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic – 7
Offered an interesting proposition by acting as the chief creator himself, later scoring the goal to gift United the Community Shield. A very sound debut.

Substitutions:

Ander Herrera – 5.5
Looked to add a little more urgency in place for Carrick’s manipulative ways, and it worked to an extent. Retained much of United’s control too.

Juan Mata – 5
Helped United, alongside Herrera, cope with Carrick’s absence, but the second half substitute then came off with a supposed injury.

Marcos Rojo – 5.5
Helped top-up on Shaw’s grasp of Mahrez in a time when the Algerian was coming into the game.

Marcus Rashford – 4.5
Looked to cause Luis Hernández some trouble, but rarely did in his time on the pitch.

Morgan Schneiderlin – N/A

Henrikh Mkhitaryan – N/A

These are Fresh Football’s player ratings for the pre-season friendly match between Arsenal and Manchester City.

Arsenal

Petr Cech – 7.5
To be honest he didn’t have much to do at all. Could do nothing really about Aguero’s goal and otherwise he was very commanding of his box and did what he had to do. Was also helpless to stop Iheanacho’s header creeping in. Great save at the death to deny Yaya Toure from equalizing.

Hector Bellerin – 6
Booked early on for going in studs up, but seemed to get the ball. As is often the case with Hector, he lacked intelligence with his final ball, but his pace and directness down the right always remains a threat. Off for Debuchy after 76 mins.

Rob Holding – 6
Confident and mature on the ball but gave it away by trying to do too much after 26 mins, that will worry Arsene. He also lost Aguero far too easily for Aguero’s opener. Off for Chambers after 45 mins.

Gabriel Paulista – 5
Didn’t get close enough to Sterling to stop him getting the cross in for Aguero’s opener. Looks worryingly nervous on the ball. Arsene may want to act quick in the transfer market as in the dying seconds of the game it looks as if Gabriel has seriously damaged his ligaments.

Nacho Monreal – 6.5
Whilst the centre of Arsenal’s defence lacks leadership and maturity, Monreal’s presence will be vital in the opening stages of the season. Off for Gibbs after 76 mins.

Franics Coquelin – 6
Coquelin failed to score when there was no goalkeeper, his shot blocked on the line. Good at breaking up the play but clearly lacks the ability to make a real difference. A limited midfielder who may struggle for minutes now Xhaka has arrived.

Granit Xhaka – 7
Should’ve had an assist as he put it on a plate for Oxlade-Chamberlain in the 18th minute but the Ox chipped wide. Lots of good little tackles and strong play throughout the first half. Off for Elneny after 45 mins.

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain – 5
Almost scored another quality lob in the 18th minute but should’ve done better. Made a decent explosive run that almost led t a goal, quiet otherwise. Off for Walcott after 45 mins.

Aaron Ramsey – 8
Playing as a number 10 Ramsey looked confident off the back of a very good European Championship. Often dropped deep and wanted to get involved. Great shot saved after 25 mins. Looks ready ahead of the new season. Off for Cazorla after 65 mins.

Alex Iwobi – 8
Really struggled to get into the game in the first half but finished brilliantly early on in the second to put Arsenal level. Was certainly much better in the second half when Arsenal started to dominate possession. Off for Campbell after 68 mins.

Alexis Sanchez – 8.5
Played as a striker, hungry and put pressure on the Manchester City defenders throughout. Certainly offers more as a lone striker than Theo can. Excellent free kick hit the bar, Hart was beaten. Intelligent assist for Walcott’s goal, Alexis is back! Off for Akpom after 78 mins.

Substitutes

Mohammed Elneny – 7.5
On for Xhaka after 45 mins. Really lively, less limited option than Coquelin, would love to see him alongside Xhaka but fear Arsene doesn’t like that. The Egyptian was really smart on the ball and clever under pressure.

Calum Chambers – 6.5
On for Holding after 45 mins. Not really tested much but he has physically improved over the summer. His on the ball ability will appeal to Arsene.

Theo Walcott – 7.5
On for Oxlade-Chamberlain after 45 mins. Decent cross to pick out Iwobi for Arsenal’s first goal. Looked more comfortable on the right wing and forced a good save from Hart in the 64th minute. Scored a lovely lob after a great interchange with Alexis Sanchez.

Santi Cazorla – 5
On for Ramsey after 65 mins. Came on to play in the number 10 role but struggled to make an umpact. Arsene has said previously that he isn’t physically fit enough for the season yet so I couldn’t expect him to start next weekend. Caught in possession and that led to City’s 2nd goal.

Joel Campbell – N/A
On for Iwobi after 68 mins.

Mathieu Debuchy –N/A
On for Bellerin after 76 mins.

Kieran Gibbs – N/A
On for Monreal after 76 mins.

Chuba Akpom – N/A
On for Alexis after 78 mins. Managed to score another tap in, always in the right place!

Man City

Caballero – 5
Zabaleta – 6
Fernando – 5
Kolarov – 6
Clichy – 5
Delph – 6
Fernandinho – 6.5
Silva – 5
Aguero – 7.5
Sterling – 7
Nolito – 6

Substitutes

Hart – 4
Sagna – 5
Navas – 5
De Bruyne – 6.5
Yaya Toure – 4
Iheanacho – 6
Adarabiyo – 3
Tasende – N/A
Garcia – N/A
Zinchenko – N/A

These are Fresh Football’s ratings for Everton’s friendly against Real Betis in Saturday’s Dresden Cup tie.

Joel Robles – 6.5

With not a great deal to do throughout the entirety of the game, Joel Robles did fairly well when called upon, including a save in the first half which saw him parry a shot onto the post. The Spaniard was unable to stop Betis’ goal in the 23^rd minute, however, and was equally as helpless up against four well taken spot-kicks in the penalty shootout.

Bryan Oviedo – 5.5

Oviedo looked quite lively in the early exchanges of the match, but gradually saw his energy and influence on the left flank sapped out of him as the game went on. Defensively reliable, but, again, more gaps began to appear in behind him as the game reached its conclusion.

Brendan Galloway – 6.5

Among Everton’s best performers of the afternoon, the versatile defender did a good job in keeping Betis’ Rubén Castro and, later on in the game, Tony Sanabria quiet with notable interceptions.

Matthew Pennington – 6

Following a solid first half, Pennington saw his workload increase as Betis’ command of the game became more evident. Despite requiring his centre back partner Galloway to rescue him a few times with passes in behind, a hamstring injury with 12 minutes of the game to go blemished an otherwise decent display from the 21-year-old.

Mason Holgate – 6.5

An impressive first half performance saw the adventurous Holgate put in a handful of good crosses for Romelu Lukaku and Arouna Koné to attack, but it was he who felt the game’s momentum swing the most throughout the second period, struggling to contain Betis’ veteran wide man Joaquín on Everton’s right side of the pitch.

Muhamed Bešić – 5

The full 90 minutes of football played were afforded to Bešić by his boss Ronald Koeman, with the Bosnia & Herzegovina international offering very little in return against the La Liga side.

Gareth Barry – 6.5

The 35-year-old orchestrated Everton’s play in a period where the Toffees appeared to be the most dominant side. With this being Barry’s first outing in pre-season, the Englishman lasted just 60 minutes and his grapple on the game was soon surrendered by Koeman’s team.

James McCarthy – 5.5

Another who starred in his first friendly of the season, McCarthy typically offered tenacity and energy in the middle of the park, but will have seen better days going forward. The Republic of Ireland international was replaced in the 60^th minute by Tom Davies.

Tom Cleverley – 6

The ex-Manchester United man provided intensity and a constant threat with his set-piece taking in the first 45 minutes of football, but much like James McCarthy, the Englishman’s touch required further calibration in the final third. Cleverley gradually lost his influence on the game as it progressed.

Arouna Koné – 7

Koné worked the channels well playing off Romelu Lukaku and showed good control and technique when taking on whoever crossed his path. The Ivorian striker lacked the execution required, however, to make a decisive difference, but his willingness to get involved was commendable.

Romelu Lukaku – 4

The uglier half of Everton’s strike force, Lukaku was totally ineffectual in his first game back since Belgium’s Euro 2016 campaign. The striker was also substituted in the 60^th minute.

Subs:

Conor Grant – 5.5

Grant came on with 30 minutes of the game left and demonstrated a few neat link-ups in his time on the pitch, offering Everton rare moments of escapism from Betis’ dominance.

Kieran Dowell – 4.5

The second half substitute was often willing to match Grant’s enthusiasm in the latter stages of the game, but offered little else.

Tom Davies – 4.5

Davies, the third player to enter the game with half an hour left to be played, was another to suffer from Betis’ growing presence. The young midfielder was stuck in Everton’s half for the most part of his cameo.

Aaron Lennon – N/A

The ex-Tottenham Hotspur man was given 16 minutes to spruce up Everton’s display when he replaced Arouna Koné to play through the centre. Despite an evident willingness to press Betis’ defence, Lennon saw little of the ball in areas he would have liked.

John Stones – N/A

The coveted centre-back took to the field with little more than eight minutes of the game left, as Pennington was taken off with an injury.

These are Fresh Football’s player ratings for Arsenal’s friendly against the MLS Allstars.

Petr Cech – 8.5

Captain for the day. Terrific save early on to deny Dos Santos, could do nothing about Drogba’s goal. Another notable top save to deny Giovinco. Replaced by Martinez after 67 mins.

Mathieu Debuchy – 3

David Villa embarrassed Debuchy for much of the game. The Frenchman looks off the pace and his positioning for Drogba’s goal was more than questionable. The time is ticking on his Arsenal career. Replaced after 45 mins by Bellerin.

Rob Holding – 8.5

Positioned himself well and made some good headers. Looked more mature than Bielik in the first half and that probably comes from the experience he has gained playing first team football consistently with Bolton. Had to play against two very different strikers in Drogba and Giovinco –and he coped very well. The only player to play all 90 minutes in an Arsenal shirt and it was a great debut for the new Arsenal signing.

Krystian Bielik – 5

Pretty much untested for the entire half until the end of the first half where he attempted to be a ball-playing defender, instead his misplaced pass completely tore the Arsenal defence apart and led to Didier Drogba, once again, scoring against Arsenal. Although it was one pass, it will highlight the immaturity that is still in the Pole’s game, still a lot to learn. Replaced by Chambers at half time.

Kieran Gibbs – 4

Did nothing of note, struggled to impose himself on the game and didn’t make enough attacking runs to make an impact in the final third. Replaced after 45 mins by Monreal.

Mohammed Elneny – 7

Almost scored a stunning 25-yard strike, denied by an excellent save. Energetic and always showing for the ball, it’ll be interesting to see how much he features this season in a position where there is a lot of competition. Replaced by Zelalem on 67’.

Francis Coquelin – 6

Looked very fit, constantly getting his foot in from the 1^st minute. 42 minutes in he jarred his knee and the immediate worry is that there may have been ligament damage – but he played the rest of the half and looked OK. Replaced after 45 mins by Granit Xhaka.

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain – 8.5

Lively from the start and promisingly is starting to look at little more creative – his passing seems more intelligent. If a top class centre-forward was playing he may have picked up two or three assists. Replaced by Jeff on 67’.

Jack Wilshere – 5

Struggled to get into the game early on, playing in an advanced central midfield role. Typically his one-twos were the highlight of his game. Replaced after 45 minutes by Iwobi.

Joel Campbell – 7

As usual, energetic and direct, won a penalty in the 10^th minute because of his persistence and converted it coolly. After his goal he continued to work hard and create chances off the back of that hard work. Replaced by Willock on 67 mins.

Theo Walcott – 3

Sluggish and looks nowhere near good enough to lead the line for Arsenal. No confidence. It’s also puzzling to see him on corners and free kicks. It takes me back to the horror of Euro 2016 where Harry Kane thought he was Beckham. Put out of his misery after 67 minutes.

Subs

Hector Bellerin – 7

Replaced Debuchy after 45 mins. Bellerin showed much more than Debuchy, within the first 10 minutes of the second half he had made a key defensive interception and a dangerous attacking run.

Nacho Monreal – 7.5

Replaced Gibbs after 45 mins. Did a lot more than Gibbs, looked really keen to impress and he did well. An excellent run and assist to give Akpom an easy goal.

Calum Chambers – 5

Replaced Bielik after 45 mins. Made a defensive error against Lens and didn’t look brilliant in this game either. Still seems to lack some basic defensive skills. I’d like to see him go out on loan and learn his trade as a central defender this season.

Granit Xhaka – 7.5

On at half-time, replacing Coquelin. Went to ground far too often and he’ll have to be careful with that attitude in the Premier League. His passing impressed, particularly long range, he can open up the play with ease and looks happiest when dictating the game from deep.

Alex Iwobi – 6.5

Replaced Wilshere after 45 mins. Got on the ball a lot but struggled when it came to making the decisive pass.

Gedion Zelalem – N/A

Replaced Elneny after 67 minutes. Tidy passing, but didn’t get involved much, Xhaka dictated alongside him.

Chris Willock – 6.5

Replaced Campbell after 67 minutes. Did well in the small amount of time he had. Although he doesn’t appear physically strong, he uses his body so well and his pace really helps him in one on one situations. I think there is a bright future ahead for Chris.

Jeff Reine-Adelaide – 6

Replaced Oxlade-Chamberlain after 67 minutes. This kid has the raw ability and looks like he could be very good one day. He’s physically advanced for his age and although he isn’t quite there technically, I think he could be if he goes out on loan and plays regularly.

Chuba Akpom – 5.5

Replaced Walcott after 67 minutes. Didn’t do much but was in the right place to tap in Arsenal’s 2^nd.

Damian Martinez – N/A

Replaced Cech after 67 minutes.