Fresh Football Fresh quotes, opinion and reaction to the beautiful game.
These are Fresh Football’s player ratings for Arsenal’s 5-0 victory away to Southampton in Saturday night’s fourth round tie of the FA Cup:
Southampton
Harry Lewis – 5
A little helpless up against Arsenal’s attacking force, but the young goalkeeper won’t be satisfied with himself after a portion of the goals he conceded.
Cuco Martina - 5.5
Produced a quality opportunity for Shane Long to pull a goal back for Southampton, but, moreover, struggled with the inspired Danny Welbeck on the night.
Florian Gardos – 5
Back after a lengthy spell on the sidelines, the defender had his work cut out against the pace and creativity of Welbeck, Lucas Perez and Theo Walcott.
Jack Stephens – 5
Much like Gardos, Stephens always looked second best against Arsenal’s on-song attack.
Sam McQueen – 5.5
Sam McQueen was another who struggled greatly with the pace of the Gunners’ attacking transitions, with Walcott and Hector Bellerin both marauding down his flank.
Pierre-Emile Højbjerg – 6
Perhaps Southampton’s best on the night, despite struggling to place his stamp on the game, but the former Bayern Munich hotshot did threaten Arsenal’s goal on occasions.
Harrison Reed – 5
The Southampton academy graduate was totally dominated and ineffectual versus his midfield counterparts.
Jordy Clasie – 5
Along with Reed, the ex-Feyenoord star looked dwarfed versus a newly-constructed Arsenal midfield, which will stand as a great disappointment to Claude Puel’s side given the vast first-team experience the 25-year-old has to his name.
Josh Sims – 6
The 19-year-old was in and around a handful of Southampton attacking phases, but lacked a bit of finesse when called upon.
Lloyd Isgrove – 5
The wide man looked lively in pressing and causing the Arsenal defence into decisions, but didn’t see enough of the ball to make a noteworthy impact.
Shane Long – 5.5
Feeding off scraps, Long was reduced to just one half-chance versus David Ospina, which was dealt with by the Colombia international.
Subs:
Dusan Tadic – 5
The Saints turned to one of their key performers to salvage something from the game in the 64th minute, but the tide was too much for the Serbian to overcome.
Nathan Redmond – 5
Another who Puel had hoped for inspiration, as his side sunk to a 5-0 defeat.
Arsenal
David Ospina - 5.5
The erratic goalkeeper offered a few scares and miscalculations, but with a clean sheet to his name, it’s one to brush off for the moment.
Hector Bellerin – 6
The Spaniard wasn’t short of opportunities to lay down the marker on the flanks, but lacked that final pass on the night.
Shkodran Mustafi – 7
The leader in the heart of defence, Mustafi dealt with much of the defensive confusion which, at times, threatened to blemish a standout performance by the collective.
Rob Holding – 6.5
Covering for Laurent Koscielny, Holding did well against Long and co. throughout the game.
Kieran Gibbs – 6
Solid, but unspectacular stuff from the Arsenal full back, considering the Gunners’ dominance.
Ainsley Maitland-Niles – 8.5
Often deployed on the flanks, Wenger trusted the young prospect in the defensive midfield position this time around and his versatility didn’t disappoint, eating up possession alongside Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain – 9
A lot has been made of Chamberlain’s potential transition into the centre of midfield over the years, and versus his ex-club the Englishman was given the chance to showcase his capabilities. Arsenal fans will now be keen to see more of the explosive star after a man of the match performance.
Jeff Reine-Adelaide – 7.5
Another future prospect thrown into the XI by Wenger, excelling in and around the Southampton area with his playmaking prowess.
Theo Walcott – 8
In the correct place at the right time, as Walcott walked away from his old home with a hat-trick.
Danny Welbeck – 8.5
In his first start of the season, Welbeck took much of the plaudits with a breath-taking first-half performance, topped with two goals and an assist, before making way for Alexis Sanchez in the second period.
Lucas Perez – 7.5
The Spaniard looked typically impressive in combination with Arsenal’s attacking components, with only a goal for the striker evading his great showing.
Subs:
Alexis Sanchez – 7
Came into the game hungry and landed himself two assists in the process, after little more than 25 minutes on the pitch.
Alex Iwobi – N/A
