Arsenal were unlucky to drop two points against Liverpool on Monday night in a game which finished 0-0.
The Gunners started the match well, with Aaron Ramsey putting his side ahead in the opening quarter, only for his goal to be incorrectly given as offside.
Arsenal’s defence really started to struggle towards the end of the first half as Calum Chambers and Hector Bellerin lingered on the ball in defence, but Wenger’s side dominated the second.
Here are my player ratings:
Petr Cech – 9 – Man of the Match
Cech’s best performance in an Arsenal shirt. Didn’t make a single mistake all game, and made three truly world-class saves to keep The Gunners in the game in the first half.
Hector Bellerin – 4.5
Bellerin has proven that despite his ability, he can’t carry other inexperienced players through games. Didn’t know how to deal with the nervous Chambers in the first half, passing him the ball too often and scrambling to cover for him. Look rattled in the second and failed to provide us with width going forward.
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Calum Chambers – 2
You can’t help but feel sorry for Chambers, who hasn’t played a competitive 90 minutes of football in a long time, but the youngster was abysmal tonight. Gave away the ball with nearly every touch in the first half and couldn’t deal with Liverpool’s minimal attacking threat. Looked much more comfortable when his side pushed up the pitch.
Gabriel – 8
Whereas Chambers fluffed his chance tonight, Gabriel well and truly grasped it with both hands. Looked shaky in the first half, but kept things simple at the back and made a few outstanding tackles. In the second, his lightning pace and pinpoint tackling anchored Arsenal’s back four on the halfway line.
Nacho Monreal – 6.5
Provided width and some calm in a very shaky defence. Couldn’t quite get his crossing right.
Francis Coquelin – 8.5 (Replaced by Oxlade-Chamberlain in the 82nd minute)
My doubts about Coquelin were well and truly killed off tonight. The Frenchman was outstanding on the ball, and a real force to be reckoned with off it. Saved Chambers on numerous occasions with last ditch tackles in the box and controlled the game when on the ball.
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Santi Cazorla – 6
Uncharacteristically kept giving away possession in the first half. Gained control of the match in the second, but couldn’t break down a defensive Liverpool side. Should have had an assist for Ramsey’s incorrectly disallowed goal.
Mesut Özil – 6.5Â
Like Santi, Mesut was sloppy in the first half. Improved in the second, but couldn’t find that final ball.
Aaron Ramsey – 6.5
Full of energy and commitment and worked some magic out on the right. Still struggling with his positioning when deployed on the right flank. Scored a lovely goal in the first half which was incorrectly ruled out for being offside.
Alexis Sanchez – 4
Alexis’ worst game in a long, long time. Squandered possession, lingered on the ball and made some terrible decisions in the final third. Clearly lacking sharpness.
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Olivier Giroud – 6.5 (Replaced by Walcott in the 73rd minute)
Looked like Arsenal’s most likely scorer all game, despite not really lighting the Emirates on fire. Battled up front, made some neat passes, couldn’t take his chances. A typical Giroud performance.
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Subs
Theo Walcott – 2
Anonymous up front. Couldn’t hold up the ball, failed to make and runs in the behind and struggled to have any impact inside the box.
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Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain – 5
Tested Liverpool’s keeper with a decent shot in the final moments of the game, but also gave away the ball out wide.