Arsenal lifted the Community Shield after a terrific 1-0 win over a poor Chelsea side.
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Jose’s men looked off the pace as Arsenal’s slick, passing football gave Oxlade-Chamberlain a chance to make it 1-0 in the 24th minute – and he did after cutting onto his left-foot and smashing the ball into the top corner of the net.
Wenger’s men opted to stay back and attack on the counter in the second-half, and eventually managed to defeat Chelsea – ending the Mourinho hoodoo.
Here are my player ratings:
Petr Cech – 7
Looked calm and composed at the back, with good passing and some vital saves adding to his rating. Not troubled too much, though.
Hector Bellrin – 6
Had a solid game. Used his energy and pace to get back and defend. Passing was off at times, but that was most likely down to sharpness.
Per Mertesacker – 6
Far from his best performance, but the German done enough to stop Chelsea’s weak attack.
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Lauren Koscielny – 8
Arsenal’s best defender by far. Was dominant in the box and made numerous challenges to prevent Chelsea from grabbing a goal.
Nacho Monreal – 7
Solid defensively, but struggled to get into his rhythm when on the attack.
Francis Coquelin – 8
Francis seems to be doing his best to prove me wrong about his ability. His defensive contribution was super, as usual, but his passing and build-up play was excellent. Some of his long range passes cut Chelsea open.
Santi Cazorla – 7
Battled in the midfield and controlled the game in the final third with intelligent passing and movement.
Mesut Özil – 6.5 (Replaced by Gibbs in the 82nd minute)
Was excellent in the first half, but looked very tired in the second. Created a lot of chances throughout the game, and his runs in behind caused Chelsea serious problems.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain – 8 – Man of the Match (Replaced by Arteta in the 77th minute)
Scored a lovely left-footed goal in the first half to put Arsenal ahead. Bombed down Arsenal’s right flank all game. Chelsea couldn’t handle him.
Aaron Ramsey – 6
Misplaced a few passes in the first half and struggled to control the game. Improved in the second and nearly got on the score sheet when his shot was deflected over the bar.
Theo Walcott – 5.5 (Replaced by Giroud in the 66th minute)
His inability to hold-up the ball meant that Arsenal couldn’t quite get going early on in the game. Eventually dropped a little deeper – treating his position like a false 9 – and registered an assist after finding Chamberlain for the first goal.
Subs
Olivier Giroud – 7
Missed two decent chances, which was disappointing to see, but his hold-up play was exceptional. Brought Arsenal’s midfield into the game with fantastic flicks and lay-offs.
Mikel Arteta – N/A
Came on late into the game and battled hard in the midfield. Didn’t see much of the ball at all.
Kieran Gibbs – N/A
Came on in the 82nd minute for Özil. Almost scored with a late shot, but didn’t see much of the ball.