Arsenal visited Selhurt Park in the final game of the Premier League matchday on Monday night.
The Gunners controlled large periods in the first half but Gabriel Martinelli and Eddie Nketiah couldn’t make the most of the opportunities that arose.
The second half started in similar fashion and Arsenal were rewarded for their patience when a smart move from Martinelli and Nketiah saw Eddie clipped by keeper Sam Johnstone in the area. The resulting penalty was converted by new taker Martin Odegaard.
What happened next was very bizarre and it’s hard not to feel hard done by. The ref gave two incredibly soft yellows to Tomiyasu in the space of 10 minutes, after not punishing a worse foul from Jordan Ayew, who was already on a yellow card.
The pattern of the game then swung completely, with Arsenal and Arteta retreating and making several defensive changes. With 7 added minutes to go, Arteta subbed on Zinchenko and Jorginho and that helped the Gunners keep the ball a bit better and they saw out the win.
Use our player rater tool below to have your say on how the players performed, and see the average of all the other fans. Scroll down to see how we rated the players and who we chose as the man of the match.
Here’s how I rated the players:
Aaron Ramsdale – 7
Ben White – 7
William Saliba – 8
Takehiro Tomiyasu – 6
Thomas Partey – 9
Declan Rice – 8.5
Martin Odegaard – 8
Bukayo Saka – 7
Kai Havertz – 6
Gabriel Martinelli – 6
Eddie Nketiah – 7
Men of the match: Thomas Partey. Starting as a right-back again but spending a lot of time in midfield, Partey was near perfect. Rice pushed him close, but having both is a blessing for Arteta right now.Â