Arsenal managed to beat Newcastle 1-2 in a scrappy game on Saturday afternoon. Despite starting brightly with two Giroud goals, The Gunner looked extremely tired in the second half and were lucky not to concede a late equaliser. Here are my player ratings:
David Opsina – 8
Kept Arsenal in the game with some world-class saves. Controlled his box well.
Calum Chambers – 5
Caused Newcastle problems in the first half, but was overrun in the second.
Gabriel – 8
Arsenal’s best defender. Played the ball out from the back in the first half and made some vital challenges. In the second, his presence was one of the reasons Arsenal came away with three points.
Lauren Koscielny – 7
Played well for the majority of the game, but had some shaky moments when the Newcastle players ran at him.
Nacho Monreal – 5.5
Performed fairly well until the final 20 minutes, where he struggled to cope with the pace and directness of Newcastle’s runs.
Francis Coquelin – 7.5
Outstanding in the first half, where he read the game to perfection and controlled the midfield, but faded in the second.
Aaron Ramsey – 7
Showed energy and commitment in attack and put in a good defensive shift. His passing and ball control have returned to normal after his midseason dip.
Santi Cazorla – 6.5 (Replaced by Rosicky in the 71st minute)
Two of his set pieces led to goals, but he struggled to control the game. Caused Newcastle problems in the first half thanks to skilful dribbling in and around the box.
Danny Welbeck – 6 (Replaced by Bellerin in the 89th minute)
Worked extremely hard, defend well and made some dazzling runs, but his final balls were abysmal.
Alexis Sanchez – 7 (Replaced by Flamini in the 71st minute)
Worked hard in the first half and ran at the opposition’s defence on numerous occasions. Looked leggy in the second.
Olivier Giroud – 8.5 – Man of the Match
Scored both Arsenal’s goals from set pieces – one using his knee and the other via a header. Newcastle couldn’t handle him in the first half, but he had no service in the second.
Subs
Mathieu Flamini – 6.5
Protected Arsenal’s back four fairly well.
Tomas Rosicky – 7
Defended well and helped speed up Arsenal’s passing.
Hector Bellerin – N/A
Came on late in the game to help Chambers at right-back.