Arsenal continued their push for a top four finish in the Premier League with a tough 2-1 victory against relegation threatened QPR at Loftus Road, which cemented the Gunners position in third place.
David Ospina- 7
Did well when called upon, making decent saves to deny Matty Phillips. Was caught out by the pace in Charlie Austin’s 82nd minute strike.
Hector Bellerin- 7
Showed strength going forward but again frail in defence. Left space open on the right hand side and could have been punished by a stronger outfit. Received a yellow card.
Per Mertesacker- 8
Captaining the side, Per Mertesacker showed a decent recovery from his Monaco nightmare a week ago. Coped well with having two defensive partners.
Gabriel Paulista- 6
Limped off with a hamstring problem after 37 minutes, rarely tested during that time.
Kieran Gibbs- 9
Superb going forward and set up Olivier Giroud’s opening goal. Probably his finest display for the Gunners for some time and showed he should still be considered Arsenal’s best left-back.
Francis Coquelin- 7
After breaking his nose against Everton, Coquelin played with a face mask. Another positive display from the holding midfielder, who was tested by Charlie Austin and co.
Santi Cazorla- 6
Another positive display from Arsenal’s best player in 2015 but couldn’t get into the match as much as he would have liked due to his holding midfielder role. Linked up superbly with Olivier Giroud in the first-half and tested Rob Green with a fine shot.
Tomas Rosicky- 7
Lively as usual and was unlucky not to get an assist following a superb run in the early exchanges of the second-half. Showed that despite his age he is still a very useful player for Arsenal.
Mesut Ozil- 8
Should have won a penalty in the early exchanges of the second-half when pulled back in the six-yard box by Karl Henry. Fine display where she hit the post with a deflected effort, after a superb turn on the edge of the area. Probably will still get hounded by the mainstream media.
Alexis Sanchez- 7
Not his best display in an Arsenal shirt but was determined to end his mini goal drought, which he did with a spectacular effort from a very tight angle. Should have scored before that when one-on-one with Rob Green but was denied.
Olivier Giroud- 8
Scored his fifth goal in five games and his second this week with a poacher’s finish to open the scoring. Battling back well from a poor performance against Monaco, now has 10 in his last 14 in all competitions.
Substitutes
Laurent Koscielny- 7
Came on for Gabriel in the first-half, was organised at the back but couldn’t keep a clean sheet. Will have more testing games.
Aaron Ramsey – N/A
Made his return from injury by replacing Rosicky in the 87th minute.
Danny Welbeck- N/A
Barely had a touch after replacing Ozil in the 90th minute.