Despite the interstitial of the international fixtures, Arsenal continue their recent good form. A thrilling if profligate first-half was followed up by a nervy and scrappy second, but the Gunners found a way to grind out a hard-fought three points.
Wojciech Szczesny - 7 – A solid display from the Pole. Made decent saves from Jozy Altidore and Connor Wickham, and was largely error-free in goal.
Carl Jenkinson – 7 – He started awkwardly, and appears to need to work on his skills in possession. However, while most of his crosses missed their target, his assist for Aaron Ramsey's first goal was a superb pass.
Bacary Sagna – 6 – A doughty presence, but it should be remembered that Sagna is playing as an auxiliary centre-half, and found dealing with Altidore difficult at times. Largely fortunate not too be punished after the referee inexplicably chalked off a goal for the American.
Laurent Koscielny – 7 – For most of game, he defended well, getting to loose balls, and being in a good place to clear crosses. But his concession of yet another penalty is becoming a problem. It's something Koscielny needs to rectify, and quickly.
Kieran Gibbs - 7 – In the first-half, he was the “out-ball”, setting the foundation for Arsenal's dominance of the opening 45 minutes. His crossing is still wayward, but his attacking runs create space for his teammates (much like Ashley Cole used to). And his defending is an ever-improving part of his game.
Mathieu Flamini – 7 – Excellent first-half performance, protecting the back four, and helping launch counter-attacks. Had more problems in the 2nd, but did a lot of unglamorous work as Sunderland pressured in the second-half.
Aaron Ramsey – 8 – Neat and tidy when Arsenal controlled the match, but then stepped up his industry when it looked like Sunderland would get something from the game. With Flamini behind him, it gave Ramsey licence to make shuttling runs into the box, and with 2 goals, he was the game's decisive player.
Mesut Ozil – 7 – He was sumptuous in the first-half, with the accuracy of his passing a sight to behold. He faded a bit in the second-half, as Sunderland closed him down quickly. But this was a fine debut from the German; one assist, and with better finishing, it would have been three.
Theo Walcott – 5 – While he can be frustrating, I've always said that Walcott's end product offsets his faults. However, there was no end product today. Walcott should have had a hat-trick, but his finishing was wasteful, and on another day, it would have caused Arsenal to drop points.
Olivier Giroud - 7 – His fine start to the season continued with another unerring finish to open the scoring. His link play was impressive, evinced by his delightful touch to set up Ramsey's second-goal. However, he left the pitch early, with Arsenal fans praying that it's not a severe injury.
Jack Wilshere – 6 – Started wide before moving central as the game progressed. Dovetailed nicely with Ozil in the first-half, but he was another whose quality dropped after the break – which is not altogether surprising given that he played twice for England over the past week.
SUBS
Thomas Vermaelen – A welcome return for the club captain. Came on with the contest safe.
Nacho Monreal – Another who was brought up to shore up the lead.
Chuba Akpom – Came on in stoppage time for Giroud.
While Arsenal can't afford to be as lax with their finishing as they were today, some satisfaction was gained by the team proving they can both dig out a victory, as well as play some glorious passing football. However, the biggest worry from the match is any potential injury to Olivier Giroud. The signing of Ozil is a great thing, but the squad is still too small.
Latest:
