A refreshing and massively impressive away performance from the Gunners as Arsene Wenger’s men hit back at critics and finally win an away game against a big team, beating the current champions, Manchester City, 2-0 thanks to a Santi Cazorla penalty in the first half followed up by an Olivier Giroud header after the hour mark. Despite only having 35% possession in the game the persistence and determination of the team saw Arsenal out play City as their discipline shone through.
Player ratings
David Opsina- 6- didn’t have too much to do as Arsenal limited City’s chances and didn’t allow them to have too many shots on goal, however did everything that was asked of him.
Nacho Monreal- 7- a solid performance from Monreal, defended well against Navas and also won the penalty from a positive attacking run which saw the Gunners take the lead.
Per Mertesacker- 7- a much better performance from the giant centre back who commanded the Arsenal defence. He kept Serigo Aguero, arguably the best striker in the premier league, very quiet and didn’t allow him to have barely any chances to score.
Laurent Koscielny- 7- the ever consistent Koscielny gave Arsenal a sturdy defensive display and has given Arsenal a much more confident performance since his return from injury which saw Arsenal get the clean sheet today.
Hector Bellerin- 7.5- an experienced performance from the young right back gave Arsenal an outlet going forward with his blistering pace as well as a confident defensive performance. Didn’t look out of place despite his lack of games and the fact that Arsenal were facing the champions.
Francis Coquelin- 8- gave the Arsenal back four protection and didn’t allow the centre backs to get exploited against a dangerous Manchester City attack. Did a lot of unnoticed defensive work to press the City players, especially David Silva, time on the ball.
Aaron Ramsey- 6- great to see Ramsey return from injury and return to the starting line-up, however a slightly disappointing performance as he a good chance to score which he wasted and also gave the ball away too easily.
Santi Cazorla- 9- an influential performance from the Spanish midfielder. Controlled the game in the middle of the park and inspired the Gunners to a massive victory, completing 92% of his passes and scoring yet another penalty, he was simply awesome and put on one his best displays in an Arsenal shirt showing determination on and off the ball.
Alex Oxlade Chamberlain- 6- worked hard off the ball and showed glimpses of his pace, however gave the ball away far too easily and his final ball was lacking.
Alexis Sanchez- 7- once again showed his same persistence to press the ball and at times breezed past the City defenders showing his immense skill, however couldn’t find the back of the net today.
Olivier Giroud- 8- great hold up play for Giroud in a game where chances were rare for the Gunners. However, Giroud took one of his only chances of the game to score the second goal heading in from Santi Cazorla’s delivery from a free kick.
Surely Arsenal’s most impressive display of the season considering the opposition. The Gunners looked much more disciplined than usual in defence and didn’t allow City any clear cut chances in the game to score and although they didn’t control the gamed as much as they would have liked, they took their chances and were clinical in front of goal. This could be a turning point for Arsenal as they look to build from a great performance and look to have a more positive second half to the season.
