Arsenal went into this evening’s game with an unchanged starting line-up from last week which raised questions. However, Wenger was vindicated as the performance from all of the players was excellent. Arsenal took the lead in the 11th minute after Sanchez capitalised on a mistake from Cahill. Arsenal then made it two with a goal from Walcott after a lovely move and Ӧzil finished the scoring by scoring the third.
Cech – 7 – Cech didn’t have much to do apart from the one save and he dealt with that excellently.
Bellerin – 8 – An excellent performance from Bellerin who grabbed an assist for the second goal and made a goal saving tackle in the second half.
Mustafi – 8 – A commanding performance from the new centre back who looked like he had been at Arsenal for years.
Koscielny – 8 – Was excellent alongside Mustafi and looks like a partnership is developing.
Monreal – 8 – Looked good defensively and went forward to good effect.
Coquelin – 7 – Was excellent until he got injured when making a block. Hopefully it won’t be serious as he has been in great form.
Cazorla – 7 - Controlled the middle of the park and kept the ball moving as well as dictating the tempo.
Walcott – 8 – An outstanding performance from Walcott who gets a lot of criticism. Got a goal and worked extremely hard.
Ӧzil – 8 – Ӧzil looked like he was getting back to his best and capped his own move off with a goal. Worked hard as well and often won the ball.
Iwobi – 8 – A brilliant performance from the 20 year old. Played the key pass in the second goal and often got in between the lines.
Sanchez – 9 – Not his natural position but Sanchez was terrific today. His pressing from the front forced Chelsea into loads of errors but his pressing was backed up by the rest of the team.
Subs
Xhaka – 7 – Replaced the injured Coquelin and backed up the good work from the Frenchman. Has good vision and won the midfield battle.
Gibbs – 7 – Replaced Iwobi to shut out the game and made a crucial clearance to make sure Arsenal kept a clean sheet.
Giroud – N/A – Didn’t have much time to make to make a difference.
Overall, an excellent performance from all of the players. The two centre backs were excellent and long may that continue. Arsenal definitely laid down a marker but they must now move on and win the next game. We must work that hard every game and press like that from the front all of the time.
