An embarrassing dive from Santi Cazorla will overshadow what was an exceptional performance – not just from him, but the entire team.

Wojciech Szczesny – 7 – solid performance. West Brom only had the one shot on target today so he didn’t really have much to do. No complaints with the clean sheet.

Bacary Sagna – 7 – supposedly was carrying a knock today but you couldn’t tell. After fears over his future were rubbished by both the player and manager earlier in the week, the Frenchman put in a solid performance.

Per Mertesacker – 7 – as with the rest of the back four, he didn’t have too much to do today. He headed clear when required and made some good interceptions.

Thomas Vermaelen – 7 – a captain’s performance today. He had a little more to do than the rest of the defence and he coped with it very well. Didn’t put a foot wrong.

Kieran Gibbs – 7 – good performance from Kieran today. Made some good tackles and dealt with the pace of Long well. The only improvement I could suggest is his crosses into the box. If he stays injury free, he will be a top player.

Mikel Arteta – 8 – much better performance from the Spaniard. Not just the fact that he scored twice but his passing was much crisper than in recent weeks. His determination to get the ball back after he gave it away epitomised the team’s desire to get the 3 points.

Jack Wilshere – 8 – my MOTM today. An absolutely outstanding performance from the future Arsenal captain. Everything he did today was superb: the weight of his passes, the burst of pace to beat his man and the determined, crunching tackles. He deserved a goal today.

Santi Cazorla – 8 – as I said earlier, his blatant dive for the first penalty will overshadow what was an excellent performance. His link up play with Wilshere was mouth-watering and I hope this is the start of a partnership. Likely to be rested for the trip to Bradford so he should be fresh for next Monday’s game away to Reading.

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain – 8 – exactly what he and the fans needed from him. His best performance of the season which I’m sure everyone hopes he can build on. His burst of pace won the second penalty and he was a threat all day.

Olivier Giroud – 6 – wasn’t his best performance but he contributed well to the team, heading clear from set pieces.

Gervinho – 6 – I was very critical of him after the match against Olympiacos, but I felt that he improved today. His dribbling and passing were better, however he missed two sitters. Not convinced that he will start for us when everyone is fit.

SUBS

Francis Coquelin – n/a – got stuck in, and his passing was neat and tidy.

Tomas Rosicky – n/a – made some good tackles, and his link up play with Jack and Santi was highly promising.

Lukas Podolski – n/a -  looked bright, however he somehow managed to blaze over a shot where it would have been easier to score.

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