Arsenal managed a hard-fought 2-0 win at the Emirates Stadium against Watford earlier today in the Premier League. An own goal by Craig Cathcart and a clinical finish by Mesut Ozil handed the Gunners their fifth win in the league this season.
Arsenal Player Ratings
Petr Cech 7/10
The veteran custodian looked confident between the sticks once again. He dealt well with the crosses and set-pieces but was unfortunate to get injured just before the half-time after pulling his left hamstring.
Hector Bellerin 6/10
Troy Deeney and Roberto Pereyra caused Bellerin a lot of problems as the visiting side channelled their attack mostly from their left.
Shkodran Mustafi 6/10
He looked uncomfortable with the ball and invited pressure a few times. It was a rusty game overall.
Rob Holding 8/10
He was arguably Arsenal’s best player on the pitch. Holding was calm and composed, and was spot-on with his positioning and dealt well with almost everything that was thrown at him.
Nacho Monreal 7/10
The Spanish left-back was adventurous and despite not being prolific, he was good enough to put on a solid show.
Lucas Torreira 6.5/10
At times, Torreira produced eye-catching passes but on other occasions, he was scrappy. In simple words, he was far from his best. His work rate was immense, as usual
Granit Xhaka 7/10
It was a really encouraging performance by Xhaka as he kept driving forward with a lot of purpose. He cushioned the back line meticulously too and kept the game ticking in the middle of the park.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang 5/10
The Gabon international lacked the edge he is otherwise renowned to have. He wasn’t decisive with his movement and didn’t really add any notable spark to the attack.
Mesut Ozil 7/10
Ozil made his presence felt after he moved to the no. 10 position following Aaron Ramsey’s substitution. He passed the ball neatly and mustered a clean strike to find the back of the net.
Aaron Ramsey 5/10
Ramsey was one of the worst players on the pitch. He lacked the threat in the final third, lost the ball plenty of times and was invisible on the pitch.
Alexandre Lacazette 6.5/10
The striker caused a lot of problems for Craig Cathcart and eventually, the pressure he mounted led to an own goal. Although he couldn’t score, he had a decent outing.
Substitutions
Bernd Leno 7/10
After coming on for Cech just before the break, Leno made a string of commendable saves which included one to deny Troy Deeney.
Alex Iwobi 7/10
It was a smart move by Unai Emery to bring Iwobi on for Ramsey as the former made a serious impact with his pace and drive. He looked sharp and full of confidence.
Danny Welbeck 6/10
Welbeck replaced Aubameyang in the 77th minute and did improve Arsenal’s attack.