Lacazette and Xhaka Get 9: Arsenal Player Ratings vs Manchester United

Arsenal returned to winning ways after securing a hard-fought 2-0 win over Manchester United at the Emirates on Sunday.

The Gunners started the game well, and a goal from Granit Xhaka baffled David De Gea to give the hosts the lead.

The Second half saw Manchester United push Arsenal more, but Unai Emery’s side were handed a spot-kick that Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang coolly converted to double the lead.

Arsenal player ratings vs Manchester United

Bernd Leno (9/10): A superb display in between the sticks from the German, whose positioning was top notch. He made a couple of key saves, including the one to deny Romelu Lukaku in the first half. Leno’s excellent intuition helped him play the role of a sweeper-keeper at times as well.

Sokratis (8.5/10): Following a rather rusty start to the game, where he made a couple of rash challenges, Sokratis was a rock at the back. His dominant performance in defence denied Lukaku of any space or time with the ball.

Laurent Koscielny (8/10): Marshalled the Arsenal backline with some smart tackles and soldiered on despite taking a nasty blow in the second half.

Nacho Monreal (7.5/10): A calming influence in defence, Monreal was solid in dealing with the United attackers. His crucial block in the first-half denied United from scoring the equaliser.

Ainsley Maitland-Niles (7/10): It was a promising display from the youngster, whose forays on the right flank did cause United some problems. However, he struggled in dealing with the marauding Luke Shaw and should have been much more tidy with his passing.

Aaron Ramsey (8/10): It was a matured display from the Welshman, who dropped deep and collected the ball from midfield and then stormed forward. His passing was efficient, and he provided excellent support to Xhaka in midfield.

Granit Xhaka (9/10): Controlled the midfield with some strong tackles and excellent passing. Tt was his swerving low effort in the first half which deceived De Gea for the opener.

Defensively, Xhaka worked hard and denied the United midfielders from having any time on the ball while also dropping deep to support the defenders. An all-round display from the Swiss international who stepped up in Lucas Torreira’s absence.

Sead Kolasinac (7/10): Always looked dangerous with his forward runs and was more or less solid while defending as well. Could have done better with some of his crossing though.

Mesut Ozil (7.5/10): Supplied some useful balls in and around the final third and worked quite hard to create chances for his side. He has certainly improved after a stuttering start to the campaign and it won’t be surprising to see Ozil play a key role for Arsenal during the remainder of the season.

Alexandre Lacazette (9/10): Led the line well, with his well-timed runs, excellent hold-up play and impeccable link-up with the likes of Ozil and Aubameyang. He certainly stepped up to the plate after missing out on the midweek defeat to Stade Rennais.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (8.5/10): Took the responsibility despite an awful penalty against Tottenham to kill the game in the second half. He looked much more confident with the ball at his feet and the goal will certainly help him return to his old self in the coming matches.