Arsenal secured a place in the semi-finals of the FA Cup after a last gasp 2-1 win over Sheffield United at Bramall Lane earlier today.
Nicolas Pepe converted from the spot early in the first half, and the score-sheet remained 1-0 in favour of the Gunners for a major chunk of the game, even though the Blades created some genuine chances.
The persistence from Chris Wilder’s men was finally rewarded in the 89th minute as David McGoldrick found his way past Emiliano Martinez and the fixture seemed to be heading towards extra-time.
However, their happiness was cut short a couple of minutes later by Dani Ceballos as the Spaniard scored a delightful goal by showing his presence of mind to seal the game in favour of Arsenal.
Here are our Arsenal player ratings from what transpired earlier today.
Arsenal player ratings vs Sheffield United
Emiliano Martinez 8/10
Martinez made a solid save to stop Oliver Norwood’s strike from distance in the first half, and also reacted well to Oli McBurnie’s header in the second half. The custodian was solid with his distribution as well.
Sead Kolasinac 5/10
Caught in two minds, Kolasinac did not offer the Gunners anything going forward, and was tested at the back. He failed to clear the ball late in the game which allowed McGoldrick to lash onto the opportunity to score.
David Luiz 6/10
His passing was substandard but, did not make any big mistakes, and read the game well in general. Luiz won three aerial duels and made two tackles before limping off the pitch early in the second half.
Shkodran Mustafi 6/10
His moment of madness came early in the game when he almost gifted a free header to McGoldrick. Nonetheless, he settled himself and kept a watchful eye on McBurnie.
Ainsley Maitland-Niles 7/10
He worked his socks off and ventured forward to link-up well with Pepe. Also tracked back to defend when his team needed him.
Granit Xhaka 7/10
Playing as a ball-carrier, Xhaka was quick in making the transitions, and brought a sense of steadiness in the midfield. He made one dribble, three tackles, and won three aerial duels; Arteta must be mightily pleased with the Swiss’ performance.
Joe Willock 6/10
Following his stellar display against Southampton on Thursday, Willock was brimming with determination. He might not have produced anything noteworthy, but he worked hard to help his team’s cause.
Kieran Tierney 7/10
The former Celtic man whipped in some delightful crosses and put his body on the line on many occasions to stop Sheffield United’s attackers from creating openings in the second half.
Nicolas Pepe 8/10
Arsenal’s record-signing lived up to his hefty price tag once again as he terrorised Callum Robinson and Enda Stevens with his blistering pace and clever turns.
He calmly converted his penalty kick by placing the ball in the lower right corner of the net, and linked up well with his teammates.
Alexandre Lacazette 5/10
The Frenchman won the penalty for his side, but apart from that, he had a quiet game. A series of challenges were thrown at him by the Sheffield United defence, and he just didn’t have find his rhythm, again, which is a bit worrying if you are an Arsenal fan.
Bukayo Saka 8/10
Saka flattered to deceive when it came to grinding the final output, but there was no dearth of commitment from him.
Substitutes
Rob Holding 6/10
The defender replaced Luiz in the 53rd minute and almost made a comical error. Needs to be more authoritative at the back.
Dani Ceballos 6/10
The Spaniard’s presence was hardly felt until he made a stupendous run into the box to score the winning goal for the north London outfit late on in the game.
Eddie Nketiah 6/10
With his fresh feet, he was able to revitalise Arsenal’s attack and synced well with Saka.
Sokratis NA
Statistics Credits: Whoscored
