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Player Ratings: Xhaka sent off but Sanchez nets the winner

Arsenal hosted Burnley in a game that if Arsenal won, would see them go second in the table behind League leaders Chelsea. 

Burnley, however, were not going to roll over for the Gunners, although their away record is abysmal. Arsenal dominated the most of the half but could not quite put the finishing touch to some excellent moves and chances – partly down to some solid defending to Burnley. Sean Dyche would’ve been ecstatic come half-time as his team had hung in to keep it a nil-nil draw, while Arsene Wenger might have been fearing that his team wouldn’t capitalise on the fortuitous results yesterday. 

Arsenal again started the half well but this time they did break the deadlock, Shkodran Mustafi nodding in from an Ozil corner. The goal seemed to wake the players up and the crowd for that matter but all that was extinguished after a poor tackle from Granit Xhaka which saw the Swiss international sent off once again by John Moss. It looked as though Arsenal were going to see the game out for a 1-0 win but there was a final twist in the tail. With the game in injury time, Coquelin clipped Ashley Barnes to give Burnley a penalty. Dyche’s men looked set for a point until Ben Mee kicked Koscielny to which Arsenal were then given a penalty. Sanchez clipped the ball down the middle and secured the vital three points for the Gunners. 

With all that said, let’s have a look at the player ratings from today’s game…

Petr Cech: 7.5/10

A relatively strong performance from the ‘keeper. Cech made some solid saves but more importantly was his assertiveness in his own box. Burnley tested Arsenal with multiple crosses but Cech was alive to everyone due to excellent positioning and confident goalkeeping. Performances like these really make you realise how Cech does the simple things incredibly well. The penalty does not reflect negatively on his performance.

Gabriel: 6.5/10

A fairly average game for the Brazilian. He doesn’t provide Arsenal with Bellerin’s pace and attacking prowess but he does a solid job defensively. 

Shkodran Mustafi: 7.5/10 

Came up with what seemed like the game winner whilst also putting in a fairly solid performance. Apart from a few nervous moments at the end of the game 

Laurent Koscielny: 7/10 

There were a few times when Gray did seem to get in behind Koscielny but for the most part, the Frenchman was pretty comfortable. He has to be one of the best defenders in the League and Europe at the moment. 

Nacho Monreal: 7/10

A very solid day’s work from the Spaniard. At one point this season, it seemed as though Gibbs was going to usurp him of his first-team spot but since then, Monreal has returned to his consistent best. True, Burnley didn’t offer much pace or threat down the wings but Monreal still had to do his job. 

Aaron Ramsey: 6.5/10 

It was a bit of a mixed bag from Ramsey today. At times he provided Arsenal with another attacking outlet going forward but at other moments in the game, his touch and control were quite poor. Wenger seems to be favouring the Ramsey and Xhaka midfield but neither can do a job defensively and if Ramsey isn’t creating or scoring in midfield, he becomes a bit of a spare part in the team. 

Granit Xhaka: 5.5/10

Another red card for the Swiss international but this time, one that almost cost Arsenal. If Xhaka is going to turn into Arsenal’s midfield general, he is going to have to sort out his defensive anticipation and tackling. Yes, Xhaka is an able passer but his immobility and penchant for careless challenges must worry Wenger. His red card brought Burnley back into the game and for that, his rating is suitably below par. 

Alex Iwobi: 7/10 

Although Iwobi was sacrificed in order to bring on Coquelin, he had a very promising game. The youngster constantly got forward and provided Arsenal with another number 10 alongside Ozil. His performances over the last two weeks have improved massively. After today, he should keep his place in the team next week. 

 

Mesut Ozil: 7/10 

A relatively quiet day for the German but not for the lack of trying. He did provide the cross for Mustafi’s winner but at the same time didn’t do too much else. He was taken off in the second-half due to Xhaka’s red, which was unfortunate as his intelligence would’ve come into play as Burnley tried to equalise. 

Alexis Sanchez: 7.5/10 

Scored a gutsy penalty and probably should’ve scored a few more. Sanchez may not be as effective on the wing as he is through the middle but he certainly provided plenty of threat today. Burnley sat in for most of the game and often double up on Arsenal’s wingers, Sanchez however, still managed to cut inside onto his right to unleash some vicious shots and probably should’ve scored. 

Olivier Giroud: 7/10 

He may not have scored but Giroud provided some lovely touches. Quite often Giroud couldn’t score but still provided a brilliant knock down for his teammates. No goal today but still a significant performance. 

Substitutes 

Francis Coquelin: 6.5/10

Came on and gave away a penalty, other that he didn’t really do much. 

Danny Welbeck: N/A

Hector Bellerin: N/A

 

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