Arsenal 2 Manchester United 0
Arsenal went two points clear of Manchester United on Sunday with a 2-0 victory at the Emirates. Here’s how we rated the players:
Arsenal
Bernd Leno – 7.5
The German goalkeeper made a brave last-ditch stop at the feet of Lukaku to keep Arsenal ahead near the end of the first half and generally read the game well. Dependable.
Sokratis – 6.5
The Greek defender made an excellent tackle on Fred before Arsenal broke to win a penalty and was generally solid.
Laurent Koscielny – 6.5
Helped keep Arsenal ahead with a last-ditch tackle on Rashford, and stopped Fred’s shot by putting his body on the line. A battling display.
Nacho Monreal – 5.5
Playing as part of a back-three, Monreal couldn’t cope with the physicality of Lukaku.
Ainsley Maitland-Niles – 6
Maitland-Niles was a little loose with his passing and United often attacked the space he vacated when he pushed forward.
Sead Kolasinac – 7
He almost set-up Lacazette early in the game with an excellent cross and was an attacking outlet for the home side, staying high and wide on the left.
Granit Xhaka – 8
The Arsenal midfielder scored the opening goal of the game with a well-struck shot past a stranded De Gea, who completely misjudged the effort. Xhaka was neat in possession and read the game well. Impressive.
Aaron Ramsey – 7.5
After a brilliant performance against Tottenham last week, Ramsey was energetic and aggressive against United, helping Arsenal win the midfield battle. No player on the pitch had more tackles (8). He will be a loss to the Gunners.
Mesut Ozil – 6
A surprise inclusion, Ozil played in his natural position as a number 10 behind Arsenal’s front-two and had some nice touches without making much of an impact.
Alexandre Lacazette – 6.5
Lacazette’s link-up play was often excellent, but he lacked a finishing touch in front of goal. He did at least win the penalty to double Arsenal’s lead.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang – 6.5
A quiet game, but he kept his cool to score past De Gea with a deft penalty.
Substitutes:
Alex Iwobi, Denis Suarez & Eddie Nketiah – N/A
Not on long enough to rate.
Manchester UnitedÂ
David De Gea – 5
De Gea had his best game as a United player in this fixture last season, making an incredible 14 saves in the fortunate win for Jose Mourinho’s team. He didn’t need to be as active on Sunday but was badly caught out by Xhaka’s effort in the first half.
The Spanish goalkeeper appeared to lose concentration for a split second and misjudged the flight of Xhaka’s shot for Arsenal’s opener.
Ashley Young – 5
Man United’s captain started the game in a back-three before moving to right-back, meaning Young has played in almost every position for the club. He didn’t at all excel on Sunday, other than a last-ditch tackle in the first half.
Diogo Dalot – 5
He has been impressive in his appearances for United this season, but this was a quiet afternoon for the young full-back.
Victor Lindelof – 5.5
He has been excellent over the last few months, possibly the club’s most improved player, but he looked shaky at times on Sunday against Arsenal’s front-two.
Chris Smalling – 5.5
After an excellent display against PSG, Smalling came crashing back down to earth at the Emirates.
Luke Shaw – 6.5
Set up Lukaku with a wonderful cross early in the first half, but his teammate somehow managed to miss. Shaw was productive in both passages of play.
Nemanja Matic – 5.5
Back in midfield after a spell out injured, Matic should have got closer to Xhaka for Arsenal’s opener. Improved in the second half, making several tackles and was useful in possession.
Fred – 6.5
The Brazilian midfielder retained his starting spot after impressing in Paris and was selected ahead of Ander Herrera. He tested Leno with a decent effort that struck the post in the first half and was probably the busiest of United’s midfielders. The penalty he gave away was arguably a soft one.
Paul Pogba – 6
Back in midfield after missing the victory over PSG through suspension, Pogba was on the edge of the game in the first half and failed to impose himself on proceedings until just before half-time when he found Lukaku with a wonderful pass. Rarely seen after the break.
Marcus Rashford – 4.5
A strange, muted performance in the first half. The United striker was hardly involved and appeared to be a couple of steps behind everyone else in the game. His rushed shot mid-way through the first half summed-up his display to that point. His touches were heavy, he failed to gamble and attack a pass across the box and was just off the pace completely. His decision making was also questionable.
Romelu Lukaku – 6.5
The Belgian striker scored a brace in each of his last three games ahead of this encounter at the Emirates and should have had an early goal on Sunday. Lukaku somehow struck the crossbar when it was easier to score.
He was the more lively of United’s two centre-forwards and almost set-up Rashford with a dangerous cross to the back-post. He couldn’t find a finish despite several efforts on goal, but it wasn’t because of a lack of effort.
Substitutes:
Anthony Martial & Mason Greenwood – N/A
Not on long enough to rate.
