How the Arsenal players rated in their 0-3 win at Villa Park with goals from Danny Welbeck and Mesut Ozil.
Arsenal put the game to bed with three goals in a matter of minutes at Villa Park today, Mesut Ozil silencing some critics and Danny Welbeck netting his first goal for Arsenal.
SEE MORE:
Ozil Welbeck Arsenal: (Video) Mesut Ozil and Danny Welbeck help Arsenal to a 0-3 win over Aston Villa.
Arsenal Own Goal: (Video) Arsenal race into a 0-3 lead after Aly Cissokho scores a disastrous own goal.
Danny Welbeck Goal Arsenal: (Video) Danny Welbeck makes it 0-2 with his first goal for Arsenal.
Here are the player ratings:
GK) Wojciech Szczesny – 7
The Polish shot-stopper made himself big to deny Kieran Clarke when the game was still level, and made a number of decent saves throughout the first half.
After the three goals Aston Villa sank back into their shells and didn’t really trouble the Arsenal goal, with Szczesny barely touching the ball in the second period.
LB) Kieran Gibbs – 7.5
A rare assist for the English left-back off on own goal from opposing full-back Aly Cissokho, and a solid performance throughout the match.
Monreal has surprised many this season and done an admirable job in Gibbs’ absence, but it is clear who is first choice in Wenger’s eyes.
He could have done a little better from set pieces, but linked up well with Ozil and Cazorla down the left.
LCB) Laurent Koscielny – 7.5
A faultless performance from the French centre-back, although he had very little to do in the second half.
Dealt well with the pace of Gabby Agbonlahor, and played out well from the back.
RCB) Per Mertesacker – 7.0
Very little to do for the lanky German throughout the game.
RB) Calum Chambers – 6.5
An early yellow card for a poor challenge on Agbonlahor left the youngster vulnerable, and a better side might have exposed him far more today.
He was arguably lucky not to get sent off on one occasion, wrestling Jack Grealish to the ground and receiving his final warning.
Mistakes still creep into his game, but he is still young and has all the qualities required to be a quality player.
DM) Mikel Arteta – 5.5
Mikel Arteta doesn’t seem to be keeping up with the pace of the game at the moment, and certainly seems to be lacking fitness.
After a horrendous performance against Dortmund mid week he wasn’t much better against Villa, the only difference being that he had players around him performing well today to pick up the slack.
His passing was sloppy, his challenges mistimed, and he was probably lucky that Aston Villa took their foot off the gas after half time.
CM) Aaron Ramsey – 6.5
The Welshman was getting into the right positions today, but things just weren’t going right for him.
He attempted a couple of outrageous first time passes which were never going to come off, and his shooting was way off target.
It’s easy to criticise the Arsenal midfielder now after watching some of his superb displays last season, but he is certainly some way off that level at the moment.
CAM) Mesut Ozil – 8.5 (MotM)
Ozil has had to endure an unbelievable amount of criticism recently, and he really needed this performance today.
The German no. 10 opened the scoring with a calm and composed finish, before setting up Danny Welbeck for Arsenal’s second moments later.
He looked to gain confidence from the goal, and was buoyed by the support of the crowd. Arsenal fans will be hoping this is the start of the Mesut Ozil revival.
LAM) Santi Cazorla – 6.5
After having an excellent impact coming on against Dortmund midweek, Cazorla rightly earned a start against Villa today.
The Spaniard was largely anonymous for portions of the match however, drifting in and out of the game.
He was crowded out whenever he moved inside to shoot, and was wasteful in possession at times.
RAM) Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain – 7.5
Always a lively and direct player, Chamberlain was one of Arsenal’s brightest players early on when Villa were pressing.
The Englishman provided a number of decent crosses, but he does need to learn to look up when dribbling a little more.
He put in a defensive shift as well, tracking back regularly and throwing himself in front of a rocket in the second half to preserve Arsenal’s clean sheet.
ST) Danny Welbeck – 8.0
Arsenal fans will be expecting this performance to spur Welbeck on and ignite a purple patch for the 23-year-old.
He set up Mesut Ozil for the first goal, and the German returned the favour moments later with an inch perfect cross which allowed the English forward to smash one into the roof of the net.
When at Manchester United he actually had a decent goalscoring record when played up front, so if given the chance he looks like he could be a superb signing for Arsenal and could certainly lead the line well.