Arsenal cruised past Stoke City 3-0 in what was a one-sided game from start to finish. With the Gunners’ long injury list starting to shorten, the 60,000 strong crowd were treated to a very strong performance. The crowd were also treated to the return of a certain Mesut Ozil. Let’s hope we can use the momentum from this win and have a strong end to January.
With that being said, here are my match ratings.
GK: David Ospina – The Colombian didn’t have a lot to do but took some comfortable catches and was a calming presence. His second clean sheet for Arsenal. 7/10.
RB: Mathieu Debuchy (Hector Bellerin sub) – Unfortunately Debuchy had a nasty fall in the first half and was substituted. His replacement, Hector Bellerin, put in another very accomplished performance. MD: 6/10, HB: 7/10.
LB: Nacho Monreal – Despite suffering a nasty injury to the face, Nacho was more than up for the physicality that a game against Stoke brings. A good performance from the Spanish left-back. Someone we can rely on to cover Gibbs. Maybe the spell at CB helped with his physicality and upper-body strength. 7.5/10
CB: Laurent Koscielny – Koscielny was Koscielny. He mopped up the few chances Stoke created and even managed to grab himself a goal. 7.5/10.
CB: Per Mertesacker – The big German looks so much better with Koscielny next to him. A solid display. 7/10.
CM: Francis Coquelin – Very impressed with how Coquelin played. I seem to be saying that every game, too. He knows his limits, keeps things simple and is great in the tackle. 8/10.
CM: Tomas Rosicky – Another good, if not spectacular, performance from Rosicky. Great to have him back in and around the team. Our depth in attacking areas is great. 7/10.
CM: Santi Cazorla – It wasn’t his best game but Cazorla showed flashes of the classy player he is. He’ll have to keep up this form with Mesut Ozil back fit. 7.5/10.
RW: Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain – The powerful winger wasn’t at his flying best but did cause a few problems for Stoke. I’m sure he’ll have better games when we need him to. 6.5/10.
LW: Alexis Sanchez – What more can be said? Alexis is just an incredible player and one that we are privileged to be able to watch. He tore Stoke apart today and bagged a fantastic brace. Signing of the season. The only reason he’s not getting 10 is because we know he can be EVEN better. 9.5/10.
ST: Olivier Giroud – Not Giroud’s finest 90 minutes but he was up against two tough centre-backs. He also didn’t really need to be a scoring threat as Alexis Sanchez was causing Stoke all kinds of trouble all game. Another player that will come good in tougher challenges I feel. 6/10.
