Arsenal player ratings vs Fulham: Who impressed and who did not?
Unai Emery’s men continued their impressive run of form as Arsenal brought up their sixth consecutive win in the Premier League and their ninth across all competitions with an emphatic 5-1 drubbing of Fulham at Craven Cottage on Sunday.
Alexandre Lacazette put the Gunners in the driver’s seat in what was an evenly contested game in the first half but Arsenal’s lead was short-lived as Andre Schurrle latched on to Luciano Vietto’s pass and slotted the ball past Bernd Leno for the equalizer.
However, it was a different story altogether in the second half. Arsenal absolutely stamped their authority on a rather porous Fulham backline.
It all began with Lacazette, who scored the first of the second half with an immaculate bottom corner finish. Aaron Ramsey came on and scored a goal and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang capped off a miserable day for the Cottagers with a brace after coming off the bench.
It looked more like a pre-season game in the second half and Fulham must find a way to get their campaign back on track after losing five out of their first eight games, shipping as many as 21 goals.
Arsenal player ratings
Bernd Leno (7/10)
He did not have much to do given that Arsenal dominated the game but made a good save to deny Vietto in the first half. Cannot be blamed for the only goal conceded.
Hector Bellerin (8/10)
Solid at the back and contributed a lot to the build-up play up front. Put in a good cross for Aubameyang to score and played a part in the build-up to Ramsey’s goal.
Rob Holding (6/10)
He did not have a good day on the field. Gave the ball away far too easily in dangerous areas and looked a bit rusty.
Shkodran Mustafi (7.5/10)
The German had his best game of the season so far. Composed and confident at the back, he made some important challenges and his tackle to deny Mitrovic was the highlight of his performance.
Nacho Monreal (6.5/10)
He made some good aggressive runs down the left and linked effectively with Iwobi and Lacazette. Put in a good cross for the opening goal but was guilty of giving the ball away cheaply which led to the equalizer.
Granit Xhaka (6.5/10)
A tidy performance by the Swiss international. Good with his passing and did not make many mistakes.
Lucas Torreira (7.5/10)
Another impressive performance by the diminutive Uruguayan. Not afraid to go into challenges, he cut out the attacks before they could develop and carried the ball forward with purpose.
Alex Iwobi (8/10)
The Nigerian was a lively presence down the left where he proved to be a constant bully for the defenders in the final third with his pace and dribbling. Combined well with Monreal and Welbeck.
Henrikh Mkhitaryan (7/10)
Had a decent game and played some good through balls up front for the strikers to attack. He also provided impetus to the attack down the right and linked the play with neat passes.
Danny Welbeck (7/10)
Really good game for the English international after being slotted into the team as the supporting striker. Looked sharp with his footwork and his movement in the final third caused a lot of problems for the defenders.
Alexandre Lacazette (9/10)
Looked threatening in the final third and was clinical with his finishing. He also showed good awareness to get on the end of the passes and his movement off the ball was quite impressive.
Substitutes
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (9/10)
Was great in front of the goal and punished a rather submissive defence with a couple of late strikes.
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Aaron Ramsey (7.5/10)
The Welshman showed brilliant movement and silky touches in the build-up to his back-heeled goal and caught the eye with some neat passes.
Matteo Guendouzi (5/10)
Brought on to see the game off, not much time to make an impact.
