Arsenal player ratings vs Bournemouth in the Premier League
Arsenal extended their unbeaten run to 17 games across all competitions with a hard-fought 2-1 win over Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium in the Premier League on Sunday.
Bournemouth started off the brighter of the two teams but Arsenal eventually took control of the proceedings with some promising passages of play. The Cherries could have taken the lead but David Brooks’ goal was flagged offside.
Lucas Torreira hit the post before Jefferson Lerma’s attempted clearance found the back of his own net, putting the Gunners in the driver’s seat.
The hosts kept chipping away and Josh King restored parity just at the stroke of half-time with a clinical finish from inside the box, capping off a classic counter-attack that involved Callum Wilson and David Brooks.
Arsenal looked the better team in the second half and stamped their authority over the hosts with their territorial domination. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang scored his 8th goal of the Premier League campaign, guiding in Sead Kolasinac’s cross from the left to put Unai Emery’s men in the lead for the second time in the game.
Bournemouth showed plenty of character and Jefferson Lerma could have drawn level for the hosts, only to be denied by the outside of the post.
The victory will mean a lot to Unai Emery given that Arsenal have some tough fixtures coming up against Spurs and Manchester United.
Arsenal player ratings
1. Bernd Leno (7/10)
Was hardly at fault for the goal and put in a solid shift between the sticks; looked good with his footwork and distribution.
2. Sead Kolasinac (7.5/10)
Slotted into the backline in place of the injured Nacho Monreal, the Bosnian did a wonderful job both in terms of attack and defence; was caught out at the back occasionally but added a lot of impetus to the attack with his powerful overlapping runs and accurate crosses; well-deserved assist for Aubameyang’s goal.
3. Rob Holding (6.5/10)
Did fairly well at the back and kept the opposition at bay with his physicality for large quarters of the game.
4. Sokratis (7.5/10)
Arguably the pick of the centre-backs. Used his strength to outmuscle the opposition, made some good blocks and put in some solid challenges.
5. Shkodran Mustafi (6/10)
The German was a bit off the pace and was rash and reckless with his challenges; his foul outside the box gifted a free-kick to Bournemouth in the dying stages of the game which could have led to disastrous consequences.
6. Hector Bellerin (8/10)
A fantastic display by the Spaniard in a wing-back position. Added life to the attack with his flawless passing and powerful runs; linked up very well with Iwobi and Mkhitaryan in the final third.
7. Granit Xhaka (6.5/10)
Not a very impressive performance by the Swiss international; was guilty of giving the ball away at times but did a decent job in central midfield alongside Torreira.
8. Lucas Torreira (8/10)
Showed plenty of tenacity and character and excelled with his flawless passing and immaculate distribution in midfield; played as a part of the backline at times to support the defence and hit the post with a thunderous shot from range in the first half.
9. Alex Iwobi (7.5/10)
Another good performance by the Nigerian. Showed some delightful touches and linked-up really well with his teammates; set up Aubameyang’s goal with a perfect pass to Kolasinac.
10. Henrikh Mkhitaryan (6/10)
A poor game by his standards. Saw a lot of the ball and worked hard but couldn’t find that final spark. Had a few opportunities to test the goalkeeper but failed to hit the target.
11. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (7/10)
Playing as the centre-forward, he put in an average performance and looked wayward with his shooting. However, he deserves all the credit for his willingness to chase down the balls and scored the all-important winner.
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Substitutes
1. Aaron Ramsey (N/A)
Came on to replace Iwobi and didn’t see much of the ball to make an impact.
2. Eddie Nketiah (N/A)
Brought on to chew up some valuable time.
3. Matteo Guendouzi (N/A)
Brought on to replace the tired legs of Torreira.
