Arsenal 2 Man City 1: Gunners player ratings as Mesut Ozil sparkles
Player ratings as goals from Theo Walcott and Olivier Giroud hand Arsenal a 2-1 win over title rivals Manchester City
Arsenal
Petr Cech His mere presence spreads calmness through the Arsenal defence. Will have to wait for his Premier League record for all-time clean sheets – he was made a spectator as Yaya Toure superbly passed the ball into the top corner in the 83rd minute. 7/10
Hector Bellerin Good forward play resulted in a few decent crosses. His searing pace beat Fernandinho and set up a sweeping Arsenal attack midway through the second half but Ramsey saw his shot saved by Joe Hart. 6
Per Mertesacker A welcome assured performance from the German World Cup winner – and had to step up as City cranked up the pressure late on. 7
Laurent Koscielny After some questionable positioning early on, made amends with a good forward pass to Ozil in the build-up to Walcott’s opener. Solid defensively. 7
Nacho Monreal Tested by Kevin De Bruyne in the first half and generally did well. Continues to impress. 6
Mathieu Flamini Decent, but still not quite good enough to cause Arsenal fans to forget Francis Coquelin’s absence. 6
Aaron Ramsey A solid display from the Wales international. Showed the some of the discipline he must add to Arsenal’s midfield in Coquelin’s absence. Missed a couple of chances after the break and should have been tighter on Toure for City’s late goal. 7
Theo Walcott Brilliant low right-footed finish to put Arsenal ahead in the 33rd minute. Got back and did his defensive duties well, too – seemed to enjoy helping Monreal keep De Bruyne at bay. 7
Mesut Ozil (man of the match) Another classy display from the Germany playmaker. Set up both first-half goals and was always at the centre of Arsenal’s attacks. Deft touches aplenty, the World Cup winner is in the form of his life. 8
Joel Campbell Solid if unspectacular. Worked hard at both ends of the pitch. Sloppily blazed a good chance to make it 3-0 over the crossbar in the 53rd minute and missed another shortly after. 6
Olivier Giroud Typically good hold-up play throughout. Slotted the ball casually through Joe Hart’s legs in the 45th minute. With 15 goals to his name this season, the France international is continuing to silence his doubters. 7
Substitutes:
Kieran Gibbs Came on to feature on the left wing again and enjoyed some bursts into the box. A few nervous touches after City’s goal. N/A
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain N/A
Calum Chambers N/A
