In a game that Arsenal totally dominated the possession and the ball, it seems flattering to Stoke that the Gunners only scored two goals through Walcott and Giroud. Our opponents couldn’t try and bully us as they have in the past and we certainly have their measure on our home ground.
PLAYER RATINGS
Cech 7
He didn’t have a lot to do, but when he did have something to do, he did it well!
Bellerin 7.5
The Spanish youngster is becoming an integral part of our attacking moves. Great to watch
Gabriel 7
His physicality is helping the defence to be more solid and definitely not scared to slug it out when necessary.
Koscielny 8.5
Got more chances to go further up the pitch with Gabriel to back him up, and even came close to scoring
Monreal 7
Good work down the wings but not as exciting as Bellerin
Coquelin 8
As efficient as ever. With Le Coq in the side I quite fancy our chances of beating Chelsea next week. Awesome find
Cazorla 8
Constantly creating chances for others to miss. If the strikers were in tune we’d get a hatful every game
Ozil 7.5
Lovely distribution as always but needs to improve his goalscoring record. Don’t they all!
Ramsey 7
Full of running but the end product leaves something to be desired. He could become the Welsh Alexis if he was just a little more confident in front of goal.
Walcott 6.5
As seems the norm nowadays, our strikers need to miss a bunch before scoring. Deserved to be replaced by Giroud in the end
Sanchez 8
Another excellent effort whilst under pressure from defenders throughout the game. Was unlucky not to score.
Substitutes:
Giroud 7
Offers something else when Walcott gets tired, but still needs to sharpen his finishing
Arteta 5
Did his job of shoring up the defence when brought on.
Oxlade-Chamberlain 6
It’s amazing that Wenger won’t give the Ox more starting slots, but always seems to be a speedy impact sub. He’s good at it!