[Player Ratings] Arsenal 7-3 Newcastle: Devastating Walcott Tears Geordies Apart

What. A. Game. Pure entertainment. We were devastating going forward in the second half but poor at the back. The score could have been anything in the end but I’ll take a 7-3 win! Here are my ratings for the Arsenal boys.

Arsenal Ratings

Szczesny – 6 – Conceded from a free-kick once again, although this one was largely down to a deflection off Wilshere. Couldn’t do a lot about the other two goals and made a couple of decent saves in the first half.

Sagna – 4 – Very Poor. Got beaten far too easily by Obertan for Newcastle’s second and generally struggled to contain the winger throughout.

Koscielny – 6 – Steady for the returning Koscielny who came in for Mertesacker. Isn’t as composed as the big German and could have done more to cut out Obertan’s low cross for their second. But he never stopped running and gave his all as usual.

Vermaelen – 7 – Better from the captain. I think he’s more comfortable with Per next to him but he still stuck to his job well and didn’t really put a foot wrong.

Gibbs – 6 – Excellent going forward but awful at the back. Poor positional play allowed Marveaux to be free at the far post to tap home Newcastle’s second and also completely lost Ba for the third. But on the positive side, Gibbsy was great going forward and was involved in the build-up for a couple of goals. Just needs to improve his concentration at the back.

Arteta – 7 – Steady and unspectacular from the Spaniard. Kept things ticking over in the middle of the park.

Wilshere – 7.5 – ‘Bottled it’ when he ducked out the way for the Ba free kick but apart form that Jack was very good. A lot of our good play went through him and we saw some of his trademark twists and turns, as well as some excellent passing.

Cazorla – 7 – Pretty quiet considering we scored seven. Had a few shots on goal and bagged an assist but more to come from him.

Chamberlain – 6.5 – Scored a lovely, and long overdue, goal and looks to be settling in to his right wing role. Could have been more positive at times when in possession but another encouraging display.

Podolski – 8 – Excellent from Poldi. Was our best player in the first half, fighting for every ball and got a superb assist for the opener. Linked up well with Gibbs in the second period.

Walcott – 10 – Unplayable. Three goals and two assists. Can’t ask much more from him! His first was pure ‘Henry’. Absolute class. Second was another superb finish but the third was something we don’t see from Theo enough. He jinked his way past several challenges, showing excellent close control, before dinking over Krul. Stunning. Fully deserves a run up front but showed he’s also vital from the wing with a superb cross for Giroud’s first. JUST SIGN DA TING THEO!!!

Subs:

Giroud – 9 – Superb cameo. Took both his goals well and went close to getting his third but hit the bar from close range.

Ramsey -N/A – On too late

Coquelin – N/A – On too late

Overall it was an excellent result and Theo Walcott will grab the headlines – deservedly so – for his superb performance. We’re up to fifth, just three points behind third-placed Tottenham with a game in hand. A couple of quality buys in January and we’re laughing.

What were your ratings from the game? Get involved in the comments section below.