[Player Ratings] Arsenal 1-0 Swansea: World Class Wilshere The Difference

Arsenal booked their place in the fourth round of the FA Cup after eventually seeing off Swansea at the Emirates on Wednesday night thanks to a late Jack Wilshere winner.

We played some of the best football of the season in the second half but some wayward finishing let us down, with Theo Walcott and Olivier Giroud the main culprits. But Jack saved their blushes and stepped up to smash home a late winner to book a tie with Brighton in the next round. Here are my ratings from the game.

Arsenal Player Ratings

Szczesny – 6 – Did what was expected of him but was a virtual by-stander for the most part. Did make one decent save in the second half though.

Sagna – 7 – Good game from Bac. His crossing could still be better but he got forward and joined in the attacks as we pushed for the winner.

Vermaelen – 6 – Dealt with the Swansea ‘attack’ with ease. Made a couple of last ditch tackles but was comfortable throughout.

Mertesacker – 6 – Steady game from the big German. As with TV5, had a pretty easy nights work.

Gibbs – 8 – Superb once again. Gibbsy was bombing forward and is looking a real threat in the final third. Excellent stuff.

Coquelin – 7 – Was really impressed by his work-rate and tackling. Made several key interceptions and blocks, and showed a real desire to get involved. Encouraging from the youngster.

Wilshere – 9.5 – World class performances from Jack. Truly back to his best. Was unplayable at times, dancing his way through the Swansea midfield and setting up attacks. Capped off a MOTM display with a superb winner.

Diaby – 6.5 – Great to see the big man back. He started off strongly but faded as the game went on, which is to be expected after such a long time out, and was eventually subbed. Hopefully he can stay fit and make a real contribution during the second half of the season.

Walcott – 6 – Mixed game in truth. He got himself into some excellent positions with some intelligent runs and on another day he could have got himself a hat-trick, at least, but poor finishing let him down. Needs to be showing more of a killer instinct if he wants to be our main striker.

Cazorla – 7 – Didn’t look like he enjoyed it out on the left as he kept coming inside to get involved in the play. But he was superb on the ball and he was involved in the build-up for the winner.

Giroud – 6 – Like Walcott, had a mixed game. Got himself into some goal-scoring positions but again, poor finishing let him down. His chances weren’t quiet as clear-cut as some of Theo’s though. Set up Jack’s winner with a nice assist.

Subs:

Ramsey – 6 – Full of running as usual.

So we’re back to winning ways and a much improved performance as we head into the Chelsea game. Lets hope we have our finishing boots on this Sunday as we won’t have this many chances against the Blues!

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