Arsenal Player Ratings vs Sunderland: Sagna & Co. Heroic In Vital Win

Arsenal battled to a 1-0 win over Sunderland at the Stadium of Light on Saturday afternoon thanks to a first half strike from Santi Cazorla. Here are player ratings for Arsene Wenger’s men by Arsenal fan ‘Lloyd the Gooner’.

Wonderful football but poor finishing in the first half followed by heroic traditional Arsenal values in the second. Here are my ratings:

Szczesny 9. When the chips were down he showed his class. Some of his saves were real goal-savers. This was the Szczesny of his Brentford and early Arsenal days. A real presence in the second half.

Jenkinson 2. Unintelligent play from him in so many ways. Diving in, poor positioning to name but two. Not a good day but hopefully part of his development if he learns from it.

Sagna 10. I have criticised him for application, commitment and effort this season. Looking back I suspect it was a dip in confidence. Apologies Bac. This man was an absolute hero in this game. Last ditch headers and blocks and putting his body on the line.

Mertesacker 8. Did well especially in the second half. In fairness he led the back four well late on.

Monreal 7. Welcome to the Prem! One or two dodgy moments early on. A little slow to close down the crosses in the second half but a diligent display.

Ramsey 8. Better than usual in midfield he absolutely excelled out of position at right back in the second. Really stuck to his guns and tried to get forward too. Carl please note

Cazorla 9. Really top, top display. You don’t have to be a giant to dominate the ball as he did in the first half. He won a lot of possession all through the game, battled hard and of course he has great invention and a goal threat.

Wilshere 8. The high mark deserved for the creation of the goal apart from anything else. But he also showed his huge talent in his astute passing and shifts of pace.

Arteta 8. The thinking man’s footballer. I would love us to win something to cap his career in England. What can you say he has a great attitude, big talent and he cares.

Walcott 8. Big part in the goal, unlucky not to score. His threat kept them honest in the second half. Not a natural defender he tried his best during the siege!

Giroud 8. To give him less would be to ignore the big man’s sheer effort. He was still that odd mix of good and bad but much more of the former. He could barely move at the end!

Subs

Diaby. Battled well. He also carried the ball well for us. Clearly being nursed back to full power by the boss let’s hope his progress continues.

Miquel. I wish he would jump his height. He is a big guy and shouldn’t be out jumped so often. Can’t be easy though to be thrust into the middle of all that.

What were your thoughts on the game? Get involved in the comments section below.