[Player Ratings] Arsenal 2-0 Southampton: How The Gunners Got On

Arsenal beat Southampton 2-0 at the Emirates today to move four points clear at the top of the Premier League table. Here, Arsenal fan Gooner Mac gives us his rates from the game:

Here are my ratings:

Szczesny 7.5/10

Dealt with several corners/crosses well and made two excellent saves from Lallana and Rodriguez. Looks full of confidence and possibly in the best form of his career.

Sagna 7/10

The Frenchman was heavily involved in our attacking play, particularly in the first half. Also stuck to his defensive duties when required.

Gibbs 7/10

Also adventurous down his wing but lacked any real end product. Another solid display on the whole.

Mertesacker 7/10

Was great to have him back in the side after he missed out against United and he was important in keeping hold of the dangerous Lambert. Was pulled back in the box to earn us the penalty.

Koscielny 7.5/10

One of our best players today. Made some crucial interceptions and tackles to keep the visitors at bay. Looked happier alongside the BFG.

Arteta 6/10

Was pretty poor in the first half when he struggled with the physicality of Wanyama but improved after the break and more than held his own against the powerful Saints midfield. Went off late with a knock.

Ramsey 6.5/10

Almost scored a beauty with an audacious flick that hit the post but it wasn’t to be his day. It almost comes as a shock when he doesn’t score or get MOTM these days, which shows how far he’s come.

Wilshere 6.5/10

Almost opened the scoring with a delightful chip that came off the inside of the post early on. Showed patches of what he’s capable of but clearly wasn’t 100% fit.

Cazorla 6/10

Was largely anonymous but did some nice things when he did see the ball. It’s his second poor showing in a row and he’s clearly taking some time to find his best form following his injury lay off. He’ll be back to his best soon.

Ozil 6.5/10

Kind of drifted in and out the game. His best spell was in the first half when he was doing some lovely work down the right side and set up Ramsey for his flick that almost led to a goal. But really needs to start grabbing the game by the scruff of the neck and running things.

Giroud 8/10

MOTM. Put Boruc under pressure and stole possession for his first. Obviously it was poor goalkeeping but it was also excellent play from Giroud. Tucked away his penalty and was a constant threat in the air. Really impressive outing from the big man.

Subs:

Walcott – 6/10 – Great to see him back. Had the confidence to try and speculative shot from outside the area with virtually his first touch.

Rosicky – N/A – On too late.

Monreal – N/A – One too late.

It wasn’t vintage Arsenal by any stretch of the imagination but we did enough to not only beat the team third in the league, but we became the first side to score two goals against them and keep our fourth clean sheet of the season. A good days work overall and we now sit four points clear at the top of the league.

What were your ratings? What did you think of the game? Share your thoughts below.