[Player Ratings] Arsenal 1-0 Southampton: Sanchez The Difference Again For Gunners

Arsenal needed a late goal from Alexis Sanchez to break down a stubborn Southampton side at the Emirates on Wednesday night.

Neither side created much during the opening forty-five minutes but Arsenal began to grow into the game in the second half and after going close through Welbeck and Giroud, we finally found the breakthrough with just one minute left when Aaron Ramsey’s cut back found Sanchez who made no mistake from close range.

There are my player ratings from the game:

Martinez 7/10 | Another assured display. Commanded his area well and secured his third clean sheet in three starts.

Chambers 6.5/10 | Solid against his former side and did well to keep Tadic quiet. Put a couple of dangerous crosses in too.

Mertesacker 7/10 | Strong in the air and kept Pelle under wraps apart from once in the first half.

Koscielny 8/10 | Outstanding. Marshalled the back line expertly and dealt with everything thrown at him.

Monreal 6/10 | Looked to have picked up a knock early on again. It didn’t seem to affected his performance too much at the back but he wasn’t that influential in the final third.

Flamini 7/10 | Very disciplined performance from the Frenchman as he kept things simple in front of the defence.

Ramsey 6.5/10 | Mixed bag from the Welshman. His passing was below par for much of the game but he assisted the winning goal in the last minute.

Cazorla 7/10 | Another decent outing from Santi. His shooting wasn’t quiet on point but a lot of our good work going forward went through him.

Oxlade-Chamberlain 6.5/10 | He’ll be disappointed with his display against his former side after a quiet evening where things just didn’t go his way.

Sanchez 7.5/10 | The Chilean was enduring a frustrating night until he popped up with a late winner. It’s a sign of a true champion and another example of how vital he’s already become to Arsenal.

Welbeck 6/10 | Could perhaps have done better with a good chance in the second half but still hit the target and he worked hard.

Subs:

Giroud 7.5/10 | Completely changed the game when he came on as his physical presence caused Southampton all sorts of problems. Could, and perhaps should, have scored at least one but Forster made some fantastic stops.

Podolski 6.5/10 | A decent late cameo from Poldi. He looked hungry to impress and went close to scoring with a late shot.

Catch highlights and watch the Sanchez goal