[Player Ratings] Arsenal 1-0 Newcastle: Koscielny & Cech Impress For Poor Gunners

Arsenal moved two points clear at the top of the Premier League table thanks to a nervy 1-0 victory over Newcastle United at the Emirates this afternoon.

Here are my player ratings from the game:

Cech  8/10 | Excellent. Kept us in it with several fine stops. A real game-changer.

Monreal  5/10 | Not at his best as he was given a lot of problems by Sissoko and Janmaat.

Koscielny  8.5/10 | Outstanding. Scored the winner with a fine finish and was a key figure in defence.

Mertesacker  6/10 | Failed to cope with Mitrovic and Wijnaldum at times and wasn’t as dominant in the air as he should have been.

Bellerin  6.5/10 | Lively early on but his influence diminished as the game went on. Final ball could have been better.

Flamini  6/10 | Lost the midfield battle and could have been sent off for a high challenge.

Ramsey  7/10 | Rather subdued for much of the game but came alive late on and should have scored a second in stoppage time.

Oxlade-Chamberlain  6/10 | Made some dangerous runs but final ball was lacking.

Walcott  6/10 | Not in the game as much as he would have liked. Struggled to have an impact.

Ozil  7/10 | Showed his quality in patches but had little to play with in attack to be honest.

Giroud  7/10 | Did well to set-up Koscielny for the goal but was otherwise an isolated figure up front for much of the game.

Subs:

Chambers 6/10 | On to help see-out the game and added some energy in the middle of the park.

Campbell N/A

Gibbs N/A

So we were well below our best and had to dig deep but we secured a vital three points which sees us move two points clear at the top of the table. Next up is Liverpool away after we take on Sunderland in the FA Cup next weekend….