Arsenal won in a shaky manner against a determined Crystal Palace team. While it was expected to be a tough game, Arsenal stepped up with their key moments and held on to the victory in no nonsense fashion. The win pushed Arsenal into the top 4 and would be awaiting the result of the Southampton-Liverpool game, and would want the Saints to drop points in order to maintain their 3rd spot ahead of Manchester United. Here are the player ratings for the Gunners:
David Ospina: 6.5/10
He was in decent form against Palace, but also had some shaky moments. He has seriously looked to settle into the number one spot and has been pretty consistent.
Calum Chambers: 6.5/10
Has been playing more than expected this season courtesy of injuries to first choice defenders time and again. He had a decent game as a Right Back, not his best, but pretty solid.
Per Mertesacker: 7/10
He had to a job defensively to protect Arsenal’s lead, and he did it well as he led the defence. Arsenal were subject to a lot of attacking by the home side, but with a new resilient and tactical approach, Mertesacker and co. had a good showing.
Laurent Koscielny: 7/10
He had a routine afternoon at the back as he wasn’t tested to his limits. Koscielny has been pretty consistent this season, and had a good game with Mertesacker against the Eagles.
Nacho Monreal: 6.5/10
Had a sketchy night against Wilfried Zaha but overall a decent showing for Arsenal once again by Nacho Monreal.
Francis Coquelin: 7/10
He replaced Flamini who had an injury issue. He was solid and comfortable in the defensive midfield role. His form has been consistent this season and he provides a lot of balance to Arsenal’s playing eleven.
Santi Cazorla: 8/10
He converted a cool penalty to give Arsenal the lead. He has been in good form this season, and after a quiet game or two, he bounced back with the performance against Crystal Palace.
Danny Welbeck: 8/10
The English striker was involved in both the goals scored by Arsenal. It was a good performance by Welbeck and a good showing, which would boost his confidence for the coming games.
Alexis Sanchez: 6/10
He had an average game and has been patchy since his comeback from an injury. He should have buried a chance early in the second half.
Olivier Giroud: 7.5/10
He continued his fine goal scoring form and had a good game leading the line. His performance has been good these days, though he was booked in this match.