Full Time: West Ham United 0-0 Arsenal
Arsenal were in dire need of a victory as they travelled to face West Ham United last night but unfortunately for the club, their performance was enough for them to register a 0-0 draw. Arsene Wenger left several key players out for the clash to make room for the likes of Jack Wilshere and Alex Iwobi but the overall team lacked enough punch to make things happen. The Hammers restricted Arsenal at most times and even when they didn’t, Wenger’s men could not capitalise.
Let’s take a look at how each player fared against West Ham last night.
Arsenal Player Ratings
Petr Cech – 6/10
Cech was solid in goal in the sense that he did not make mistakes but he also did not do anything out of the blue.
Hector Bellerin – 6.5/10
Once again, Bellerin proved to be neither here nor there in terms of his performance. He failed to stop the Hammers and they could’ve almost scored had Marko Arnautovic not been declared offside.
Laurent Koscielny – 6.5/10
Koscielny started the season off on a strong note but he has slowed down a bit. Last night was no different but he did his work diligently and sometimes that’s all that matters.
Nacho Monreal – 6/10
He nearly gifted the Hammers a late winner but he was quite effective at restricting the Hammers from counter-attacking.
Ainsley Maitland-Niles – 7/10
He played way out of position at left-back and yet the youngster looked more solid than the other names at the back.
Alex Iwobi – 7.5/10
Iwobi played in a congested midfield but he displayed a sense of fluidity that was remarkable. His footwork was intricate and he used his strength quite well to get ahead.
Granit Xhaka – 6.5/10
Xhaka defended quite well and although his shots were way off, he seemed like he was in control more or less.
Jack Wilshere – 9/10
Wilshere was a force to be reckoned with upon his return. He influenced the match greatly and he also tackled quite well. His energy did reduce as the game progressed but that is hardly enough to dent an otherwise strong performance.
Mesut Ozil – 7/10
Ozil kept edging forward. He maintained possession and even created some chances but much like Iwobi, even Ozil seemed to feel congested in the midfield.
Alexis Sanchez – 6/10
He lacked sharpness but he did try to go ahead and create chances, which is far more than what one can say about his previous performances.
Olivier Giroud – 7/10
Giroud did come close to scoring but he just could not make the connection. He was out there and did everything he could but it all fell short in the end.
Subs:
Danny Welbeck – 5/10
Not sure why Wenger brought him on since all he did was surrender possession.
Alexandre Lacazette – 5/10
Lacazette came on too late to make an impact.