AC Milan 0-2 Arsenal: Out-of-form Gunners Stun Gattuso’s Men
Arsenal claimed a healthy away lead at AC Milan with the help of two first-half goals which sealed a 0-2 victory. Goals from Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Aaron Ramsey helped the cause. Arsene Wenger eased the immense pressure on himself by ending a four-game losing run.
Milan started off well with complete intent but against the run of play, Mkhitaryan’s shot deflected into the goal. Since then, the Gunners flew out of the blocks and set up a dominant attacking staging in the first half. Deservedly, Ramsey rounded Donnarumma to double the lead and seal the deal.
Danny Welbeck laid one off for Mkhitaryan as well, only for the Armenian to hit the post. In the second half, the away side put up a stubborn, resolute defensive performance.
Here’s how the Gunners fared on the night.
Arsenal Player Ratings
David Ospina: 5/10
Misjudged a couple of decisions, especially the one where he got down on Calhanoglu and almost got his side into trouble. Keeping the clean sheet aside, it was a shaky, unassembled display by him.
Calum Chambers: 5.5/10
Chambers was mostly dismal at the back. He struggled to get back to position and was left completely open at times. The centre-back role suits him better.
Shkodran Mustafi: 6.5/10
Mustafi tackled well, stood strong but left too much gap at times between himself and Chambers, despite communicating and guiding the right-back. He has to stop being error-prone.
Laurent Koscielny: 8/10
Best defender by a notable distance. He deflated Milan’s attack, was calm at the back and cleared the ball well. Led from the front for sure.
Sead Kolasinac: 8/10
Came back to his best, much like how he started the season. He combined his pace with strength and surged forward. Defensively, Milan hardly enjoyed anything from his side. Unfortunate to have sustained an injury.
Granit Xhaka: 7/10
Was much more applicative in the middle than his performances of late. The Swiss had his task cut out as he maintained his positions remarkably.
Aaron Ramsey: 8.5/10
Looked lively, fresh and energetic. He was a live wire, running up and down the pitch, getting into the box and gaining back possession. His finish too was absolutely top notch.
Mesut Özil: 9/10
Set it up for his teammates with two clever assists, most importantly the one to Ramsey. Özil relished his role on the right and combined well with Wilshere.
Jack Wilshere: 8.5/10
Was in the thick of proceedings, carried the ball forward, drew challenges, created chances and was a very constructive No.10.
Henrikh Mkhitaryan: 8/10
The Armenian lit up the first half, came close to scoring on three occasions but took only one of them superbly. He should have had another though. However, it was a crafty, productive display by him.
Danny Welbeck: 7/10
He worked hard, pressed down the opposition defence but scuffed a simple chance to get on to the score sheet. Next, he set up a delightful pass for Mkhitaryan, who struck the crossbar. Welbeck looked sharp for most parts of the game but should have installed a finishing touch to his game.
Substitutes
Ainsley Maitland-Niles: 6.5/10
Came on when the situations were in his side’s favour as they had a two-goal advantage. He solidified things at the back and was composed.
Rob Holding: N/A
Came on just to add a defensive edge as Wenger was looking to defend a 2-goal away lead.
Mohamed Elneny: N/A
Not enough time to make a difference.