How Arsenal rated as they held Chelsea to a goalless draw at Stamford Bridge
Arsenal produced a tremendous rearguard performance as they held Chelsea to a goalless draw at Stamford Bridge.
The Gunners had gone into this Premier League fixture as massive underdogs, but ended a run of five consecutive defeats away to the Blues.
Skhodran Mustafi had a goal disallowed for offside, as Arsenal enjoyed the better of proceedings, while Chelsea defender David Luiz saw red after a reckless challenge on Saed Kolasinac in the closing stages.
Here’s how Arsenal’s players rated in the 0-0 draw at Stamford Bridge.
Petr Cech – No doubt expected a busy afternoon at his former club and was called into action to deny Pedro when clean through. Had to be alert to make a smart save from Eden Hazard’s powerful drive late on, but his defence kept his workload down. 7
Skhodran Mustafi – His second-half header, which beat Thibaut Courtois, was correctly disallowed for offside. Defensively, he had his work cut out against Alvaro Morata, but he gave the physical Spaniard very little space or time. 7
Laurent Koscielny – Always looks the most composed of Arsenal’s back three and it was no different here. Solid and dependable – everything a manager looks for in a central defender. Marshalled the back line with authority. 7
Nacho Monreal – Wasn’t put under much pressure in the first half as Chelsea struggled to get a foothold on the game but, like his team-mates Mustafi and Koscielny, he followed manager Arsene Wenger’s instructions to the letter. 6
Hector Bellerin – Provided a teasing cross that Welbeck couldn’t quite direct goalwards on a rare forward run. Never left Arsenal’s back three exposed by using his pace to get back into position quickly. 7
Sead Kolasinac – Has settled in well at Arsenal since his summer transfer. Tested Courtois’ handling with a decent effort in the first half and tried to get forwards whenever he could. On the end of a brutal challenge from David Luiz that resulted in the Chelsea player being sent off. 7
Granit Xhaka – Had to keep his discipline in partnership with Ramsey to shield Arsenal’s fragile defence. Is capable of a spectacular goal and, true to form, he tried his luck from long range but with no luck. A very assured display. 7
Aaron Ramsey – Curbed his attacking instincts apart from a marauding run in which he ended up hitting a post, despite being surrounded by a clutch of Chelsea defenders. This wasn’t the game for the Welshman to be too expansive and he ensured Chelsea had little joy in the central midfield battle. 8
Alex Iwobi – Largely anonymous as he found it difficult to shake off the nagging presence of N’Golo Kante. Worked hard enough for the team but his attacking influence was minimal. No surprise to see him subbed for Mohamed Elneny. 5
Danny Welbeck – Headed just wide from Bellerin’s cross in the early stages and generally made a nuisance of himself. Held the ball up well and always looked busy and eager to impress. Injury prematurely ended his involvement. 6
Alexandre Lacazette – Suffered a knock in an early clash with Victor Moses but it didn’t affect him adversely. Somehow fired over with the goal gaping after Ramsey’s shot had rebounded off the post. Substituted midway through the second half. 6
Alexis Sanchez – Introduced for Laczette on 66 minutes and, as usual, he covered a lot of ground without being able to influence the game as he would have liked. 6
Olivier Giroud – Only had 20 minutes to make an impression after coming on for Welbeck but couldn’t get into the game. 5
Mohamed Elneny – A very late replacement for Iwobi and helped to kill off the game. N/a
