Arsenal player ratings vs Aston Villa as Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice shine but 4/10 struggles

Arsenal claimed an extremely valuable and hard-fought victory away at Aston Villa. Having lost at Villa Park the season before in a title-winning

The first big chance of the game came from a player the Gunners had been linked to in the past, Emi Buendia, who struck the bar from outside the box. Arsenal plugged away and earned plenty of set-pieces which they couldn’t turn into big chances.

Arsenal thought they had a penalty when Bukayo Saka was brought down, but replays showed the it was outside the box. Minutes later however the winger had his goal, tapping in after Riccardo Calafiori’s brilliant sliding cross.

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David Raya – Had little to do in the first half from a shot perspective, but remained alert to rush out to any loose balls well. 6

Ben White – Couple loose passes in the first half, with the right hand side lacking some understanding of each other’s movements. While there was still a lack of sharpness in the second half, White’s running and defensive work rate remained pivotal. 6

Cristhian Mosquera – The Spaniard looks like he has taken his game up a step from the end of the last season, and so far isn’t out of place, despite not being William Saliba, of course. Worryingly however he has to leave the field with what looked like a left hamstring injury. 7

Gabriel – Had a great chance from a corner but got his header all wrong in the first half. There is an added vulnerability it feels to the Brazilian, but he remained consistent here. Was huge for them in the final moments. 7

Riccardo Calafiori – Was a little quiet in the first half but burst to life in the second, crossing for Bukayo Saka’s goal. 7

Declan Rice – Tidy performance from the England international, while perhaps not as dangerous from set-pieces, his anticipation defensively helped prevent some majorly dangerous moments faced by his teammates. 8

Myles Lewis-Skelly – Some very good defensive work to shield Nicolas Jackson away from the ball and allow David Raya to collect under pressure. This was another good midfield performance from the teenager in possession too, making some smart choices with his passes. 7

Martin Odegaard – Not on the same wavelength as his right sided teammates in the first half, a few mistakes crept into the skipper’s game. However, he improved considerably in the second period, finding his flow and subsequently his teammates more frequently. 6

Bukayo Saka – Thought he’d won his side a penalty after being brought down only to have it chalked off for the infraction taking place outside the box. They say the best players shrug off setbacks and respond immediately and that’s exactly what Saka did, turning up in the right place and right time to tap in the first goal of the game. 8

Kai Havertz – Was offside several times in the first half, and couldn’t quite get his timing right for his runs. Improved in the second half, especially his hold-up play but couldn’t find the same rhythm as against Coventry more than a week prior and was offside an amount that can only be compared to Gabriel Jesus. 5

Christos Tzolis – Booked in the first half for a revenge challenge, which came after several poor first touches and was hooked at half-time as a result. 4

Substitutes

Eberechi Eze – Came on to play on the left at half-time in place of Christos Tzolis. An immediate improvement and was involved in the build-up for the opening goal too, finding the pass to Calafiori. 7

Bruno Guimaraes – The progressive passes of the Brazilian are going to be a real weapon for this team once he gets settled. If Havertz were onside, he would have created a major chance with one of his first touches. 6

Mikel Merino – Such an incredibly underrated footballer is the Spaniard. His technical ability for a taller player always surprises and he was very good after coming on. 7

Ezri Konsa – Came on to replace the injured Mosquera. n/a

Martin Zubimendi – Also came on late. n/a