Arsenal vs Liverpool Matchday One Player Ratings

Arsenal faced off against Liverpool on Match Day 1 of the Premier League Season. Here are Pain In the Arsenal’s Player Ratings.

Arsenal and Liverpool played out to a thrilling, yet frustrating 4-3 result at the Emirates in the Gunners’ opening match of the 2016-17 season.

Liverpool’s new attacking force looked far from polished. But their talent was clearly visible as Philippe Coutinho and Sadio Mane lit up the Emirates and combined for three of the Reds’ four goals.

Arsenal’s new men, on the other hand, looked like they enjoyed the glamour of the Emirates more than playing in it. Granit Xhaka came on as a substitute and got booked, and that’s about it.

Rob Holding simply never, ever should’ve started the Premier League’s opening fixture against Liverpool.

Alongside another inexperienced defender, Calum Chambers, the two got picked apart. The first half of the game was decent for them, but when Liverpool began to provide a serious threat the two young Englishmen were starstruck.

Anyway, here are the player ratings.

6.3. Petr Cech<span style=. GK. Arsenal FC. PETR CECH

5.8. Bellerin<span style=. RB. Arsenal FC. HECTOR BELLERIN

4.9. In the first half, Chambers <span style=. CB. Arsenal FC. CALUM CHAMBERS

4.5. Shouldn’t have been let anywhere near the starting lineup for this game, and as soon as Liverpool started to pile on the pressure he looked thoroughly flummoxed by his opposition. Couldn’t deal with the pace of Coutinho, Mané, Lallana or Wijnaldum and became a total statue on crosses from Nathaniel Clyne that rolled all the way through the box. The biggest surprise of the year would be if Arsene Wenger didn’t go out and buy another defender.. CB. Arsenal FC. ROB HOLDING

Arsenal FC. NACHO MONREAL. 5.9. Monreal is normally a reliable defender beside Laurent Koscielny, but today he was also at sea along with his new teammates. Had no help from the left-sided center back, but Clyne and Mane treated him like he wasn’t even there. His pace looked very sub-par. It would be shocking if other managers didn’t watch that game back and encourage their side to exploit their right (Arsenal’s left) flank.. LB

5.7. Mohamed El Neny was ineffectual for the sixty-five minutes he spent on the field, and for his first “Match Day 1” in the Prem of his career, it was not worth writing home about. He didn’t do a stellar playmaking job alongside Francis Coquelin. The Egyptian international’s position is very much in jeopardy when Granit Xhaka is 100% fit and ready to start.. MID. Arsenal FC. MOHAMED EL NENY

5.2. Francis Coquelin was outplayed in midfield by maestro Philippe Coutinho, who ran the game in the center of the park. He didn’t make many smart tackles, he DID get booked, and he looked like he had no idea what to do when there was a through ball played near him. Didn’t have his usual positional knowledge, and that’s what made his downfall. He needs to be grounded if he wants to make an impact, and he was running around like another headless chicken.. MID. Arsenal FC. FRANCIS COQUELIN

MID. Arsenal FC. AARON RAMSEY. 5.0. Aaron Ramsey only spent sixty minutes on the field before coming off injured, and nobody knows as of yet how serious his injury is. While he was on the field, though, he didn’t look hungry to win that game. The so-called “Welsh Wizard” was quite un-magical with his passing and he didn’t play the role of a serious No. 10 at all. Whatever happened to that EURO 2016 form he found? It’ll need to be rekindled if he wants to keep his place over Santi Cazorla.

6.5. Walcott seemingly tried his hardest, but couldn’t help his team out after Ragnar Klavan man-marked him out of the game in the second half. He missed a penalty that he should have given to a teammate in the first half, but he made up for it brilliantly with a terrific finish. However, after that finish he was somewhat absent from the game. It was a fair end product, which did make us happy, but not a star performance. Not a “next-level” performance, and that’s what he wants to be. Not yet, Theo.. MID. Arsenal FC. THEO WALCOTT

5.7. Alex Iwobi looked like he couldn’t do a thing to befuddle Nathaniel Clyne or Dejan Lovren. Bear in mind, neither of them are star defenders. Left wing doesn’t seem like his role, and he looked uncomfortable with being out wide. He didn’t provide Arsenal with that width they need, and cut in far too often for it to be effective. He’s got to grow up fast if he wants a serious role in this team.. MID. Arsenal FC. ALEX IWOBI

5.5. Alexis Sanchez DOES NOT belong in the role he was in today. He looked like he had no idea what he was doing. It seemed as though he had not practiced at all for that role, and he certainly didn’t look ready to take the challenge head on. He had zero shots on target – that says it all for Arsenal’s forward.. ST. Arsenal FC. ALEXIS SANCHEZ

Arsenal FC. SANTI CAZORLA. 5.5. Santi Cazorla provided a free-kick delivery that was beautiful to create Arsenal’s third goal. That was about it, though. At times it looked like he could’ve been any old bloke. Not Santiago Cazorla, the man who scored a blinder on his debut four seasons ago.. SUB

Next: Arsenal's 30 Greatest Transfers Of Past 30 years

4.0. Granit Xkaha was <span style=. SUB. Arsenal FC. GRANIT XKAHA

Arsenal vs Liverpool Player Ratings

By Finn Laister-Smith | Aug 14, 2016

Arsenal faced off against Liverpool on Match Day 1 of the Premier League Season. Here are Pain In the Arsenal’s Player Ratings.