Arsenal vs Burnley Recap: Complete Player Ratings

Arsenal came away with a lucky win against Burnley after Koscielny bundled in a corner at the last. Here’s Pain In the Arsenal’s complete player ratings.

The Gunners managed to find a way to secure the three points after a frustrating game of trying to crack the Burnley blockade. Sean Dyche’s men lined up with six – at times what seemed like eight – players permanently in defense, and their ‘bus’ was too heavy for Mesut Ozil, Alexis and co. to move.

Arsene Wenger chose to use the sane lineup as the one that finished their game against Chelsea last weekend. Granit Xhaka replaced Francis Coquelin in an otherwise unchanged starting XI from their last three leagues games, which shouldn’t surprise fans considering the Gunners’ 5 wins on the bounce.

Alexis Sanchez was, once again, the frontman for the attacking show the North Londoners planned to put on, but they were stymied for the vast majority of the afternoon. Burnley central defenders Ben Mee and Michael Keane particularly impressed, with the latter of the two nearly putting the hosts ahead from a corner kick.

This game was very much a battle of resiliency, and it was Arsenal who won in the end as Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Laurent Koscielny both met a corner ball that Theo Walcott flicked on in the 92nd minute. It was a delight for the away fans and they will undoubtedly be going home happy.

With that, here are the complete player ratings.

7.0. Petr Cech dealt with a handful of headers from Sam Vokes and cleaned up plenty of crosses. It was another foundational performance from Arsenal’s big man in net.. GK. Arsenal FC. PETR CECH

6.9. Hector Bellerin was available on the flank in the first half, but didn’t get found enough. In the second 45 he took more of a part in the attack, but his final balls found few heads and feet, thus his performance can’t be classed as exceptional. A good effort from a flowering talent, though.. RB. Arsenal FC. HECTOR BELLERIN

8.0. Shkodran Mustafi put in another solid showing for Arsenal against a physical striker in Sam Vokes. The German was prepared for the battle he faced, and he also played some good passes into midfield.. CB. Arsenal FC. SHKODRAN MUSTAFI

8.1. (MAN OF THE MATCH) Knew little about the goal when it went in after deflecting off his arm, but the use of the arm was not at all intentional and Bosscielny has to take the credit. Alongside Mustafi he put in another solid shift, and their partnership of stopper and cover defender is working marvellously at present.. CB. Arsenal FC. LAURENT KOSCIELNY

7.5. Monreal put in a serious shift on the left flank and got up the field a lot during the game. A clean sheet for the Arsenal back line is a plus in any match, and he put in an attacking shift as well so it was a good showing on two fronts.. LB. Arsenal FC. NACHO MONREAL

SUB. Arsenal FC. SANTI CAZORLA. 7.3. Santi Cazorla didn’t have a huge influence over the Arsenal attacking buildup. His passing was on target for the vast majority of the game, as always, but we have come to expect this from the Spanish playmaker. Not his best performance so far, but he has been in fine form and this was a difficult game for Any creative midfielder to get a grip on.

7.6. Granit Xhaka came in and performed in Francis Coquelin’s place, especially on the defensive end. Without getting close to being sent off he won multiple duels and kept the ball well. His attacking threat was neutralized by Burnley’s blockade, but still Xhaka made few mistakes.. SUB. Arsenal FC. GRANIT XHAKA

Arsenal FC. THEO WALCOTT. 6.8. Theo Walcott wasn’t hugely impressive, but Ben Mee and Stephen Ward on the left side of Burnley’s defense were very discliplined and gave him little space to shoot. He was always going for difficult angles, and it’s not Lionel Messi, it’s Theo. His dedicated spirit is much more promising though. The fact that Walcott won a header from a set piece that led to the Arsenal getting this win says alot about his comments last week and his comments after matches earlier in the campaign. They look ready to snatch wins, regardless of how clean the win is.. MID

6.6. Alex Iwobi had a very indifferent game, but he needs more experiences in games like this and it’s no surprise he didn’t last 90 minutes in such a claustrophobic game. You could see that in the second half he was getting frustrated, and he was starved of opportunities by the staunch Clarets back line.. MID. Arsenal FC. ALEX IWOBI

6.6. Brother Mesut was uncharacteristically off-target with his passing today, and it made for a frustrating afternoon for him as well. He tried quite a few eye-of-the-needle passes that didn’t come off, and who can blame him? It was a frustrating game on offense for the Gunners.. MID. Arsenal FC. MESUT OZIL

Alexis Sanchez put in another high-powered shift today, and he never stopped working hard. Him being Arsenal’s frontman started out an awkward fit, but it seems to have fixed itself over time and now the Gunners look like they have ideas on both sides of the ball. His closing down is exemplary of a hard-working footballer. Could have won man of the match, but didn’t get a goal for his efforts and thus Koscielny takes the trophy today.. ST. Arsenal FC. ALEXIS SANCHEZ. 7.8

SUB. Arsenal FC. MOHAMED EL NENY. 6.7. Mohamed El Neny was solid when he came on from the bench in the second half, but his impact was minimal. 6.7 seems like a neutral rating, because he did nothing bad. But he also did little of note.

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7.0. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain walked away celebrating in the 92nd minute after bundling in that header won by Walcott for the goal. Doesn’t matter who grabbed it, but what matters is he was in the right position in the right time and that’s your job as a substitute. Hopefully he can get some episodes of 90 minutes, because he needs that confidence to develop further.. SUB. Arsenal FC. ALEX OXLADE-CHAMBERLAIN