Arsenal Vs Manchester City: Player ratings – Holy ****

SHKODRAN MUSTAFI. 5.0. He is a very lucky boy. From the moment he attempted to dribble around Raheem Sterling in his own penalty area and nearly handed City an early lead, it seemed like it would be a difficult day for the German. So it proved. His passing was slow, he panicked in possession, he gave away silly fouls, and he was fortunate to not concede a penalty when diving in on Sterling. Contrast his performance to Tierney and you can see the difference between what a wide centre-back should do and what Mustafi does instead. He did make some important aerial clearances from City’s bombardment of crosses.. RCB. Arsenal

Arsenal. DAVID LUIZ. 8.5. Vindication. David Luiz’s worst nightmares came to life last time he played Manchester City. On this occasion, he proved exactly why Arsenal were right to hand him another year. Playing in the heart of the back three, he was never pulled out of position, met every cross, cleared every pass, blocked every shot. Luiz was the bedrock of the stupendous defensive performance. Total redemption for what came before.. CB

9.0. MAN OF THE MATCH: What more can you say about this man? Playing at centre-back, he was perfectly positioned throughout. Made several crucial interventions, tackled smartly and intercepted passes. He and Maitland-Niles handled Riyad Mahrez relatively well, while Tierney was often the man to play more difficult passes into the middle and final thirds to instigate counter-attacks. He played the crucial role in both goals, feeding Lacazette for the first and then Pepe and an assist for Aubameyang for the second. He typified Arsenal’s spirit, work-rate, concentration, and quality. Brilliant.. LCB. Arsenal. KIERAN TIERNEY