Man Utd 0-1 Arsenal Player Ratings: Big Six Away Win at Last

Well that was fun.

It was a rather curious Arsenal team that took to the field against Manchester United. The lack of a de-facto “creator,” and return to a back-three puzzled me slightly, along with Mohamed Elneny‘s name on the team sheet, but the first half went pretty swimmingly.

Arsenal had the better chances, and looked better on the ball. Our balance between the left and right flanks looked much improved, as we looked to threaten from both sides, using the width of our wing-backs to expose the narrow United diamond.

There were a couple of nervy moments, as Bruno Fernandes picked up pockets of space between our central midfielders, but on the whole, Arsenal remained resolute and tenacious. We just couldn’t make the most of our chances, an ongoing problem.

The second half was far more even. Both sides looked threatening, although generally, Arsenal held United to chances outside the box, one dangerous Harry Maguire header aside. Thomas Partey and Mohamed Elneny were twin pillars in the midfield, and Hector Bellerin‘s movement down the right was a constant stressor for the United backline.

Let’s get into the Player Ratings from the hard-fought, well-deserved win, our first against the Big Six since 2015.

Goalkeeper & Defenders

GK: Bernd Leno—6.0

Composed on the ball, played a number of nice lofted balls forward. Really didn’t have much to do in the first half. Built on that in the second, wasn’t tested much, and claimed crosses well. Solid throughout, but was nearly unsighted by an Elneny deflection; luckily it bounced off his face. No discernible errors, no moments of magic.

RCB: Rob Holding—6.5

Tackled hard throughout, and gave Marcus Rashford no end of trouble. Lost Mason Greenwood on one or two occasions during the first half, but nothing came of it. Left one a bit late on Pogba, earning a deserved yellow. Other than that, very solid game from the Englishman. Really enjoyed having him back.

CB: Gabriel Magalhaes—6.8

So strong in defense. He stuck to the United attackers like glue early on, and was a big part of why they were starved of service. Got spun too easily by Marcus Rashford though, and earned a cheap yellow for his troubles. Played a number of fantastic tackles during the second half, including a stunner on Paul Pogba. Lucky not to get a second yellow after being skinned by Mason Greenwood, but redeemed himself with a flyer on Matic.

LCB: Kieran Tierney—6.5

Looked a bit rusty to start with. Played a couple of nice passes to nobody, and his crosses hit the first man to begin with. Grew into the game though, and started combining really nicely with Saka in the first half. Did well to sweep up some United counter attacks as well. Definitely improved in the second half, looked sharper.

Wing-Backs & Midfielders

RWB: Hector Bellerin—8.5

Man of the Match. Played a stunning ball for Aubameyang in the 14th minute, and hugged the touchline in the first half. Found great space, and played with real confidence throughout. Honestly didn’t really put a foot wrong throughout the match. Did very well to win the penalty, although it was a bit soft. Really sharp. My Man of the Match.

CM: Mohamed Elneny—8.0

Solid and dependable. Did well to break up play in tight spaces, as United looked to break. Looked very composed when dribbling, and completed nearly all of his passes. Played a pretty free-flowing game with Thomas Partey, switching sides of the midfield consistently. He’s become so, so confident in possession. Really smooth throughout, showed great energy.

CM: Thomas Partey—8.3

Good counterpressing early on. Read play very well on a number of occasions, and started a lovely counter in the tenth minute. Some of his dribbles were frankly exquisite. I wrote this September about how he’s more than just a holding midfielder, and he showcased that here. Genuinely just a fantastic game from him, borderline MOTM.

LWB: Bukayo Saka—6.5

Slick movement early on, gave Scott McTonimay a lot to think about. His battle with Wan-Bissaka was very enjoyable to watch. Miss-hit a couple long balls, but very solid otherwise. Narrowly missed an open header in the 44th minute, but bounced back well. Very quiet second half from him

Front Three

RW: Willian—6.5

Every corner he delivered went straight to Maguire. He looked good when he was allowed to roam a bit, but didn’t find much joy in open play off the right flank. He tucked in a bit too far on the right flank at times, and didn’t really test Luke Shaw. Nearly found the top corner late in the first half, though, and looked to step up from there. Lovely little ball to Bellerin to draw the penalty.

ST: Alexandre Lacazette—7.0

Positioned himself well early in the first half, but mostly parked himself in the middle of the pitch, and pretty much stood there out of possession. Then, almost all at once, everything clicked around the 25th minute. He drew fouls, tackled well, and led the press efficiently. His passing was exceedingly sharp. Broke a lovely counter for Aubameyang, who narrowly missed a curler. Looking tired when he was subbed, but deservedly so. Worked his butt off, playing in a hybrid-No. 10 role towards the end.

LW: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang—6.8

Should have done better on the low cross from Bellerin. Missed it by an inch, but was in acres of space. Very quiet for most of the first half, found some nice space but not much beyond that. Looked a half-step off the pace. Lovely backheel to find Willian late in the first half. Pressed well, and sent De Gea the wrong way with a lovely penalty. The goal aside, though, not his best performance. Earns a couple extra ratings for his pressing throughout.

Substitutes

SUB: Eddie Nketiah—5.7

Energetic. That’s honestly about it. Pressed really well

SUB: Ainsley Maitland-Niles—5.5

Brought in to instill composure and shore up the back, which he did. Didn’t really touch the ball, but he didn’t need to.

SUB: Shkodran Mustafi—5.0

Parked the bus Mourinho-style. Didn’t make mistakes, which is all we can ask for.