Arsenal player ratings vs Chelsea: Xhaka scores as the Gunners lose 2-1

Substitutes

SUB: Granit Xhaka – 8.0

Man of the Match. Came on for Partey and looked to make an instant impact with a brilliant ball for Aubameyang. Quite a good showing, and good to hear the Arsenal fans at the Emirates greet him positively. With contract news still up in the air, good appearances are a necessity, and Xhaka’s starting the season as he means to continue. Excellent header for the goal as well.

SUB: Ben White – 7.0

Got a warm welcome during his warmup, and a rousing cheer upon entering the field for the second half, and made up his entire fee in a single moment with an excellent goal-line block from a rather foolish Hakim Ziyech breakaway. With another goal-line clearance to his name and a number of excellent defensive contributions, Ben White looks worth it.

SUB: Hector Bellerin – 2.0

Awful, awful errant pass to slip in Tammy Abraham, just after coming on the pitch. Sloppy play generally. Needs to go.

SUB: Nuno Tavares – 6.0

Looked good going forwards, and was unlucky to recieve a yellow card for a relatively run-of-the-mill challenge. Defended well too.

SUB: Albert Sambi Lokonga – 5.5

Solid alongside Granit Xhaka. Not quite up to Premier League standard but a very good cameo. I’d like to see him start against Spurs, and possibly Brentford as well.

SUB: Joe Willock – 7.0

Scored a goal that didn’t get counted because goal-line technology wasn’t enabled, and the linesman wasn’t paying enough attention at the time. Looked exceedingly bright.

SUB: Sead Kolasinac – 4.0

Very shaky as a left-sided centre-back, leaving Ben White a lot to do on a number of occasions. Decent passing performance once the game opened up completely.

SUB: Eddie Nketiah – 7.0

Borderline Man of the Match, despite limited minutes. Looked very bright, as he has the whole of preseason. In very good form at the moment.