Arsenal 3-0 Dinamo Zagreb: Player ratings from comfortable Champions League win

Declan Rice's second-minute goal gave Arsenal a lead the Gunners never relinquished against Dinamo Zagreb in the Champions League at the Emirates.

Three precious points didn't come easily on Wednesday, but a strong showing in midfield, inspired by Rice and the welcome return of Jorginho, kept the home side in control.

You wouldn't know Arsenal had been struggling for fluency and ideas in the final third. Not based on the slick and clever way the hosts constructed the opening goal. Direct running from the lively Gabriel Martinelli allowed him to clip a low cross toward Havertz, whose instant cushioned touch teed up Rice to finish emphatically.

This was a sweet move and should've been the cue for Arsenal to turn on the style and overrun the visitors. To their credit, Dinamo never let that happen, largely thanks to the kind of defiant and miserly defending you'd expect from a team managed by the great bane of strikers, Fabio Cannavaro.

The last central defender to win the Ballon d'Or must have allowed himself a wry smile at how often the Gunners were frustrated at the business end of the pitch. There was nothing wrong with Arsenal's intent, nor with the quality, but to the surprise of nobody who's observed this season, even from a distance, the finishing touch too often deserted Mikel Arteta's players.

That was until Havertz netted a deserved goal thanks to more good work from Martinelli six minutes after the hour mark. Arsenal didn't score again until Odegaard got in on the act during injury time.

Here are the Gunners' player ratings from a hard-fought but useful night's work.

Arsenal 3-0 Dinamo Zagreb player ratings

Goalkeepers & Defenders

David Raya (GK) - 6/10 - He was rarely called to even creep off his line, but David Raya never let his concentration levels drop. The Spaniard also distributed the ball smartly and accurately to keep Arsenal on the front foot and avoid the kind of momentary brain fart that would've allowed Dinamo to steal an undeserved goal.

Jurrien Timer (RB) - 4/10 - It's not often Jurrien Timber looks off the pace, but the Dutchman was decidedly out of sorts on the night. A booking for clumsily felling Arijan Ademi six minutes after the break summed up Timber's performance and prompted him making way for another instalment of Thomas Partey playing full-back almost as disappointingly as he plays midfield.

Gabriel Magalahes (CB) - 6/10 - Like Raya, Gabriel Magalhaes was hardly overworked. In fact, the Brazilian was most active in the Dynamo box, but his usually unerring eye for goal was anything but on more than one occasion after meeting a Martin Odegaard corner.

Jakub Kiwior (CB) - 6/10 - More work in relief of the injured William Saliba gave Jakub Kiwior a chance to either remind Arteta of his value or strengthen his case for a transfer. Ultimately, the Poland international didn't make a strong enough case in either direction, but Kiwior didn't do much wrong on what amounted to a night off for a makeshift Arsenal back four.

Olkesandr Zinchenko (LB) - 7/10 - There was something strangely comforting about seeing Oleksandr Zinchenko back in the starting XI. The player who was an inverted full-back before the tactical fad became old hat offered a timely reminder of his quality in possession, like when Zinchenko's control left Sam Dean of The Daily Telegraph in awe.

Arteta looks set to move on from Zinchenko, but this performance, along with the injury to academy darling Myles Lewis-Skelly, show a route back for one of Arsenal's used-to-be leading lights.

Continued on the next slide...