Premier League: Arsenal vs Manchester United Player Ratings

Round 21 was a blockbuster for Mikel Arteta and his men as we faced Manchester United at home. The Gunners were looking to climb further up the table as Manchester United aimed to land on their feat after falling to last placed Sheffield United the match before.

Mikel Arteta – 7

The lineup was the most interesting thing to see from Arteta. David Luiz and Holding selected at CB. Pepe on the right side of the pitch. Aubameyang, Tierney and surprisingly Saka not available. Despite this lack of resources, Arteta did well to put out a team that would get a result. His tactics also seemed to be planned well. The introduction of Willian into the game was annoying to see and disappointing given his lack of form. He also subbed on debutant Martin Odegaard, however, he left it late.

Leno – 8.5

You couldn’t really ask Bernd Leno for much more out of his performance. A fantastic fingertip save to deny Fred at the top of the box and Manchester United the lead. A commanding presence in goals. Produced yet another clean sheet.

Cedric – 7.5

Cedric again found himself on his unpreferred side of the pitch in LB to replace Kieran Tierney. He produced a clean sheet and was good on the ball when United pressed high. At times, however, he was sloppy in giving away possession. Couldn’t quite incorporate himself into the attack as much as he would’ve liked but still performed well.

Holding – 8

Holding was terrific in the way that he dealt with incoming crosses to deny target man Edison Cavani a real chance at goal. He was solid at the back in partnership with Luiz and did well to produce a clean sheet.

Luiz – 9

I was sceptical to see David Luiz on the team sheet in all honesty, but I can’t complain with his performance. He was clean in possession when he had the ball. He also did well to deal with incoming crosses and was overall very solid at the back, including a goal saving header to flick the ball over the bar from the wall, off a Bruno Fernandes free kick strike. He was absolutely instrumental in gaining the result.

Bellerin – 6.5

It's games like these that make me question whether we should give Ainsley Maitland-Niles a chance at RB. Bellerin was very sloppy in possession. He gave the ball away too easily throughout the game and did not really provide any major defensive relief. He did however contribute to the clean sheet.

Xhaka – 7.5

Xhaka again featured in the holding midfielder role and again did well. Although some of his passes were off target, he did well to solidify the midfield and win back possession. Personally I would’ve liked to see him on the ball a bit more.

Partey – 6.5

It was a poor game from Partey. He did well to track back and help the defence win the ball back and clear it. Apart from that, he simply misplaced too many passes and lost possession too many times. A big performance from him could’ve seen a different result, however, that is the same with many players.

Smith-Rowe – 7.5

The youngster started off the game slow, however, he warmed up to the occasion as the clock ticked on. He did well to receive the ball in various positions and was also confident enough to take on the United press with the ball at his feet. Although he couldn’t contribute to a goal, he always looked to do the right thing in attack.

Martinelli – 6.5

Martinelli again had a sub-par performance at LM. The youngster did well to pick up the ball and attack the defense, nearly providing a wonderful assist from a cross after he beat 3 defenders. At times he was sloppy in possession. He was subbed off at half time for Willian, where his presence on the pitch was still missed throughout the game, especially when Willian did not attack with the ball at his feet and also could not find the net when he had a relatively open shot from 10 yards out.

Pepe – 7.5

I personally would’ve loved to see Pepe played at LM. He was so good there against Southampton, and the addition of him to the attack on the left would’ve added a lot of pressure on Wan Bissaka, who already had a yellow card to his name. Despite this, Pepe did well to dribble at the defence and really attack, finding himself unlucky in a couple situations to not have converted.

Lacazette - 7

It was a quiet game from Lacazette. He wasn’t given a lot of space to manoeuvre into, however, when he was on the ball he did all the right things. Couldn’t quite find himself on the end of a definitive chance and find the net. He did leave the pitch after a hefty fall, but is now okay.