Super Sub Seals Emirates Win

Coming off the back of a nasty 4-0 defeat at Anfield, the Gunners looked to bounce back at home against a Newcastle team that were yet to win a game in the league this season. After a dominant yet dry first half, goals from Bukayo Saka and his replacement Gabriel Martinelli saw Arsenal walk away with 3 points, equal with 4th placed West Ham (who have a game in hand, vs Man City).

Mikel Arteta – 8

Arteta sent the team out in the same 4-4-2 that we have seen in recent weeks. Although it would’ve been useful to play Tierney off the back of an injury to hopefully test his fitness before the match against Manchester United, Tavares was given a chance to redeem himself from last match’s blunder. The only other change was Odegaard replacing Lacazette in that CAM/CF role. When it came down to it, the gaffer made effective substitutions that would help his team see out the win.

Aaron Ramsdale – 8.5

Newcastle hadn’t scored in their last 6 fixtures against Arsenal and Ramsdale did his part in making sure it became their last 7 fixtures. A brilliant save to tip the ball onto the bar and deny a long-range Shelvey attempt was nothing new for the Englishman. He commanded the box, held possession well and was ultimately rewarded with a clean sheet.

Nuno Tavares – 8

The only real thing I can fault him for is the 3 or 4 times he lashed out a deep shot on his weaker right foot which ended up in Row Z. Other than that, he was brilliant. The way he pressed, attacked and never slowed down all game has me convinced he is fuelled by petrol. He showed great vision to release Saka too, leading to the opening goal.

Ben White – 8

White had another brilliant game at the back. Suppressed the Newcastle attack, held possession well and looked to advance the ball into the midfield and attack whenever it was possible. Another well-deserved clean sheet.

Gabriel – 8

He had a similar game to Ben White. Commanded the defence, efficient in possession, silenced the defence and a clean sheet. Another brilliant performance from him.

Takehiro Tomiyasu – 9

I think there was only one ball in behind that came down his side, which amounted to nothing. He did brilliantly to cover Saint-Maximin (which is no easy task) and at the same time was a menace down his wing. Can’t forget about the brilliant first touch dink to assist Martinelli’s goal: absolutely sublime.

Emile Smith-Rowe – 7

He had a quieter game to be honest. With Tavares bombing down the wing and Newcastle playing a flat 6-4 formation at times, it was nearly impossible to really get involved in combination play. His big chance coming off a brilliant Saka run was batted away by Dubravka. The Smith slowly got into the game more and more but still struggled to make a big impact in the form of a goal or assist.

Albert Sambi Lokonga – 8.5

He didn’t have the busiest of games, but he filled his role perfectly. Held the midfield brilliantly alongside Partey whilst being efficient in possession and physically present on defence. Filled in at LB to account for Tavares’ countless attacks and did brilliantly.

Thomas Partey – 8.5

He had a similar game to Sambi. Was brilliant in the middle of the park and was highly effective in keeping the ball and moving it around the pitch. Stayed a lot more central as opposed to Sambi and had a brilliant game.

Bukayo Saka – 8.5

The game needed a spark, and Saka was right there to answer the call. Very unlucky to not get an assist after somehow holding off multiple defenders and still getting a cross in to Smith-Rowe close to the 6-yard box. After that however, he gave the Newcastle defence hell in the second half. Nearly scored after splitting two defenders before finally bagging his goal after some nice link-up play. A great finish followed by the Ozil celebration.

Martin Odegaard – 5.5

He was quite lacklustre in all honesty. Seemed to be allergic to his right foot, moved the ball slowly and even found it difficult at times to control the ball and keep it close. His free kick attempt was just a bit off the mark, leading to a comfortable Dubravka save. Failed to really make an impact however. As a matter of fact he was lucky to not give away a penalty in the first half after holding an opponent off a corner.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang – 5

To put it simply, it was a subpar performance from Auba. Newcastle parking the bus eliminated the chance of him getting in behind where he can really do some damage. Even then, when the ball dropped to him within 6 yards of the goal, Dubravka looking on as he fell, Aubameyang still couldn’t convert: an awful miss. Ghosted the first half and couldn’t do much different in the second before being subbed off.

SUBSTITUTIONS:

Gabriel Martinelli – 9

He came on for Saka. 89 seconds later the ball was in the net and it was 2-0. An absolutely stunning performance from him. It was almost like Martinelli showed Aubameyang what he should’ve been doing. Found a bit of space, made a penetrating run in behind, got the ball over the top and calmly found the back of the net. His ability to know where on the pitch he was in relation to the goal and then still have the composure and technique to finish shows great skill in order to bag a Gabi Golaso. Unlucky to not bag another. If Saka is out for United with a minor injury, Gunners fans can be calm knowing that Martinelli is ready to fill in.

Alexandre Lacazette – 7

Played his role well but didn’t make any major impact.

Mohammed Elneny – 6.5

Wasn’t on the pitch for long enough to make a real impact.

Man of the Match:

Takehiro Tomiyasu + Gabriel Martinelli – 9

Both had brilliant performances and played a major role in the second goal. Would love to see it again at Old Trafford.