This Arsenal player wasn’t at his best. Arsenal player ratings vs Brighton

 

By Danong

Arsenal defeated Brighton 3-0. The Seagulls hadn't lost a league match at the Amex Stadium since August 26^th when West Ham defeated them 3-1 but then Arsenal showed up.

This highly impressive victory showcased very clearly Arsenal’s fantastic balance in its structure between defence, midfield and attacking play. It has sent an ominous message to its rivals for the Premier League crown especially to Liverpool who are next to play.

How it happened: Tariq Lamptey hauled down Gabriel Jesus in the 31st minute resulting in a penalty kick which Bukayo Saka converted to break the deadlock. Arsenal led 1-0 at the break. Kai Havertz and Leandro Trossard scored in the second half for the 3-0 final score.

Mikel Arteta fielded close to his best lineup after resting a number of his key players in the 2-0 victory last Wednesday over Luton. As expected the Gunners, as a team, showed up alright but how did they perform individually?

David Raya (8/10).

Calm as always. He didn't have much to do. The only remarkable aspect of his play on Saturday evening was an impressive first-half save to deny Enciso. Except for a few errant passes early in the game (which he needs to eradicate from his play) he played well. Notably, he recorded his 12th Premier League clean sheet. 

Ben White (7/10).

Following his recent brilliance as an inverted fullback he returned to playing as a typical right back. He was a high-flying right-back on the right wing and his link-up play with Saka occasionally tormented Estupinian. However, Enciso gave him a difficult time. 

William Saliba (8/10).

He had a relatively quiet performance; he wasn't tested much and Gabriel performed all the dirty work. Though, as usual, he provided serenity to Arsenal's defence especially when bringing the ball out of the defence like a seasoned midfielder. With him and Gabriel playing as a pair, Arsenal have now gone 7 hours without conceding an away goal.

Gabriel Magalhães (8/10)

Saliba injected serenity, but Gabriel was hands-on, defending high and attempting to get on the receiving end of corner kicks. Should have scored with at least one header. He gave Danny Welbeck a hard time. Late in the game he made a key block in the penalty area and helped the Gunners record their 14th clean sheet. Had an injury scare towards the end of the first half but looked fine in the second half.

Oleksandr Zinchenko (6/10).

He wasn't at his best, mislaying a few passes. He didn't have the same impact on the game as we've come to expect as he neither helped the team defend nor assisted us to have more control in midfield. We can however forgive him because he's only recently recovered from injury and still trying to find his consistency. But he occasionally had a great link up with Gabriel Jesus. 

Jorginho (7/10).

Initially, Brighton found a way to isolate him. However, he tapped into his experience to still influence the game. His passing was impeccable and he played some fantastic through balls. His major contribution was of course the excellent assist for Havertz's crucial goal.

Declan Rice (8/10).

He covered a lot of distance as per usual. Had to chase back a lot, especially when Brighton broke Arsenal's press which was more than it should have been. Towards the end of the game he had the opportunity to put his name on the score sheet but didn't. He really should have passed the ball to someone who was better placed to score. But overall he had a great game and competed hard.

Martin Odegaard (8/10).

Leader. Continues to excel despite not scoring or assisting in the game. Is crucial to Arsenal's game plan especially when leading the press from the front. He's a joy to watch. He played an excellent pass to Jorginho who set up Havertz for Arsenal's second goal of the game. He was superb as usual—a captain's performance.

Bukayo Saka (6/10).

Coming off an "alleged injury," he was decent, not at his best. He missed a great opportunity to open the scoring when he managed to cut inside the area but his shot went out when everyone expected the net to bulge. He did score the opener a little later on however when he calmly slotted in the penalty. Linked up play beautifully with White on the right wing to trouble Estupinian..

Kai Havertz (9/10).

Clinical. Was the man of the match. Can we finally agree that Arsenal signed him to bolster their attack not to replace Granit Xhaka? The German's revival continued as he led Arsenal's attack against Brighton. He scored Arsenal's second goal of the game before assisting Trossard for the third. Kai Havertz is the Premier League player with the most direct goal contributions (8) since February 17th. What a player!

Gabriel Jesus (7/10).

Had a decent performance. Won the penalty. Forced a save from the Brighton custodian, missed a couple of headers, but was okay on the left wing.

Substitutes

Leandro Trossard (7/10).

He was fantastic and re-energised Arsenal's attack when he came on. Forced a save from the Brighton goalkeeper before scoring Arsenal's game-winning goal.

Gabriel Martinelli (5/10).

His impact was not felt. Had an uneventful game.

Takehiro Tomiyasu (5/10).

He was brought on to see out the game, which he did.

Fabio Vieira and Eddie Nketiah (n/a)

They came on late, with the Seagulls already taken care off.                    

 

Mikel Arteta (8/10).

Resting players vs. Luton paid off. He fielded a powerful lineup which ensured they left Amex Stadium with all three points. Every decision he made in that game, including the lineup and substitutions, was bang on. The Spaniard has convinced everyone that Arsenal can beat anyone they play.