Arsenal
Almunia - 7: Relatively untested, but looked solid
whenever called into action and his kicking was accurate.
Sagna - 7: Started this season where he left off the last.
Rock solid in defence and always a decent outlet going forward.
Could have perhaps slightly improved his crossing.
Djourou - 6.5: Deputised well enough for Kolo Toure,
though he was caught napping and almost allowed Ishmael Miller to
equalise in the second half, only to immediately make amends by
making a goal line clearance from Do-Heon Kim.
Gallas - 7: The captain fared well in what was a
reasonably comfortable outing. Looked assured in defence, though
not quite as sharp as he would have liked. Crashed an incredible
effort off the post from almost 40 yards early on.
Clichy - 8.5: Man of the Match. Tireless down the left
hand side, unbeatable at the back and provided endless goal-scoring
opportunities when going forward.
Walcott - 6.5: Was kept fairly quiet for large parts of
the game as Arsenal generally preferred to attack down their left
hand side. Did not manage to hit anything resembling top gear as he
occasionally did in pre-season.
Eboue - 5: No matter where he is played these days, the
Cote d'Ivoire international cannot make it happen for the Gunners.
Had a fairly simple job of protecting the back four in midfield,
which he did to decent effect, but was very wasteful in
possession.
Denilson - 7.5: Had a marvellous first half and was
central to all the Gunners' quality offensive play. It was when the
hosts were at their best and the Brazilian deputised admirably for
Cesc Fabregas.
Nasri - 8: A goal on competitive debut - can you ask for
much more? He looked very lively all afternoon. Defied his critics
as he had the physical fight in him to stand his ground and even
tracking back to retrieve possession. Took his goal well, slotted
seamlessly into the Wenger philosophy of football and enjoyed a
somewhat free roaming position in left wing. No Hleb, no
problem.
Bendtner: 6.5: Like Walcott, was by and large bypassed for
much of Arsenal's best moves and somewhat isolated at times. Put in
a neat and tidy performance, but did not impose himself on the game
as he has in pre-season.
Adebayor - 7.5: A relentless performance. Acted as a
creator far more than he did a scorer this afternoon, hovering on
the left hand side and constantly looking to power past his man and
put balls into the box. Cannot be faulted for his work rate or
creativity, but could have perhaps gotten himself into better
goal-scoring positions more often, considering Arsenal's
dominance.
Substitutes:
Van Persie - 5: Very wasteful during his brief showing as a
substitute. Wayward shooting and inaccurate passing.
Toure - 6: Made a fleeting appearance and looked full of energy
playing in an advanced role on the right hand side.
source: goal.com
