Player Ratings: Arsenal 3 Liverpool 4 – Impressive Liverpool down wavering Arsenal

Player Ratings: Arsenal 3 Liverpool 4 – Impressive Liverpool down wavering Arsenal

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Arsenal began their Premier League season in disappointing fashion, defeated 4-3 by rivals Liverpool at the Emirates on Sunday.

Arsenal

Petr Cech – 5: Cannot be faulted for Coutinho’s magical free kick, and was provided little support from an inexperienced and unfamiliar centre-back duo.

Nacho Monreal – 5: Struggled to get into the game after half time. Poor decision-making when transitioning to attack.

Calum Chambers – 6.5: Was strong in the air and scored a header late in the game, but low confidence saw him exposed on multiple occasions.


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Rob Holding – 6: He quickly discovered the unforgiving nature of the Premier League, but should never have been involved in such a high-pressure occasion. Shining light for Arsenal.

Héctor Bellerín – 6: Was poor by his standards, but did not stop running up and down the wing. Like most of Arsenal’s defenders, went missing in the second half.

Francis Coquelin – 5.5: His passing let him down and heaped pressure on the back four. Booked following a number of late challenges.

Mohamed Elneny – 5: Did little to convince his manager that he made the right choice playing him over big-money signing Granit Xhaka. Most of his contributions were insignificant.

Alex Iwobi – 7: Continued his high-energy game from last season. Showed great vision, and provided the assist to Theo Walcott. Was unlucky to pick up an injury.

Aaron Ramsey – 7: Impressive in the first half with his creativity, but then vanished. A midfield blow for Arsenal as he limped off with a suspected hamstring injury in the second half.

Theo Walcott – 7: Missed a penalty, but redeemed himself with a goal only a minute later. Was effective down the right side with his speed, catching Alberto Moreno out of position on a number of occasions.

Alexis Sanchez – 5: Very disappointing from the Chilean, albeit playing out of position. Did not offer enough as a striker, and would have been substituted if not for the unfortunate injuries to team mates.

Substitutes

Santi Cazorla – 7.5: Provided an assist to resurrect his team. Effortlessly adjusted to the pace of the game.

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain – 7.5: Was the injection of power and skill that Arsenal needed following Liverpool’s quick succession of goals. Great footwork allowed him to escape between two defenders and successfully strike from close range.

Granit Xhaka – 6: Applied his trademark physicality on the game, but the £34 million signing failed to have an impact and looked frustrated in his debut.

 

Liverpool

Simon Mignolet – 7: Great penalty save, and was unlucky to be beaten by Oxlade-Chamberlain’s deflected goal. Let down by his defence for Arsenal’s third.

Alberto Moreno – 3: Was constantly caught out of position, and his reckless challenge on Walcott led to the penalty.

Dejan Lovren – 5.5: He looked vulnerable when forwards ran at him, but fought long and hard in the heart of defence. Kept Sanchez quiet, and was calm on the ball.

Ragnar Klavan – 6: The Estonian international was superb in his debut, providing strength and poise coming out of defence. The 31-year-old looks a steal for £5 million.

Nathaniel Clyne: – 6.5: Showed great bursts down the wing and caught Monreal out on several occasions. Bullet-pass assist to Coutinho for Liverpool’s third.

Georginio Wijnaldum – 5.5: Looked a little out of place in Liverpool’s midfield, did not offer much prevention to Arsenal’s forward runs. Registered a lovely turn and chip assist for Lallana’s goal, but missed a golden opportunity in the first half.

Jordan Henderson – 6: Solid as a deep-lying midfielder, and led by example. Improved when Can was brought on and played further afield.

Adam Lallana – 6.5: Improved dramatically in the second half. Lost possession which lead to Arsenal’s opener, but made up for it with a well-worked goal.

Saido Mane – 7.5: Worked tirelessly all match. Liverpool’s biggest summer signing scored an incredible solo goal which turned out to be the winner.

Philippe Coutinho – 9: Man-of-the-match performance with two dazzling goals and one assist. He inspired his team to a thrilling comeback win.

Arsenal v Liverpool - Premier League

Roberto Firmino – 6.5: Was the least impressive of Liverpool’s front three, slow to adjust to the flow of the game but turned it on in the second. Was industrious given he was playing an unfamiliar role.

Substitutes

Emre Can – 6: Slotted in effortlessly and allowed Henderson to push up. His timely introduction halted Arsenal as they were mounting a comeback.

Divock Origi – 6: His ability to hold up play was perfect given the circumstances, and troubled the Arsenal back line with sharp turns and well timed runs.

Kevin Stewart – N/A: Little impact in his two minutes of action.

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