Arsenal player ratings as Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Petr Cech bag 9s but Alex Iwobi is poor

Chris Bailey 19:30 11/03/2018
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  • Arsenal showed that their wonderful victory at AC Milan in midweek was not just a false dawn as they dispatched an in-form Watford side with relative ease on Sunday.

    The Gunners produced a fine performance in attack – though given the empty seats, there were not so many around to see it – as Shkodran Mustafi, Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang and Henrikh Mkhitaryan scored in a 3-0 win.

    Read on for our ratings…

    Petr Cech – Pushed recent criticism to one side emphatically, guessing the right way for Troy Deeney’s penalty and making a number of other superb saves. 9

    Ainsley Maitland-Niles – Richarlison had his way with the young full-back at times and his foul to bring down the Brazilian for the penalty was the clumsiest you’ll see. 4

    Rob Holding – Arsenal looked vulnerable to the counter and Holding did nothing to instil confidence alongside Mustafi. A shaky performance. 5

    Shkodran Mustafi – A clumsy yellow card aside, Mustafi is looking more and more like the warrior Arsenal thought they had signed in the summer. Wonderfully placed header opened the scoring. 8

    Sead Kolasinac –  Should have an assist to his name after supplying Aubameyang with a fine chance in the first half and bolted down the left flank well. 7

    Mohamed Elneny – Steady alongside Xhaka though left the defence vulnerable at times against a pacy Watford attack. 6

    Granit Xhaka – The rehabilitation of the Switzerland international continues. Recycled the ball well with a 92 per cent pass rate and enforced the law in midfield. 8

    Mesut Ozil – Became the quickest-ever player to reach 50 Premier League assists for Mustafi’s goal – surprising considering all the flak that the German receives. Attack is showing signs of dovetailing and Ozil is the heartbeat. 7

    Henrikh Mkhitaryan – His assist for Aubameyang has to be seen to be believed – the vision and weight of pass was exquisite. Also showed rare strength on the ball and in the tackle. When he’s hot, he’s hot. 9

    Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang – Back-to-back goals now for the Gabon international but showed he can create too, which was a question mark upon his arrival. His composure to pick out Mkhitaryan for the third was a great sign. 8

    Alex Iwobi – A misfit in this otherwise star-studded attack. Misplaced pass after pass – surely he is running out of time to impress. 4

    SUBSTITUTES

    Danny Welbeck –  A more effective presence than Iwobi and had a smart shot saved. Helped Arsenal go for the kill in the latter stages. 7

    Calum Chambers – With Mustafi on a yellow, came on with 20 minutes to go – and the Gunners did not look like conceding. 6

    Jack Wilshere – A great like-for-like replacement in a skilful Arsenal attack, underlines why Arsenal needed him to stick around even if just for quality depth. 6

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