Arsenal finally won in Manchester and with a professional performance from the entire team.

A tentative start to both halves but level-headed organisation and confidence allowed us to warm into the game effectively.

We kept our shape well, didn’t lose our heads and, despite a couple of hairy moments, looked largely in control for large spells of the game.

Our link-up play and passing was almost entirely spot on and it’s comforting to see us working together as a well-oiled team.

Final score Manchester City 0 Arsenal 2

Player ratings:

David Ospina 8

Definitely had more work to do than in the Stoke game but was calm and composed under pressure.

Hector Bellerin 8

Quick and composed. Got forward quite a bit at the right moments.

Per Mertesacker 8

Tidy and organised as ever.

Laurent Koscielny 8

Reliable and calm; a little fatigued towards to end but knew how to deal with balls and cleared them efficiently.

Nacho Monreal 8

Got forward plenty but, as ever, was keen to get back and clean up.

Francis Coquelin 8

Far more mature than previous games. Very vocal and not afraid to tell people when they’re being d*ckheads.

Aaron Ramsey 8

Bundles of energy and although there are still a few cobwebs hanging around, he never hid. Coming on leaps and bounds; it’s clear he’ll be back to his best soon.

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain 8

Outstanding. His link-up play with Santi and Giroud at points was sublime. Always looking for the forward pass and thinking about how he can get past defenders.

Santi Cazorla 10 (MOTM)

Brilliant.

He’s quickly become one of our stand-out players and we’d seriously miss his creativity if he wasn’t there. His close ball control is one of – if not the – best in the whole team.

It’s a privilege to watch him develop into the player we always knew he’d be. Also composed when it came to the penalty and his delivery of the freekick from which Giroud scored was just perfect.

Alexis 8

Fantastic as ever; never hid and was always looking for the final pass. Constantly on the hunt for spaces he can run into.

Olivier Giroud 8.5

Great today. His hold-up play is always good and today was no different. Always looking for the run. My only criticism is he needs to be a bit more aware when it comes to being offside, although I realise this is often just down to him being so eager to get into space and score.

SUBS

Tomas Rosicky 7

Quick and skilled from the moment he came on. Always looking to score, even in the final few minutes.

Keiran Gibbs N/A

Only played the final few minutes but was pacey and strong.

Mathieu Flamini N/A

Again, only played a few minutes but was always looking to get forward when the game allowed.