A nerve-wrecking first half and electric second left Arsenal with a fair 0-0 draw against Liverpool on Monday.
The defence was beyond shaky during the first half when I was almost certain we were going to be on the end of another humiliating home defeat. However, Petr Cech proved his worth and kept us in it with a couple of world class saves.
The second half was a different story. We were quick, skillful and playing with style. The only aspect lacking from our game was our finishing – we weren’t even close to being clinical and although Simon Mignolet pulled off some great saves in the second half, we could have done a lot better with a number of shots.
Petr Cech – 8
The goalkeeper pulled off an absolutely unreal save in the 39th minute and then another just moments later before half time with literally the tips of his fingers. He single-handedly kept us in the game and, if it hadn’t been for him, we might not have even won the point.
Hector Bellerin – 6
Strong and quick. In the 20th minute he showed amazing speed to get back and prevent Robert Firmino from running through on goal. He was a little naive in possession though.
Gabriel – 6.5
A little nervous at first but grew into the game in a big way, particularly in the second half. The centre-back became stronger and more assertive the more his confidence grew, and made a couple of vital interceptions.
Calum Chambers – 5.5
Poor Calum didn’t have the best game and you could really tell he wasn’t ready to be thrown into the centre-back position. The youngster kept trying to pass it out and repeatedly turned over possession needlessly in dangerous areas. The more he messed up, the more nervous he got and the worse he played.
Nacho Monreal – 6.5
The Spaniard was caught in possession once or twice early on but recovered well and continued to have a solid match, contributing to our attacking play well as usual.
Francis Coquelin – 6.5
The Frenchman laid off another beautiful chipped pass across the pitch to Ramsey in the 11th minute and continued to make a huge interception in the 14th. His playing style was a little chaotic at times, so it would have been interesting to see Mikel Arteta come on to pour some water over the flames at times.
Santi Cazorla – 7
As always, the little Spaniard saw passes that we couldn’t. In the 9th minute he put a stunning through ball in to Ramsey in the area, cutting out the entire Liverpool defence without even breaking a sweat. It’d be nice if he could sort out his finishing though…
Alexis Sanchez – 6.5
Not on firing form today but he’s looking increasingly eager and, as always, getting in the right space. Surely it’s only a matter of time before he starts scoring again?
Aaron Ramsey – 6.5
The midfielder looked dangerous today and this was proven with his well-finished goal, which was wrongly ruled offside. The 24-year-old continued to get in the right spaces, putting some decent crosses in and causing Liverpool problems.
Mesut Ozil – 6.5
The German started brightly and continued to make divine, short passes. However, he was kept reasonably quiet and he’s gone back to being more included to pass rather than shoot. His movement, however, was incredible as usual.
Olivier Giroud – 6
Not his best day. The striker was getting in all the right positions but just didn’t have his shooting boots on.
SUBS
Theo Walcott – 5
The forward had the potential to make an impact but Liverpool’s deep defence continually shut him out.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain – 6
The lad got involved from the minute he set foot on the pitch, driving play forward and running at the defenders. I truly think he deserves a starting spot next match.