The scoreline may be flatting but at least Arsenal managed to net four against Hull.
Most players had good and bad moments, which sounds obvious, but one example is Alexis who scored two but also missed a penalty. Theo Walcott also scored but gave away the ball several times in the first half.
Swings and roundabouts.
Here’s how they all got on.
Petr Cech – 7
The goalkeeper did everything he needed to in order to keep a clear sheet. It started with an early clearance from a one-v-one and he went on to make a few key saves throughout the match. He did concede a penalty though, so I marked him down for that.
Hector Bellerin – 7
The defender seemed to enjoy playing with a little more freedom once Coquelin stopped hiding from the ball. He was constantly looking to pass to Ozil.
Shkodran Mustafi – 7
The centre-back was far sharper than his previous couple of matches. He marked Abel Hernandez tightly and was a commanding presence on the pitch.
Laurent Koscielny – 7
Solid as usual, except for one or two misplaced passes in the second half.
Nacho Monreal – 7
The Spaniard had to deal with Alex Iwobi switching off every so often and almost every attack coming down his side.
Francis Coquelin – 6
No longer hiding from ball, he freed up the midfield and allowed player to get forward more effectively without leaving us exposed. However, the Hull players still found him too easy to shake off.
Santi Cazorla – 7.5
Why Santi didn’t take the penalty, we’ll never know.
Mesut Ozil – 6.5
The midfielder missed a sitter and looked a little nonchalant. Although he’s often criticised for his body language unnecessarily, this seemed a little different. Hopefully he’s okay.
Theo Walcott – 7
The forward picked out Alexis with good cross in the first half and continued to be pretty useful. He even scored our second goal in the second half. He did lose the ball a few times but he wasn’t terrible.
Alex Iwobi – 6.5
The forward set up our first goal that deflected in off Alexis, he also got a lovely assist for Theo’s goal. However, his tracking back needs work. In games of this intensity, he can’t afford to switch off and just let Monreal pick up the slack. Still, he’s young and will learn.
Alexis Sanchez – 6
In the opening exchanges had a chance when Theo picked him out in the area but skied it. He scored via his deflection but also missed a penalty. Swings and roundabouts.
SUBS
Granit Xhaka – 10
That goal alone deserves a 10.