Arsenal thrashed Benfica in their opening Emirates Cup game in what was the most enjoyable game of pre-season so far.
A one-sided affair in the end, deflections helped the Portuguese give Arsenal a few problems but they overcame them in style to run out 5-2 winners.
So how did the players do?
Defence
David Ospina 7
Beaten by two deflected efforts and made two decent saves.
Ainsley Maitland-Niles 7
Had the better first half of the three who started at the back. Solid if not spectacular.
Per Mertesacker 5
Brilliant skill for the OG, terrible pass for their second and is probably only playing so much because Laurent Koscielny is injured and nobody is talking about it one week before the start of the season.
Rob Holding 4
Almost made to pay for a casual mistake, deflected in Benfica’s second and didn’t come back for the second half.
Midfield next
Midfield
Sead Kolasinac 8
Created Theo Walcott’s goal with nothing but pure determination and tenacity, involved in the second and fifth and generally announced himself as an Arsenal player.
https://twitter.com/LimerickMitch/status/891337299832823810
Francis Coquelin 6
An injury and an assist.
Granit Xhaka 7
You won’t see a better pass in the new season than his cross-field monster in the second half.
https://twitter.com/ryan_defreitas/status/891335424077176832
Reiss Nelson 8
He’s lovin’ it, and we’re loving watching him. The star of pre-season? Most likely.
Vision, movement, focus and a great final ball. His assist for Arsenal’s fourth was great.
https://twitter.com/amylawrence71/status/891338433876172800
https://twitter.com/hunree/status/891336400175497216
Forwards next
Forwards
Alex Iwobi 7
The quietest of all the front men, Iwobi was trying tricks and showing some great footwork, but it wasn’t all coming off for him until well into the second half when he swept home an absolute pearler.
https://twitter.com/ArsenalsRelated/status/891340396479086592
Theo Walcott 8
Given his form this pre-season, he would have been odds-on to miss his first after being teed up beautifully by Sead, but he didn’t. It was a lovely finish.
His second was a tap-in but let’s face it, Theo can make even those hard work at times. Also grabbed an assist for the third which was an OG.
Should have had a hattrick before the hour mark but Theo’d it over the bar. I’m being overly harsh on him here because I expect so much from him, but this was certainly his best game of pre-season by some distance and might have done enough to help Wenger to forgive him a little
https://twitter.com/BradleyWaters16/status/891336443578265601
Olivier Giroud 8
Should have scored early on but was denied by a brilliant save.
Showed, as he usual does, some brilliant link-up play and set up Walcott for what should have been his hattrick with a sublime turn.
His goal showed all his quality – the strength to hold off his man, the agility to get his leg to the ball and the control to place it in the corner.
Another superb save denied him a second. Set up Iwobi after a disguised pass from Kolasinac.
Subs next
Subs
Mohamed Elneny 6
On earlier than he would have expected for the injured Coquelin, he was probably relieved to be back in midfield. He was just, well, Elneny.
Calum Chambers 6
On at the start of the second when the defence was a lot better behaved than it was in the first half. Sloppy at times, but no worse than Mertesacker or Holding.
Aaron Ramsey 6
Didn’t really have much to do or time to do it.
Mesut Ozil 6
Ditto.
Nacho Monreal 6
Ditto.
Alex Oxalde-Chamberlain 5
Not sure he touched the ball.
Alexandre Lacazette 7
As expected, received a huge cheer when he was brought on with 17 minutes to go.
Managed to get involved more than all the other late subs combined.
Any other business next
Any other business?
Anthony Taylor
Why are we voluntarily inviting him to the Emirates?