Granit Xhaka’s winner against Chelsea saw Arsenal book their place in the Carabao Cup final at Wembley, with Nacho Monreal delivering a man-of-the-match performance.
Without new Manchester United signing Alexis Sanchez and cup-tied Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Arsenal had to step up. Far from carrying their form from the 4-1 weekend win into the match, the Gunners started slowly, conceding to Eden Hazard within five minutes.
Fortunately, they got back on level terms quickly, before scoring the winner in the second period. Goals from Granit Xhaka and Chelsea’s Antonio Rudiger gave Arsenal the win in the end.
The Gunners showed a lot of fight to win the match, even if they weren’t always at their best. Here’s how the players got on:
3. Forwards
Alex Iwobi – 7
Like Bellerin, Iwobi was very solid defensively but disappointing at the other end.
He made more tackles than anyone else on the pitch, but only completed 77% of his passes.
Iwobi also missed a good chance to make it 3-1. Still, his defensive contributions helped Arsenal to the win, so I can’t complain.
Mesut Özil – 8.5
Özil is another player who played much better in the second half than the first.
He constantly provided a counter-attacking threat when Chelsea started to push for an equaliser.
Only Iwobi’s failure to convert denied the German an assist, and he created the most chances on the pitch.
Alexandre Lacazette – 7
Lacazette needs to do more to make chances for himself, but he’s doing well creating opportunities for others.
His deflected pass led to the winning goal, and he held the ball up well in general. I can’t help but feel like a strike partnership with a player like Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang would really help him shine.