Lucas Torreira scored a bicycle kick to win Arsenal all three points against Huddersfield Town on Saturday, as Unai Emery’s side managed to grind out a 1-0 victory at the Emirates Stadium.
This game was more notable for its penalty appeals, injuries and yellow or red card offences than for decent chances.
Both sides struggled to create anything at all, mostly because they spent so much time injuring, fouling and diving. That’s according to the referee, at least, who was keen to stop the game and issue cards for simulation at every opportunity.
Thankfully, Arsenal’s newest hero Lucas Torreira popped up in the final minutes to win the game. Let’s have a look at our individual player ratings for the match:
3Wing-Backs and Forwards
Hector Bellerin 8
Bellerin got forward really well, particularly in the first half, and his link-up play with the forwards was very impressive at times. After Kolasinac caught the eye with his marauding runs forward in recent matches, it was Bellerin’s turn to steal the spotlight offensively.
Undoubtedly, the formation change in the second half limited Bellerin’s ability to get forward. He did pretty well defensively, but again, he wasn’t really tested.
Sead Kolasinac 6.5
Kolasinac did make a few good tackles, but he struggled on the ball, getting dispossessed a couple of times and recording a pass accuracy of 67%, the lowest of any Arsenal starter. He could also have done better with some of the positions he picked up going forward. The way he found space in behind was as positive as usual though.
Alexandre Lacazette 7
Lacazette can feel very hard done by to have had his goal ruled out for offside, considering the Huddersfield defender’s pass surely brought the move into a second phase and should have allowed him to go for the ball.
The striker could’ve done better with his other chance, after finding space in the box and getting the ball caught between his legs. He was likely substituted at half-time to allow Emery to change formation, more than anything else.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang 7.5
Similarly, Aubameyang could’ve made more of his chances too, but he found one moment of quality at the end, chipping the ball up for Torreira to finish. The striker didn’t have quite as many clear-cut opportunities as he’ll likely have when Mesut Özil and Aaron Ramsey return, but that’s why he needed to make more of what he did have.
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