Arsenal played out a comfortable but lacklustre 1-0 victory over Qarabag on Thursday, in the dead rubber game at the end of the Europa League group stage.

Neither team had anything to play for in midweek, with Arsenal already qualified for the knockout stages as group winners and Qarabag already out of the competition. However, there was still pride on the line, the chance to keep Unai Emery’s unbeaten run going, and an opportunity for some young/returning players to impress.

Alexandre Lacazette gave the team an early lead, and it remained 1-0 for the rest of the 90 minutes. Let’s have a look at our individual player ratings for the performance.

3Forwards

Bukayo Saka 8.5

Saka was Arsenal’s man of the match without a doubt, making his debut at the Emirates Stadium. The winger who only turned 17 in September, and only made his u23 debut in August, was the team’s bright spark in attack for much of the match.

It took a little while for the youngster to grow into the game, but once he figured out how to beat his man, he was in behind almost every time. His total of eight dribbles completed was twice the nearest competitor.

On another night, the academy star would’ve had both a goal and an assist, but he looked a little nervous as his shot was saved in a one-on-one, and his cross for Nketiah’s goal was ruled out for offside against the 19-year-old. Saka scores those chances and makes those assists regularly for the u23s, so they’ll come for the senior team soon.

Eddie Nketiah 8

Nketiah was forced to play out wide for much of this match, but he did a decent enough job of it. His ‘dribbles completed’ was second only to Saka, and it was his pass that should’ve led to the 17-year-old scoring his first senior goal. The young striker also made the joint-most tackles in the match, taking his defensive responsibilities seriously.

Alexandre Lacazette 8

Lacazette had a quieter game than Saka or Nketiah, but he still showed some very nice touches when he did get involved in the game and finished his one chance without any trouble.

It wasn’t an easy angle, and he had to make space for himself to shoot, but we know by now that he’s excellent at doing just that. There was no way the Premier League were taking away this goal!

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