Arsenal finished their first game of the new year 4-1 winners against Fulham at the Emirates Stadium, a scoreline which doesn’t quite reflect how close the game was at times.
Arsenal started 2019 with a rare first-half lead, thanks to Granit Xhaka, though they easily could’ve conceded at least one in the opening period. In the second half, Alexandre Lacazette doubled the lead, but Fulham finally made one of their chances count to make it 2-1.
Aaron Ramsey came off the bench to score and kill the game before Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang added some gloss to the result in the final minutes, keeping his challenge for the Golden Boot going.
Let’s have a look at our individual player ratings for the match.
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Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang 8
Aubameyang had plenty of big chances throughout the match, which is a testament to his impressive movement and positioning. He went close with a good header and hit the post for a rebound which Aaron Ramsey finished off, but also should’ve done better when one-on-one with the goalkeeper in the second half.
The striker eventually got his goal, and that one-on-one was the only chance you could really accuse him of wasting. The others were just a little unlucky. Hopefully, next game he puts a few more away.
Alexandre Lacazette 7.5
Lacazette took his goal very nicely, and it was great to see him end his mini-drought. You could tell it was starting to get to him, particularly as he took on a shot in the first half when he could’ve squared for Aubameyang to tap in. The Frenchman was also dispossessed a bit too often.
Nonetheless, Arsenal have generally looked a lot better with Lacazette on the pitch recently, so you could understand why the crowd was unhappy to see him go off. At the same time, it turned out to be a great tactical decision, and the booing didn’t help anyone. Lacazette’s reaction to the sub was positive and noted by Emery afterwards.
Alex Iwobi 7.5
Like Granit Xhaka, Iwobi had some very good moments and some not so good ones. He actually set up the Swiss international for the opening goal, as well as creating a couple more chances.
However, he also weighted a few passes pretty badly, particularly for players making runs in behind. That’s usually something he’s much better at. Overall, it was a good performance though.
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