Arsenal hosted Sheffield United for a chance to close the gap on their North London neighbors, Tottenham, following their win over Crystal Palace last night. The major talking point was focused around the injury to Gabriel Jesus and who his potential replacement on the day would be.
Cometh the hour, cometh the Eddie Nketiah.
Without further ado, here are the Gooner Daily player ratings for the Arsenal vs Sheffield United.
Starting XI
David Raya: Was relatively untroubled for the entirety of the game. His punts to Gabriel Martinelli were very neat. (6)
Ben White: Was assured in possession, working with Saka and earned an early bath for his substitution. (7)
William Saliba: Had a tidy game for his high standards. (7)
Jakub Kiwior: Looked very assured with Saliba alongside him. (7)
Oleksandr Zinchenko: Continued his usual inverting business with minimal fuss. Surprised to see him play for minutes. (7)
Declan Rice: Transitional monster with killer distribution. His assist for Nketiah’s first goal was a peach of a pass. (8)
Emile Smith Rowe: Took his opportunity well and was rightly subbed off after putting up a good shift. (7)
Kai Havertz: Barely went beyond second gear all game long. Had a late effort to score but brushed the side netting. (6)
Bukayo Saka: Didn’t dominate his left back as expected but still got an assist from a dead ball. (6)
Gabriel Martinelli: Had a lot of nice touches but lacked his usual cutting edge. Fired a good shot with zero back lift that was saved by the goalie. (6)
Eddie Nketiah: Finest hour in Arsenal colors and deputized for Gabriel Jesus excellently. Taking the match day ball for his troubles. (10)
Substitutes
Leandro Trossard: Was full of vibes while on the pitch showing his silky footwork and mesmerizing attacking play. (7)
Takehiro Tomiyasu: Slotted in easily for White and supported the attack from the right. Scored his maiden goal for the club which was a pleasant sight. (7)
Fabio Vieira: Showed good attacking play to get himself a spot kick that he converted. (7)
Reiss Nelson: His appearance on the pitch gave Saka a breather, which isn’t a bad thing. (6)
Mohamed Elneny: Didn’t play long enough to get a rating. (N/A)
Sayonara.
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