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Arsenal player ratings vs Man City: Gabriel and William Saliba keep Erling Haaland anonymous with masterclass

Arsenal player ratings vs Man City: Gabriel and William Saliba keep Erling Haaland anonymous with masterclass

Arsenal earned a first Premier League win over Manchester City since 2015 and condemned the champions to two League defeats on the bounce thanks to a late Gabriel Martinelli winner.

The half-time substitute’s effort cannoned home off Nathan Ake to spark bedlam at the Emirates and send Arsenal joint-top with rivals Tottenham.

Before Martinelli’s strike, the closest either team went in a low-quality affair was when Julian Alvarez charged down David Raya’s sloppy kick in the first half - but the ball ended up in the side netting.

City were lucky not to lose Mateo Kovacic in the first half, with the midfielder only booked for a studs-up challenge on Martin Odegaard which was checked for serious foul play by the VAR, and then somehow escaping a second yellow for another slide tackle on Declan Rice.

Here’s how we rated the Arsenal players...

David Raya 5

Incredibly fortunate that his charged-down clearance ended up in the side netting off Alvarez and missed a Josko Gvardiol cross in a generally shaky display.

Ben White 8

Overlapped well down the right flank and was excellent defensively.

William Saliba 8

Dealt well with Haaland, including one crucial intervention as City threatened to break towards the end of the first half. Helped ensure the Norwegian fed off scraps.

Gabriel 9

See above. Denied Haaland a certain goal with a crucial intervention after Raya missed a deep cross and helped restrict City to no clear chances.

Oleksandr Zinchenko 7

His passing was crisp and he was solidly defensively, standing up well to lively substitute Jeremy Doku.

Declan Rice 8

Cleared an early Gvardiol effort off the line and shielded the defence superbly in a robust performance.

Jorginho 7

Kept possession ticking over for the hosts and was more assured than on his last appearance here, when he was at fault for Tottenham’s equaliser in a 2-2 draw.

Martin Odegaard 7

Moved the ball well and important in playing through City’s press. Didn’t bring his shooting boots though and sent a couple of efforts flying over the bar.

Gabriel Jesus 7

Was direct and lively in Saka’s spot but feels a bit wasted out wide when he is so good centrally.

Gabriel Jesus was tasked with filling in for Bukayo Saka on the right wing (REUTERS)
Gabriel Jesus was tasked with filling in for Bukayo Saka on the right wing (REUTERS)

Leandro Trossard 5

Struggled to make an impact on the game and hooked at half-time.

Eddie Nketiah 5

A willing runner but spanked a first-half effort wide in his only real sight of goal.

Subs

Gabriel Martinelli (Trossard 45’) 8

Made the difference when his strike deflected in off Ake. Immediately made an impact in the second half, and also tested Ederson with near-post effort.

Takehiro Tomiyasu (Zinchenko 75’) 7

Brought on to deal with the direct Doku and Kyle Walker, but ended up playing a key role in the goal.

Kai Havertz (Nketiah 75’) 7

Made the difference for the second League game running with a simple assist for Martinelli’s winner.

Thomas Partey (Jorginho 75’) 7

Made his return from injury and played a part in the winner by starting the move with a long ball towards Tomiyasu.

Not used: Ramsdale, Smith Rowe, Kiwior, Vieira, Nelson.