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Arsenal player ratings vs Monaco as Myles Lewis-Skelly impresses but Gabriel Jesus frustrates

LONDON, ENGLAND - DECEMBER 11: Bukayo Saka of Arsenal celebrates scoring his team's first goal with teammate Myles Lewis-Skelly during the UEFA Champions League 2024/25 League Phase MD6 match between Arsenal FC and AS Monaco at Emirates Stadium on December 11, 2024 in London, England. (Photo by David Price/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)
-Credit: (Image: Reach Publishing Services Limited)


Arsenal took a massive step towards Champions League qualification with a 3-0 win over AS Monaco. The Gunners got off to a strong start in the game and eventually took the lead when Bukayo Saka tapped in Gabriel Jesus' low cross.

In truth they should have been at least 5-0 up by half time as Jesus missed two huge one-vs-ones, before Martin Odegaard put one of his own wide and Gabriel Martinelli struck two huge chances either side of the posts.

For a while it looked as though the Gunners may be punished for the profligacy as Thilo Kehrer and Takumi Minamino went close. Eventually Arsenal doubled their lead as Kai Havertz seized upon poor play from the back to set up Saka.

READ MORE: Arsenal vs Monaco highlights: Bukayo Saka scores double to send Gunners third in the table

READ MORE: Arsenal press conference LIVE: Mikel Arteta on Jesus form, Lewis-Skelly display and Monaco

The Hale Ender then returned the favour late on as Havertz deflected home his goal bound shot. Here's how football.london rated the Arsenal players individually in the game.

David Raya: Not really called upon to make any saves. Swept well though and played some beautiful passes out from the back. 7.

Thomas Partey: A functional game down the right for Partey who bombed up and down rather than coming infield. A decent display. Still better in midfield though. 6.

William Saliba: A simple enough night for the Frenchman. Never troubled much by the Monaco attack. Looked comfortable on the ball too. 7.

Jakub Kiwior: The Pole has been superb in this run replacing Gabriel. Should have got one of the assists of the season for Jesus. Defended really well in individual battles too. 8.

Myles Lewis-Skelly: A really accomplished first Champions League start. He was heavily involved with the goal via a superb through ball and showed composure beyond his years to dribble away from markers on several occasions in front of the back four. 8.

Declan Rice: Some lovely line breaking passes through the Monaco block in the early parts of the game. Broke through with some good runs of his own too. 7.

Martin Odegaard: His first half miss may have been the worst of the lot. Could have scored in the second half too. Still some superb creative moments. 6.

Mikel Merino: Got forward a fair bit in the left inside channel. Tidy in possession without ever doing anything too spectacular. 6.

Bukayo Saka: Now has as many goals in the Champions League for Arsenal as Mesut Ozil and Denis Bergkamp. Not at his liveliest but still produced the difference-making moments. 8.

Gabriel Jesus: A frustrating night. Should have scored two with the one-vs-ones that he had. Then did superbly to lay on the goal for Saka. Typical Jesus really. Not troubling a regular starting spot with that display though. 5.

Gabriel Martinelli: Tough one to score. Was a genuine threat down the left and could have had a couple of assists. Also probably could have been sent off and missed two big chances of his own. We'll err on the side of positivity. 7.

SUBSTITUTES -

Jorginho: Did a typical Jorginho job after coming on. Solid in possession as he kept the tempo ticking over. A useful presence in these Champions League games. 6.

Leandro Trossard: Could have grabbed a couple of goals for himself. Didn't manage to provide the finishing touch Arsenal were hoping for. 6.

Jurrien Timber: Got forward with purposeful runs a bit more than Lewis-Skelly. Largely solid in defence against a good talent in Ben Seghir. 6.

Kai Havertz: Grabbed the assist for the second with a nice bit of pressing. His job at that point was largely done but he popped up with a poacher's finish to add icing on the cake. 7.

Ethan Nwaneri: Came on too late for a rating. n/a.