- Arsenal eye Kaoru Mitoma as Brighton amid uncertain future
- Arsenal prepare new offer for Spanish defender Mosquera
- Arsenal set to sign Viktor Gyokeres from Sporting CP
- Arsenal face competition from Liverpool for Rodrygo Goes
- Arsenal enquire over shock deal to sign Barca star Marc Casado
- Arsenal plan talks with Juventus over Dusan Vlahovic
- Arsenal hand pro deal to Marcell Washington
- Key day in Gyökeres to Arsenal talks as striker holds firm
- Arsenal told to sign Gyokeres before Man Utd can hijack move
- Arsenal push for Rodrygo as Fabrizio reveals key update
RATINGS: Lucky Arsenal Paper Over The Cracks With Last Gasp Win
Arsenal put in another disappointing display but somehow came away with a vital 2-1 win thanks to two late goals from Kieran Gibbs and Lukas Podolski. These are my ratings:
Martinez – 7/10 – I thought he did well on his Champions League debut. Not a lot to do in the first half but made several decent stops after the break.
Chambers – 6/10 – Caught out a few times at the back and was sucked too far in which left Najar free to score, but put in a stunning cross that led to the eqauliser.
Mertesacker – 6/10 – Really doesn’t look comfortable alongside Monreal. He badly needs Koscileny back.
Monreal – 5.5/10 – Dragged well out of position for the Anderlecht goal but is doing his best to fill in at centre-back.
Gibbs – 7/10 – Constantly bombing forward and got his rewards with a stunning goal. Was exposed a few times at the back as he left space for the hosts though.
Flamini – 6/10 – Made a couple of decent interceptions but was also at fault for their goal.
Sanchez – 7.5/10 – Our best player again. Never stops working and his persistence set up the winner.
Wilshere – 6/10 – Wasn’t really his night. Showed some neat touches and made some decent runs in the first half but final ball was missing.
Ramsey – 5.5/10 – Made his first start since late September so understandably he’s going to be rusty, but hopefully he can get back up to speed quickly as his passing was poor tonight.
Cazorla – 6/10 – Saw a fair bit of the ball but failed to provide the creative spark we needed. Missed a great chance to open the scoring too.
Welbeck – 6/10 – Put himself about but just wasn’t his night. Subbed for Campbell.
Subs:
Campbell – 5/10 – Saw little of the ball.
The Ox – 6/10 – Added a bit of urgency and pace to our attack.
Podolski – 7/10 – So lethal in front of goal. Great weapon to have on the bench and he showed it again.
So we got away with it in the end and secured a vital win. Another victory at home in two weeks will see us qualify for the knockout stages if Dortmund also beat Galatasaray, but we’ll have to start playing MUCH better if we want to make any impression in this competition.