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[Player ratings] Arsenal 2-0 West Ham: Martinelli stars + video highlights

By on December 16, 2021

gabriel martinelli 2019

Arsenal moved up to fourth place with a deserved 2-0 victory over West Ham at the Emirates on Wednesday night.

We dominated for much of the first half but had to wait until just after half time to break the deadlock. It was worth the wait as Gabriel Martinelli made it 1-0 with a sumptuous Henry-like finish after being sent clear by Alexandre Lacazette in the 48th minute.

Arsenal had the perfect opportunity to put the game to bed after being awarded a penalty midway through the second half. Vladimir Coufal was also sent off for the foul on Lacazette in the box, however, the Frenchman saw his resulting spot kick well saved.

It didn’t matter as Arsenal wrapped-up a vital three points when substitute Emile Smith Rowe fired home from the edge of the box to seal a 2-0 win which sends us up to fourth in the table.

Here are my ratings:

Ramsdale  6.5/10 | Not his busiest night in terms of shot-stopping but still made a couple of routine stops and his distribution was solid.

Tomiyasu  7/10 | Another solid outing from our summer signing. Linked up well with Saka in the first half and gave nothing away in defence.

White  7.5/10 | Calm and composed at the back. Always keen to instigate attacks from deep and get the ball forward.

Gabriel  7.5/10 | Commanded the backline and kept Antonio quiet all night. Developing a wonderful partnership with White.

Tierney  7/10 | Improving all the time since returning from injury. Smacked the bar with a lovely effort and put in a few dangerous crosses.

Partey  7.5/10 | A much-improved display after some recent poor performances. Dominated the midfield against Rice and Soucek. Broke up play and passed it around well. Good to see, let’s hope he keeps it up.

Xhaka  6/10 | Passing was too slow at times as the rest of his team mates were playing with high intensity. Does a job and brings some leadership to a young group but an upgrade is still needed.

bukayo saka arsenal

Odegaard  7/10 | Some nice touches and linked up well with Saka and Lacazette. Another good performance.

Martinelli  9/10 | Another excellent display. Superb run and finish to open the scoring and was a constant threat. Worked his socks off, always involved and got his goal. Brilliant. Limped off but hopefully it’s just cramp.

Saka  9/10 | Back to his best last night. Saka was outstanding in the first half when he constantly got in behind the West Ham defence. Grabbed an assist for Smith Rowe and was unlucky not to get himself on the scoresheet. Excellent all round.

Lacazette  7.5/10 | Worked hard up front, held the ball up well and set-up Martinelli with a lovely pass. Disappointing to see him miss his penalty though.

Subs:

Smith Rowe  7.5/10 | Looked sharp and keen to impress. Killed the game with a lovely goal.

Nketiah/Tavares   N/A | On too late.

Watch highlights below: