Arsenal v Burnley ratings: Ramsey disappointing; Mustafi the rock

Oli Fisher
Shkodran Mustafi: Upbeat on title chances

Shkodran Mustafi: Upbeat on title chances

Arsenal moved up to second in the Premier League table with a controversial 2-1 win over Burnley on Sunday.

Alexis Sanchez won it in the seventh minute of injury time from the penalty spot, after Andre Gray had levelled it minutes earlier. Shkodran Mustafi had given the hosts the lead just before the hour.

 

Arsenal ratings

Petr Cech: Was very solid in the Arsenal goal, making one particularly good save from Gray. Could do nothing about the penalty. 7

Gabriel Paulista: Once again looked very much out of position, but at the same time doing his job. No attacking threat though. 6

Shkodran Mustafi: Incredible in the air like usual, and scoring his first goal for the club was a great moment. 8

Laurent Koscielny: The Frenchman was the one who dealt more with Gray, and did a good job keeping him quiet with an assured performance. 7

Nacho Monreal: Burnley did defend well, but Monreal was part of the reason that Arsenal struggled for wide threat. He did however defend well. 6

Aaron Ramsey: Seemed to struggle in the deeper role, looking rushed in possession and generally was behind the pace. Brighter in the final third, but that wasn’t what he was tasked to do. 5


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Granit Xhaka: Was great for an hour, being the midfield dictator Arsenal needed, but again his discipline let him down and almost arguably cost his side two points. 5

Granit Xhaka: Playing with the best at Arsenal

Alexis Sanchez: Scored the winning goal, but this was an unusually wasteful performance from the Chilean. 6

Mesut Ozil: Was in and out of the game, though when in it he was very lively and economic in possession. 7

Alex Iwobi: Final ball wasn’t quite there, but worked hard and always wants to make things happen. 6

Olivier Giroud: Anonymous for parts of the game. A performance that once again throws into question whether he is the top quality CF the Gunners need. 6

Substitutes

Francis Coqueling (for Iwobi, 69′): Added grit to the midfield after Xhaka’s red, but gave away the penalty which could have cost his team. 5

Danny Welbeck (for Giroud, 87′): Ran the flanks and could have had a goal if not for a challenge from Ben Mee. 6

Hector Bellerin (for Ozil, 89′): N/A

Burnley ratings

Tom Heaton: Undoubtedly the future England number one. Confidence in bucket loads. 7

Matt Lowton: Ran tirelessly and did well to prevent chances down a dangerous Arsenal flank. 6

Michael Keane: Did not look out of place against a lethal attack. A huge talent. 7

Ben Mee: Conceded the late penalty which cost his team, but also made some crucial stops. 6

Stephen Ward: Poor marking for the first goal, but aside from that a solid shift. 6


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George Boyd: Struggled to get into the game, but when in it he looked intelligent. 6

Dean Marney: Injured himself while fouling Ozil. Added fight to the midfield. 6

Jeff Hendrick: Didn’t seem to get into the game, and his contribution could have been the difference. 5

Steven Defour: Similar to Hendrick, the game seemed to pass him by a bit. 5

Andre Gray: A calm penalty to earn what should have been a point, and made intelligent runs all game. 7

Andre Gray: Hit 22-minute hat-trick for Burnley

Ashley Barnes: Worked hard and looked dangerous, forcing saves from Cech. 7

Substitutes

Joey Barton (for Hendrick, 73′): Always looks a composed and classy player. 6

James Tarkowski (for Marney, 76′): A wise substitution. 6

Sam Vokes (for Defour, 77′): Brought on to offer more physicality up front. 6