Arsenal v Man City ratings: Holding shines; Navas shocker

Rob McCarthy

We rate the players after Arsenal booked their place in the FA Cup final as they beat Manchester City 2-1 after-extra-time at Wembley.

ARSENAL

PETR CECH: Could do nothing about Aguero’s goal, but produced a fantastic save to tip Yaya Toure’s volley onto the post. 7

GABRIEL: Made irrational challenges at times, but looked solid in a back three. 7

LAURENT KOSCIELNY: Worked well with fellow centre-back Rob Holding and Gabriel. Was always on hand to cover his team-mates when needed. 7

ROB HOLDING: Looked comfortable in possession and displayed impressive positional awareness for a player who has not featured much this season. 8

NACHO MONREAL: Kept Jesus Navas quiet and took his equaliser well. 7

ALEX OXLADE-CHAMBERLAIN: Deployed in the right-wing back position and worked tirelessly to keep Leroy Sane at bay. Produced a brilliant cross to set-up Monreal. 8

GRANIT XHAKA: Struggled to cope with Kevin De Bruyne and Toure in midfield. 6

AARON RAMSEY: Largely ineffective for much of the game and was often out of position in midfield. 6

MESUT OZIL: Made some neat passes when he had the ball, but failed to make an impact in another big game. 6

ALEXIS SANCHEZ: Was isolated on the left wing, but the Chilean came up trumps when Arsenal needed him. Took his goal well. 7

OLIVIER GIROUD: Other than a comfortably-saved header in the first half, the Frenchman was limited to long balls. 5

SUBSTITUTES

DANNY WELBECK (For Giroud, 82 minutes): Provided a much-needed spark off the bench, putting constant pressure on City’s defence. 7

HECTOR BELLERIN (For Oxlade-Chamberlain, 105 minutes): Made a crucial block on Fabian Delph late on. 6

FRANCIS COQUELIN (For Ozil, minutes): Brought on for late defensive duties. 6

MANCHESTER CITY

CLAUDIO BRAVO: Looked nervy in possession at times and was helpless with Monreal’s goal. 6

VINCENT KOMPANY: The City captain was assured and resilient at the back. 7

NICOLAS OTAMENDI: Worked well with Kompany to nullify the aerial threat of Giroud. 6

GAEL CLICHY: Caught out of position for large parts and failed to close down Oxlade-Chamberlain for the leveller. 5

YAYA TOURE: Produced a composed performance and set-up City’s opener with a superb through-ball. Was unlucky not to get a goal after a well-struck volley. 7

FERNANDINHO: Started well, but faded as the match went on. Unlucky to see his powerful header hit the bar. 6

JESUS NAVAS: Ineffective and lost track of the Monreal’s run for Arsenal’s equaliser. 5

LEROY SANE: Always a threat going forward and kept Oxlade-Chamberlain on his heels. The German also put in a shift defensively. 7

KEVIN DE BRUYNE: Relatively quiet by his own high standards. 6

DAVID SILVA: Looked lively early on and forced a good save from Cech with a header. The Spaniard was substituted after sustaining a knock from a Gabriel challenge. 6

SERGIO AGUERO: Was well-marked by Arsenal’s back three up until his goal, which he finished expertly. 7

SUBSTITUTES

RAHEEM STERLING (For Silva, 23 minutes): Had a goal wrongly disallowed in the first half, but failed to make an impact. 6

FABIAN DELPH (For Aguero, 97 minutes): Should have done better with his chance in extra-time when through on goal. 6

FERNANDO (For Fernandinho, 97 minutes): Failed to make an impact. 6

KELECHI IHEANACHO (For Sterling, 105 minutes): Barely got a touch on the ball when he came on. 6