[Player Ratings] Arsenal 2-2 Southampton – Lacazette Impresses But Emery Gets A 2/10…

Arsenal slumped to another home draw, needing a late equaliser to save a point against Southampton.

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Team News – Match Reports – Player Ratings
Match: Arsenal v Southampton
Venue: Emirates Stadium
Kick-Off (UK Time): 15:00 23/11/2019
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Here’s how we rate the Unai Emery and the Arsenal players:

Bernd Leno – 6

He did well enough. Bernd Leno produced a couple of impressive saves to keep the Gunners in the match and even stopped the penalty. Unfortunately, the Saints still scored.

Calum Chambers – 4

It wasn’t Calum Chambers’ best performance. The Englishman fell asleep for the opening goal and lose his man. Chambers wasn’t the only one but he was closest to the ball and will attract some of the blame.

Sub: Nicolas Pepe (45′) – 5

Nicolas Pepe looked lively when he entered the pitch. The Ivorian smashed one effort against the crossbar but he let himself down with a poorly-taken 2 v 1. He drifted out of the match but he was far from the worst player on the pitch.

David Luiz – 4

He hardly convinced. David Luiz played in the centre of a back-three, what many believe to be his best position. He didn’t show it with a string of errors and careless defending.

Sokratis Papastathopoulos – 3

Speaking of careless defending…

Sokratis Papastathopoulos put in a really poor performance and very nearly cost his side at least one goal. It characterised what was a bad afternoon for the Greek defender who attempted to play on the front foot but didn’t convince.

Hector Bellerin – 5

It was a bit better from Hector Bellerin. The Spaniard provided a good option down the right flank in attack. The only issue was his subpar final ball.

Sub: Gabriel Martinelli (83′) – 6

Gabriel Martinelli made an impact on the match, grabbing a good assist for Lacazette’s late equaliser.

Lucas Torreira – 5

Lucas Torreira had his moments. The Uruguayan was strong in the tackle – occasionally a little too strong – and worked hard to win the ball back. What let him down was some sloppy passing when he eventually won it back.

Sub: Joe Willock (83′) – 5

He did well. Joe Willock made an impact on the match with one excellent goal-saving block.

Matteo Guendouzi – 4

It wasn’t his best afternoon. Matteo Guendouzi worked hard and saw a decent amount of the ball but his decision-making let him down.

Kieran Tierney – 6

Kieran Tierney will be hugely disappointed that he conceded the penalty but it was a blight on what was a majorly positive performance. The Scot was mostly excellent on the night with a string of excellent defensive interventions and some enticing crosses.

Mesut Ozil – 4

He’s played better. Mesut Ozil still doesn’t look match fit which isn’t surprising considering how little football he’s played this season.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang – 3

It was a largely anonymous performance from Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. The Gabon international didn’t have a sniff of the ball for much of the match and was let down by his first touch on more than one occasion.

Alexandre Lacazette – 8

He was, by far, Arsenal’s best player on the pitch today. Alexandre Lacazette grabbed two goals and showed more determination than half of his teammates combined. He took his goals well and linked up with his fellow attackers.

Unai Emery: 2

Another low point for Unai Emery at Arsenal. The first half showed that Emery got his starting lineup wrong and the second-half disproved the idea that Emery just needed all of his best players fit. Arsenal had all of their best players fit and they were all on the pitch at the same time today in the second half. What we saw was a disorganised team with no approach to building attacks and a worrying inability to create chances from open play.