[Player Ratings] Arsenal 5-1 AFC Bournemouth – Ozil & Mkhitaryan Star In Thumping Win

Arsenal had the perfect preparation for Saturday’s North London Derby with a comfortable 5-1 victory over AFC Bournemouth.

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Team News – Player Ratings – Match Highlights
Match: Arsenal v AFC Bournemouth
Stadium: Emirates Stadium
Kick-Off (UK Time): 19:45 27/02/2019
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It was always going to be a difficult match as things kicked off at the Emirates. AFC Bournemouth aren’t on the best run of form but are an impressive side while the Gunners would have had one eye on Saturday’s North London Derby.

That didn’t show early one when Sead Kolasinac broke forward and played the ball through for an unmarked Mesut Ozil. The German took one touch before pulling his now-signature dinked finish to make it 1-0.

Arsenal were flying against a worryingly open AFC Bournemouth but that soon changed. The visitors adjusted and would have equalised but for a wonderful save from Bernd Leno to keep it at 1-0.

It was an open first half and, soon, there was a second goal. Just as the visitors were getting back into the match they made the mistake of conceding possession straight to Mkhitaryan 30 yards from goal. The midfielder played it through for Mesut Ozil who unselfishly squared it back to Mkhitaryan to make it 2-0.

It seemed like a question of how many goals Arsenal would get in this match but that wasn’t to be. Matteo Guendouzi stalled on the ball on the edge of his own box as Bournemouth won it back and Lys Mousset made it 2-1.

Arsenal started the second half in the ascendancy and didn’t take long to make it 3-1. A well-worked move saw Mkhitaryan find space down the right flank. His cut-back went all the way to Laurent Koscielny who finished well.

Less than ten minutes later and the points were safe. Mkhitaryan again was the difference-maker as he burst clear in his own half before playing a fine pass through for Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. There was little doubt that the Gabon international would finish as he rounded Artur Boruc to score.

Unai Emery made a host of substitutions but the Gunners continued to press forward looking for goals. Sub Alexandre Lacazette got his goal when he bent in a free-kick late on to make it 5-1 and secure the three points for the Gunners.

Here’s how we rate the Arsenal players:

Bernd Leno – 7

Another good performance from Bernd Leno. The German pulled out a wonderful stop to keep the game at 1-0 which he deserves credit for.

Carl Jenkinson – 6.5

A solid return to the team from Carl Jenkinson. He defended a lot better than he attacked but worked hard enough to justify his inclusion.

Laurent Koscielny – 7.5

Laurent Koscielny did well and grabbed a goal to cap his night. It was a relief to see the Frenchman walk away from that nasty-looking knee injury late on.

Sokratis Papastathopoulos – 6.5

A solid performance from Sokratis.

Nacho Monreal – 6.5

He did well. Nacho Monreal was solid defensively with some solid tackles and interceptions.

Sead Kolasinac – 6

Sead Kolasinac did okay. The Bosnian had a few good moments in the attack like grabbing the opening assist but wasn’t as busy as the rest of the Arsenal forwards.

Sub: Alex Iwobi (56′) – 6

Didn’t quite have the impact he would’ve wanted.

Matteo Guendouzi – 6 

A tough night for him. Matteo Guendouzi was a target for Bournemouth press and he will be hugely disappointed with that mistake for the visitors’ goal. He was a little sloppy with the ball in his own area but did well moving forward.

Lucas Torreira – 6.5

Lucas Torreira wasn’t the most involved player in the Arsenal team. The Uruguay international kept the ball reasonably well and had a few wild shots but wasn’t tested defensively.

Henrikh Mkhitaryan – 8.5

A fine performance from Henrikh Mkhitaryan. He worked incredibly hard and matched it with a quality end product to help his side. He had a hand in all four of the goals while he was on the pitch to cap what was one of his best performances in an Arsenal shirt.

Sub: Alexandre Lacazette (64′) – 7.5

A good cameo from Alexandre Lacazette. He looked hungry for goals.

Mesut Ozil – 9

An excellent evening for Mesut Ozil. The German was on fine form as he pulled the strings for the Gunners in attacking midfield. He worked hard, created chances, and barely gave the ball away all night. Joyous.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang – 7

He played well. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang wasn’t as involved as he might have been for large spells of the first half but did well after the break. Good to see him get on the score sheet after something of a goal drought.

Sub: Denis Suarez (71′) – 6

He was quiet yet again. Denis Suarez saw a decent amount of the ball but couldn’t quite make an impact on the match.