![[Player ratings] Man City 0-2 Arsenal: Super Santi secures all three points at the Etihad](https://www.allarsenal.com/wp-content/uploads/cazorla-giroud-welbeck-wba-thumb.gif)
Manchester City v Arsenal
Barclay’s Premier League
Etihad Stadium
Kick off: January 18, 2015 16.00 PM BST
An excellent win that is sure to silence some of our critics. We came away from home to the Premier League champions, and played a tactical and disciplined game. Santi Cazorla was at the heart of a fantastic team performance, and after the Spaniard scored the first goal the result never looked in doubt.
SEE MORE:
Arsenal News
David Ospina | 6.5: Despite keeping a clean sheet, the Colombian didn’t look totally solid. His handling was shaky at times, and his distribution was poor.
Hector Bellerin | 7.5: A fantastic and mature performance from such a young player, the Spaniard is starting to show real promise. We were rarely threatened down our right side, because he and Alex-Oxlade Chamberlain worked so well together.
Don't Miss:
- Arsenal ready a £25million bid for a ‘rising star’ of Dutch football
- Arsene Wener to return to dugout since leaving Arsenal in 2018
- Arsenal target ex-midfielder transfer after four years apart
Laurent Koscielny | 8.0: It’s impossible to put into words how much better our defence looks with the Frenchman in the side, and he was fantastic yet again today. He made a number of vital blocks and interceptions, and managed to put in a top defensive performance despite being booked in the opening three minutes.
Per Mertesacker | 7.5: The big German was dominant in defence, and just like his central defensive partner he put his body on the line to keep the clean sheet.
Nacho Monreal | 7.0: The Spanish left-back found it difficult to deal with the pace of Jesus Navas when the game opened up a bit, but still looked excellent at the back.
Francis Coquelin | 8.5: The energetic defensive midfielder was a huge part of our win today, and he gave us something we haven’t seen in a long time at Arsenal. He put in a huge number of important tackles, and made sure David Silva had no room to play.
Aaron Ramsey | 7.5: The Welshman was superb in the first half, and looked better than he had in a long time. He understandably started to tire in the second half, and was removed late on.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain | 7.5: The Ox looked our most dangerous threat in the first half, and was constantly initiating the counter-attack. Surprisingly subbed early on in the second half.
Santi Cazorla | 9.5: (MotM) The Spaniard was a different class today, and epitomised our performance. He converted the penalty as well as providing the assist for our second, but it was his work-rate and his defensive display that completed his performance.
Alexis Sánchez | 7.0: A decent performance from the Chilean, but not the type we have grown accustomed to. His touch and decision making let him down slightly on occasion, and he looked tired for the first time this season.
Olivier Giroud | 7.5: Excellent hold up play, and a goal to boot. The Frenchman was excellent, although his passing left something to be desired at times.
Substitutes:
Tomas Rosicky | 7.5: The Czech international looked great when he came on, and added some energy and fresh legs when a number of players were starting to tire.
Kieran Gibbs | 6.5: He should have done more with the ball when given it, and several fantastic runs came to nothing late on due to his poor crosses.
Mathieu Flamini | 7.0: Found himself in fantastic positions near the end of the game, but couldn’t capitalise on the chances.
COMMENTS