Arsenal beat Sheffield United by a 5-0 scoreline at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
Mikel Arteta made a couple of changes to his regular starting XI ahead of this Premier League clash, with Jakub Kiwior coming in for Gabriel Magalhaes at the back, and Emile Smith Rowe and Kai Havertz given the reigns in midfield with Jorginho and club captain Martin Odegaard benched.
The Gunners were comfortable in the first half, but had to be patient up against a dogged and well-organised Sheffield United rearguard. The breakthrough came in the 28th minute when Declan Rice picked out Eddie Nketiah in the box. The 24-year-old produced a brilliant first touch before slotting home from close range.
Despite heaping on plenty more pressure, Arsenal weren’t able to extend their lead before the break.
Early in the second half, Wes Foderingham spilled a corner and Nketiah was on his toes and on hand to lash the ball into the top corner. The once-capped England man then completed his maiden Premier League hat-trick with a powerful long-range strike.
Arteta’s “impactors” made a contribution from the bench. Fabio Vieira added further gloss to the scoreline from the spot, having won the penalty himself. Deep in injury time, Takehiro Tomiyasu tucked home from close range to score his first Premier League goal on his 50th appearance in the competition.
Arsenal player ratings:
David Raya – 6.5/10
Had almost nothing to do.
Ben White – 7/10
A routine day for Ben White as he was hardly tested defensively and combined well with with his teammates higher up the pitch.
William Saliba – 7/10
Imperious, as ever.
Jakub Kiwior – 7/10
Arteta handed the £20 million former Spezia man a rare Premier League start in his preferred centre-back position. Kiwior stepped up with a composed display and looked good on the ball. He took his opportunity well today.
Oleksandr Zinchenko – 7/10
Kept things ticking over nicely in his left-back/central midfield hybrid role. The Ukrainian also showed a great willingness to make runs from deep beyond the Sheffield United back line.
Declan Rice – 7.5/10
Another dominant display in the middle of the park from Rice.
Kai Havertz – 7/10
Worked extremely hard and played crucial role in helping the hosts maintain their dominance. Won’t grab any headlines, but Arteta will be pleased with what he saw from the £65 million man.
Emile Smith Rowe – 7/10
Arsenal fans will have loved seeing him back in the starting XI, and it’s a good sign that he is working his way back up the pecking order. Good minutes for the midfielder.
Bukayo Saka – 7/10
Was strong on the ball and posed a real threat on a day when he didn’t need to over-exert himself.
Gabriel Martinelli – 8/10
Didn’t find the back of the net today, but the Blades could hardly cope with the Brazilian’s pace and trickery. Martinelli was a constant thorn in the side of Paul Heckingbottom’s team whilst he was on the pitch.
Eddie Nketiah – 9/10
The £100,000-a-week Hale End academy graduate took his goals excellently, stepped up today in Gabriel Jesus’ absence, and hit back against his doubters. However, there will be tougher tests to come. Arteta needs this match to mark the start of a good spell of form for Nketiah.
Substitutes:
Takehiro Tomiyasu – 8/10
Leandro Trossard – 7.5/10
Reiss Nelson – 6.5/10
Fabio Vieira – 8/10
Mohamed Elneny – 6.5/10
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