Arsenal took on Sevilla in a Champions League group stage match at the Emirates Stadium on Wednesday evening.
Arsenal eased their way to a 2-0 win against the Spanish outfit.
Arsenal dominated the first half from the first whistle, with Kai Havertz spurning a very presentable chance in the first minute.
After dominating possession and territory, the Gunners made the breakthrough in the 29th minute when Leandro Trossard converted from close range following some slick build up play.
Mikel Arteta’s side carried their slender lead into the break.
Arsenal continued to boss proceedings in the second half and Bukayo Saka added a well-taken second.
Arteta’s men cruised to comfortable win.
Arsenal player ratings
David Raya – 6.5/10
Had almost nothing to do but played some neat passes.
Ben White – 7/10
Supported Saka well and defended solidly.
William Saliba – 8/10
On the one occasion that Sevilla threatened in the first half, William Saliba showed blistering pace and icy coolness to recover with a perfectly timed sliding tackle. Former Arsenal defender Matt Upson was impressed by the challenge, describing it as “brilliant”, as quoted by BBC Sport. The £27 million Frenchman was imperious throughout the match.
Gabriel Magalhaes – 7/10
Untroubled alongside Saliba.
Takehiro Tomiyasu – 6.5/10
Perfectly solid, albeit almost entirely untroubled in the first half. Was taken off at the break, hopefully for no other reason than to give Oleksandr Zinchenko minutes.
Jorginho – 7.5/10
Prior to this match, Jorginho had been criticised for not being progressive enough with his passing. He split the Sevilla defence open with a killer ball that led to Trossard’s opener. A good outing for the 31-year-old.
Kai Havertz – 7/10
Really ought to have at least tested the Sevilla ‘keeper with his header from point-blank range early on. Came agonisingly close with an excellent effort in the second half. Worked hard and got involved well.
Declan Rice – 7.5/10
Bossed things in midfield.
Bukayo Saka – 8/10
Saka turned up, was better than any of the Sevilla players, so they kicked him. Even that didn’t work though and the 22-year-old scored an excellent goal in the second half. The winger looked to be back to his best tonight.
Gabriel Martinelli – 8/10
Tormented the Spanish side’s defence throughout the match. A fantastic performance from the Brazilian who deserved a goal for his relentless effort.
Leandro Trossard – 7.5/10
Not always heavily involved, but Trossard got on the scoresheet whilst playing as a striker in place of Eddie Nketiah. It was important for the Belgian to make an impact today, having let several recent starting opportunities go to waste.
Substitutes:
Oleksandr Zinchenko – 6.5/10
Reiss Nelson – 6/10
Fabio Vieira – 6/10
Jakub Kiwior – 6/10
Mohamed Elneny – 6/10
Receive a digest of our best Arsenal content each week direct to your mailbox
