Arsenal took on Leeds at home in the near infamous FA Cup third round. Mikel Arteta made some youthful additions to the regular line up, mainly in Emi Martinez starting in goal, with Rob Holding and Reiss Nelson also starting.
After an extremely difficult first half, the North London club bounced back to steal a 1-0 win and make it through to the FA Cup fourth round.
Switching away from Unai Emery’s negative football, we may have seen a glimpse of things to come in the positive, dangerous football that was on display in the second half.
Arsenal Player Ratings:
Emi Martinez – 7.5 – The young goalkeeper faced a tough match, but faced the pressure well and managed to keep the Gunners in the game in the first half with some strong saves.
Sokratis – 6 – Sokratis struggled to hold the line playing in an unfamiliar right-back position, but showed his strength on multiple occasions.
Rob Holding – 5 – Recently back from a long term injury, Rob Holding struggled a lot with the pace of this game and made some big errors which could have easily led to Leeds scoring.
David Luiz – 5 – Luiz won over many fans with his performance against Man United, but against Leeds he struggled to stay disciplined and it felt as if he wasn’t quite fit in the defensive structure on the night.
Sead Kolasinac – 6 – Kolasinac had a tough job to hold on to the wing, but used his pace and his strength well throughout the game.
Matteo Guendouzi – 7.5 – The young Frenchman did struggle to contain the Leeds midfield, but excelled in what turned out to be a scrappy fast-paced game that played to his strengths.
Granit Xhaka – 5 – Xhaka once again splits opinion. Although he made some poor tactical decisions, the midfielder acted as a playmaker in a game where he had few options.
Nicolas Pepe – 5 – Pepe certainly hasn’t justified his transfer fee yet, but the pacey winger was the lone spark at times for the Gunners, providing a burst of pace and dribbling when no one else was creating chances.
Mesut Özil – 6 – This game didn’t look like it would suit Özil, who’s silky style of play has often clashed with lower league team’s aggressive play, but he showed his fight and played well, creating chances occasionally.
Reiss Nelson – 7 – Reiss Nelson has been in and out of form for the Gunners, but showed himself to be a useful asset who can add some flair to a struggling team.
Alexandre Lacazette – 6 – Lacazette felt somewhat weak in his performance against Leeds, lacking the cutting edge he normally has, he is possibly overtired from a lot of performances in recent weeks. Still one of the stronger players on the team.
