A youthful Arsenal side rallied in the second half before being beaten by a late goal at Old Trafford. Here’s how we rated each Gunners player in the 2-1 defeat against Manchester United.
David Ospina: A little lightweight under crosses, he flapped and fell to earth easier than some would like. Suffering from a rib complaint. 6
Hector Bellerin: Made a wonderful block to deny Sanchez, albeit in vain, and was something of a standard bearer in the Arsenal cause. 7
Calum Chambers: A pleasing outing from a player who faces an uncertain future in the post-Arsene Wenger era. Stood up to United’s first-choice attack in an unfamiliar role as senior centre-half. 7
Konstantinos Mavropanos: A surprise inclusion in the XI on his first start at this level. Occasionally looked jittery in possession but over-performed against limited expectations on his Premier League bow. 6
Sead Kolasinac: At his best the defender can impact the game through sheer force of personality but he settled for a more prosaic contribution here. 5
Ainsley Maitland-Niles: Showed moments of real promise in the midfield areas, taking up good positions and putting his foot in where required. Not the finished product but worth further attention. 7
Granit Xhaka: The Gunners captain was partly culpable in the build-up to United’s opening goal but put in a timely boot to win possession and set up the equaliser. Could not beat Fellaini at the critical moment of the match. 6
Alex Iwobi: Sat too deep in the first half, struggled to find his place in the game and picked up a knock. Another who will not know where he stands in the next manager’s thoughts. 5
Reiss Nelson: A willing runner who could not summon much by way of end product and was ushered too frequently down blind alleys. 6
Henrikh Mkhitaryan: A classy performance from a player never quite appreciated fully at Old Trafford. Took his goal nicely and was a beacon in a much-changed Arsenal side. Taken off as a precaution. 8
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. One of the star names in Wenger’s team but an incomplete showing up front. Some fine touches but no end product. 6
Substitutes:
Danny Welbeck (for Nelson): Arsenal found themselves pushed on to the back foot during his time on the pitch and he was left to feed on scraps. 6
Nacho Monreal (for Kolasinac): Brought on to shore things up but could not keep United back. 5
Joseph Willock (for Mkhitaryan): Handed some minutes for experience but hardly a match for the man he replaced. 5