Arsenal lost 3-1 to Swansea City at the Liberty Stadium on Tuesday evening. Read Layth Yousif’s player ratings
Petr Cech – 5: Difficult conditions for a goalkeeper and he did pull off some vital saves but you do feel he is not the player he was at his peak at Chelsea. And if so, is that state of affairs good enough for Arsenal – especially after his calamitous error let in Jordan Ayew for the second goal
Hector Bellerin – 6.5: Worked hard and showed great athleticism in flying up and down the wing to supplement his attackers
Shkodran Mustafi – 6: The conundrum with the former Sampdoria and Valencia man is that he can look solid and assured one moment but indecisive and hesitant moments later. On form he is as reliable as any central defender in the league. The problem is there are not enough of those days as Sam Clucas and Ayew tormented him all evening
Laurent Koscielny – 6: Showed good timing on a greasy surface with a number of interceptions and sliding blocks to deny the Swans but too often was caught out by the excellent Clucas and Ayew
Nacho Monreal – 7: If he’s not careful he’ll start becoming a true Gunners icon. Consistent and reliable he never lets his team-mates down. Another match another goal for the popular left-sided defender to make it a hand in four of the last five Premier League goals with two strikes and two assists
Mohamed Elneny – 6.5: Performed a couple of excellent blocks to deny Swansea players Alife Mawson and Sam Clucas from scoring
Granit Xhaka – 6.5: Battled hard in the centre in challenging conditions in a hostile environment but faded
Aaron Ramsey – 6: Got his chance after colleague Jack Wilshere dropped out before the game through illness. A little ring rusty but you could see his eagerness to dominate the game, even if his good intentions were not entirely matched by his performance on an energy-sapping pitch
Alex Iwobi – 5: Forced a save from Lukas Fabianski in the first half but largely anonymous. Again
Mesut Ozil – 6: Excellent cross for Monreal to slot home. A Rolls Royce of a player who wasn’t the only one to fade in tough conditions
Alexander Lacazette – 5.5: Neat through ball to set up colleague Iwobi moments before the goal. A true team man who always gives his all but is in need of a break to recharge his batteries. A shame boss Arsene Wenger doesn’t seem to trust him more as he has been a good addition to the team this term
Substitutes:
Henrik Mkhitaryan – 6: Inauspicious start for the talented 29-year-old Armenian as Swansea scored moments after he came on although no blame can be attached to him. He might be querying his goalkeeper’s kicking the next time he speaks with him however. Must be wondering what he’s let himself in for
Olivier Giroud - 6: The away fans sang his name but will it be for the last time in Arsenal colours
Manager:
Arsene Wenger – 4: Not good enough as he admitted afterwards. ‘Poor defensively. Poor offensively’. Yes Arsene. But whose fault is that?
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here