Arsenal 1-2 Ostersunds: Player ratings for Arsene Wenger's team

In a shambolic and near shameful performance at the Emirates Stadium, Arsene Wenger's Arsenal succumbed to a 2-1 defeat at the hands of Ostersunds FK in the second leg of their round of 32 tie.

The North London side are through to the next round of the competition with a 4-2 aggregate scoreline but lost at home to a team they should have eased past with ease. Their porous defence and non-existent midfield caused the Gunners serious problems on Thursday night.

After notching up a 3-0 victory in the first leg, Arsenal found themselves staring down the barrel as the inspired Ostersunds attack scored two goals in quick succession at the Emirates yesterday. When the scoreline read 2-0 at halftime, it looked like this was going to be another night that could horribly wrong for Wenger and his men.

However, Arsenal scored a goal early in the second half to ensure victory. There were hardly any positives to draw out from the game for the North London club as their performance and defeat led to loud boos from the home fans after the completion of the game.

Here are the player ratings for Arsenal from the game:

Defence

It was another defensive nightmare for the hosts

David Ospina 5/10

Though the Colombian goalkeeper conceded two, he can't really be blamed as the defenders let him down. He could've tried to do better with the first goal, but was absolutely powerless in the second. He made some crucial saves in the rest of the game and kept Arsenal in the tie by showing maturity and composure in the second half.

Calum Chambers 2/10

The full-back made some glaring errors on the night and was probably the worst Arsenal defender on the pitch yesterday. The first goal from the visitors went down as an own goal from him. He looked underprepared in the first half of the game and never looked settled on the ball. Such performances are just not good enough for the level he competes at.

Rob Holding 4/10

Though the young defender made some mistakes in the early minutes of the game, he was still better than any other Arsenal player in the back four. He looked nervy and gave the ball away on multiple occasions, but made some important tackles to deny Osterunds the third goal in the second half of the game.

Hector Bellerin 4/10

The right-back's inclusion in the playing XI came as a surprise to some Gooners when the team sheet came out, as the regular first-team player was touted to be rested for the fixture. However, the Spaniard was included in the mix by Arsene Wenger. He did relatively well going forward but was extremely vulnerable at the back. The Ostersund attack kept finding a way around him and he did not look anywhere near asserting his dominance on them.

Saed Kolasinac 4/10

It looked like the left-back was in for a horrid night on the day as the mistakes from him lead to the Swedish side scoring twice in less than a minute. He looked rusty and unsettled, while all the wingers from Osterunds were slaloming past him with ease on almost every counter-attack. However, he scored the solitary goal for Arsenal with his right-foot to seal the tie for them after it ricocheted off an Ostersund defender in the opposition box.

Midfield

Arsenal's problems with the mid-field continue

Mohamed Elneny 5/10

The Egyptian midfielder was caught out of position on a couple of occasions in the first half of the game and he looked really underwhelming at times in the middle. However, he tried to put in an effort and had a decent work-rate on and off the ball after the game was done and dusted.

Ainsley Maitland-Niles 3/10

This young and versatile midfielder has impressed with his performances for the first team on most occasions but had an absolute shocker last night. He was dispossessed several times and he left the defence unguarded when Ostersunds netted their first strike. He was taken off for Granit Xhaka at half-time.

Attack

This probably was Jack Wilshere's worst performance in an Arsenal shirt in a long time

Alex Iwobi 3/10

Iwobi tried to drive through the opposition defence on multiple occasions but wasn't able to make something off his efforts throughout the 90 minutes. He seems to dribble well on most occasions but is just too indecisive when it comes to that final pass. He struggled on the night and was subbed off for Reiss Nelson after catching an injury in the last ten minutes of the game. He was booed by the home fans when he left the pitch.

Jack Wilshere 3/10

English midfielder and a fan-favourite at Arsenal, Jack Wilshere was named the captain of the side for this particular fixture. Unfortunately, he conjured up one of his worst performances in an Arsenal shirt on the night. His passing was awry, he could not retain possession and he barely created an impact in the opposition box. He made few good balls forward but was clearly below his usual level and was rightly subbed off by Wenger in the second half of the game.

Henrikh Mkhitaryan 2/10

In his still nascent Arsenal career, this was the most forgettable performance put in by the Armenian. He could not drive the ball forward, committed a few errors to give it away to the opposition. He was barely a part of the game at all.

Danny Welbeck 1/10

The English forward had at least two one-on-one opportunities with the Ostersund goalkeeper, who was clearly their weakest link. However, Welbeck bottled both the chances with some meek finishing and has looked truly below par in both the legs of this tie. He seems to freeze in front of the goal and lacks the confidence to take a clinical strike. It is fair to say that Arsenal will have to rely heavily on Alexandre Lacazette if they are to progress further in the competition.

Substitutes

Xhaka was the best Arsenal player on the pitch

Granit Xhaka 7/10

This Swiss midfielder usually gets a lot of stick from the Arsenal fanbase, but he showed why he is a part of the first team on Thursday. Right from coming on at the beginning of the second half, he calmed the storm for the London club and passed with authority throughout the game.

Joe Willock and Reiss Nelson 5/10

Both the under-23 prospects barely spent any time on the pitch for the viewer to judge their performance with a fine tooth comb. After he came on, Willock slipped (literally) a couple of times before regaining composure and seeing the game through. Nelson barely touched the ball after coming on for an injured Iwobi. Both the youngsters warrant a standard 5 out of 10 for their short stint on the field.