Middlesbrough
Trending
Victor Valdes: 8/10
The former Barcelona stopper was at his very best and he needed to be to keep out the Arsenal attack. He made a number of top quality saves and picked out aerial balls that the Gunners fired into the box.
Antonio Barragan: 5/10
The right-back was often guilty of giving away possession too easily with a few mistimed clearances. Other than that it was a disciplined performance from the Spaniard.
Daniel Ayala: 7/10
Ayala was brilliant at the back along with Gibson. The centre-back was quick to cut out Arsenal’s threat in the final third of the pitch and martialled the Arsenal attackers superbly, rarely allowing any of them to get in behind.
Ben Gibson: 8/10
Much of the credit for Middlesbrough’s defending on the day must be given to Gibson. He made crucial interceptions and frustrated the Arsenal attackers, providing no space for them to manoeuvre. Gibson also showed a calmness on the ball that is not seen among most defenders as he guided Boro to only their second clean sheet of the season.
George Friend: 7/10
The Middlesbrough skipper managed to keep the in-form Walcott quiet for most of the game and was a vital part of the well organised defence. Friend was provided limited freedom to move up the pitch and was restricted to keeping a watchful eye on Walcott.
Marten de Roon: 7/10
De Roon was part of a midfield three solely responsible to stop Arsenal’s slick passing in midfield. He rarely got up the pitch but did his defensive duties with diligence.
Adam Forshaw: 7/10
Similar to de Roon, Forshaw was also forced to defend for the majority of the game. He sat deeper and deeper as the game progressed, with the home team coming at them with wave after wave of attack.
Adam Clayton: 6/10
Completing the central midfield trio, Clayton was one of the many Boro players who was assigned the task of neutralising Arsenal’s midfield, of which he did a par job.
Gaston Ramirez: 7/10
The former Southampton man was brilliant, especially in the first-half, and on any other day could have easily grabbed a goal. His thunderous free-kick in the opening half unluckily came crashing out of the post, while his header from close range was aimed straight at Cech. Barring his attacking threat, he also worked tirelessly to track back and help out his defenders.
Adama Traore: 8/10
The former Barcelona youth prodigy showed immense pace to cause all sorts of problems for Monreal. His speed and strength were the few positives for Middlesbrough going forward. He was a bit hasty with his attempt in the first-half and arguably should have done better but judging by his overall performance it will now be hard to keep him out of the starting XI.
Alvaro Negredo: 5/10
The former Man City striker was guilty of missing a good chance in the first-half and should have done better to beat Cech with his effort. The 31-year-old was clearly lacking the pace to keep up with Ramirez and Traore, although he was well martialled by the Arsenal centre-backs.
Substitutes
Stewart Downing: NA
Downing replaced Ramirez for the final five minutes to provide fresh legs as his team looked to protect a point.
Christian Stuani: NA
Stuani came on for Negredo in stoppage time but it was too late to warrant a rating.
