The opening weekend of the Premier League saw a record-equalling high-scoring match between hosts Arsenal and visitors Liverpool at the Emirates Stadium in London where the former lost 3-4. The win for Liverpool stands them in good stead ahead of crunch fixtures in the coming weeks.
However, conceding four goals is not a great sign for the Gunners who were resounded to disappointing boos from their fans at the final whistle.
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The two teams have won a total of 31 league titles between them and Sunday’s encounter proved their mettle as a top team as the teams shared 7 goals. Here is how the players performed in the opening matchday of the new Premier League season:
Arsenal
Petr Cech – 6/10
The Arsenal goalkeeper was untroubled by Liverpool throughout the first half but was beaten by a stunning Coutinho free kick at the stroke of half-time. Even though the Czech made a superb save from Coutinho’s effort in the 58th minute, he still ended up conceding three more goals. The former Chelsea player could not have done much to save any of them and should be disappointed with his defence.
Hector Bellerin – 7/10
The young Spaniard looked sharp throughout the game but faced trouble in getting forward on the right flank and had to mostly cut inside during the first half. His second half performance was also very smooth as he did not give up and stayed forward to look for the equaliser.
Rob Holding – 5/10
The 20-year old new signing looked nervy throughout the game and gave away the free-kick which led to the equaliser on the stroke of half-time as he held onto Coutinho. The young defender could also not clear the ball for Coutinho’s second goal as Clyne put his low cross into the box.
Calum Chambers – 6/10
The 21-year old looked solid throughout the first half and cleared the long aerial balls well. He also covered up for Monreal and Holding early on but as the game progressed Liverpool exposed him with precise passing in the final third.
He was very poor with Mane’s goal as he failed to make the challenge on the Liverpool forward. However, the defender ended up getting Arsenal’s third goal with a header past Mignolet in the 75th minute.
Nacho Monreal – 5/10
The Spaniard looked very fresh in the first half as he showed his speed on the left flank and put in some great crosses. But the left-back failed to stop the attacks which came down his flank. Both the 2nd and 3rd goals came from his side of the pitch. He helped his side regularly with the attacks but defensively he was a bit short.
Francis Coquelin – 5/10
The Frenchman played in the central midfield but seemed to be playing in a more advanced role than Elneny. He broke up the play really well and did not allow Henderson any space whatsoever in the first half. But he was dominated by the Liverpool midfielders in the second half and was kept quiet due to his yellow card in the first half.
Mohamed Elneny – 6/10
The Egyptian was very lively in the centre of midfield. He won the ball back very quickly for the Gunners and played in the traditional holding midfielder role in the first half. But along with Coquelin, he failed to stop Liverpool from going into the final third in attacks and that led to the visitors taking a 3-goal lead.
Alex Iwobi – 5/10
The 20-year old was sharp throughout the first half and proved why he is rated so highly. He found Walcott with his pass which led to the first goal of the game. But as the second half started, the Nigerian did not get on the ball and when he did, he gave away the possession cheaply.
Aaron Ramsey – 6/10
The Welsh magician saw a lot of the ball in the first half but could not make many chances for his side. He saw himself poking the ball into Mignolet’s arms from close range in the first half. The midfielder was brought off after he seemed to have injured his left thigh.
Theo Walcott – 8/10
Walcott was the best player on the pitch for Arsenal throughout the game apart from Bellerin. The Englishman played on the right flank but looked sharp. He won the penalty off Moreno and subsequently failed to convert it. But the Arsenal man scored 69 seconds later from a tight angle after Iwobi had found him.
Alexis Sanchez – 4/10
The Chilean was poor throughout the game. He looked rusty from the start and could never really make a darting run into the Liverpool box. Arsene Wenger must look to give some time off to the Chilean to rediscover himself and be ready for the season.
Substitutes:
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain – 8/10
Chamberlain came on for Alex Iwobi in the 59th minute as Arsenal slipped 4-1 behind. The winger played on the left wing as right was occupied by Walcott and looked really sharp as he scored a glorious individual goal after cutting inside to shoot past Mignolet. The former Southampton man was also seen helping in defence as Liverpool piled on more pressure on the hosts.
Santi Cazorla – 7/10
The Spanish magician had to come on for Aaron Ramsey after the Welshman came off injured in the 60th minute. The midfielder played in the number 10 role for the Gunners and helped them get their third goal with a dangerous free-kick delivery into the box for Chambers to head it in.
Granit Xhaka – 5/10
Arsenal’s new signing was brought in to pile pressure on Liverpool as the Gunners looked for the equaliser. He committed a lot of fouls but that is what the Swiss is known for.
Liverpool
Simon Mignolet – 5/10
The Belgian was never expected to start the game but due to Loris Karius’ injury in pre-season, he was given the chance. The goalkeeper cleared some crosses from the Arsenal wingers but was poor in his handling of Chamberlain’s solo goal. The player had a great chance of proving he is the Liverpool number one but his on the ball skills also seemed nervy.
Nathaniel Clyne – 6/10
The Liverpool right-back misplaced a lot of passes early on in the first half but got his act together in the second half as Liverpool dominated. His defensive skills were tested late in the second half as Chamberlain and Cazorla caused him problems on Liverpool’s right flank.
Dejan Lovren – 6.5/10
The Croatian defender was outstanding in the second half after having a seemingly out of sorts first half. The defender kept Alexis inside his pocket throughout the game but Walcott’s pace caused him dearly at times. He could also not stop Chamberlain from getting the second goal for Arsenal.
Ragnar Klavan – 8/10
Liverpool’s new signing was the man of the match as he showed some excellent defensive skills. He has been bought from Augsburg and looked outstanding with his covering and clearance skills. These are positive signs for all the Liverpool fans as they have finally found a much-needed bossy defender.
Alberto Moreno – 4/10
Moreno has been the worry for Liverpool fans at the start of this season and he proved that his criticism is not wrong. The left-back gave away a first-half penalty as he brought down Theo Walcott in the 29th minute. The defender looked troubled in the second half as well with Bellerin and Walcott exposing him with their pace.
Adam Lallana – 7/10
The England international was anonymous throughout the first half but made up for it with his second-half strike which was coolly finished by him after getting a pass from Wijnaldum in the 49th minute. This was Liverpool’s second goal of the game and helped them in getting the much-needed spirit back.
Jordan Henderson – 5/10
The Liverpool skipper was very poor in the first half as he gave away the possession to Arsenal players. The midfielder looked uncomfortable in the first half and was dominated by his opposition. But as the game progressed, the Liverpool man got his act together to turn the tides in midfield.
Georginio Wijnaldum – 5/10
The former Newcastle United midfielder was making his debut for the Reds and did it with a low tempo performance. The midfielder started the game slowly and was nervy on the ball for the away side. He was also seen having a tame effort at Petr Cech’s goal when he needed to smash the ball past him from the edge of the box in the first half. However, he made up for it with an assist for Lallana’s goal.
Sadio Mane – 7.5/10
The £34 million signing from Southampton proved why he is valued at such a high price as he looked the sharpest Liverpool player on the pitch throughout the 90 minutes. The new Liverpool player went on to get a superb solo effort at goal after making a pacey run from the right wing to cut inside and strike past Cech into the corner.
Roberto Firmino – 4/10
The Brazilian was one of the worst players on the pitch for Liverpool as he could not settle down to the tempo of the game throughout the 90 minutes. He was seen giving away possession multiple times in the game and looked low on confidence. However, he did show flashes of his brilliance by fooling the Arsenal players with his clever passes.
Philippe Coutinho – 9/10
Coutinho was the best player on the pitch for Liverpool along with defender Klavan as he brought them back into the game by winning and converting the free kick at the stroke of halftime. The Brazilian looked dangerous in the final third and could have had a hattrick but Cech saved his effort similar to his second goal. He was taken off to be replaced by Can after he picked up cramps in both his legs.
Substitutes:
Emre Can – 5/10
The German came on for Coutinho in the 69th minute with the aim of stopping the Gunners from getting back level on terms. The midfielder was silly in his late tackles, but did well to see off the game for his side.
Divock Origi – 6/10
The Belgian was brought on to see off the game for his side after Arsenal had been having a positive phase where they looked like scoring the equaliser. But he made sure he took the ball to the corner flag whenever he got the chance to do so.
