Arsenal moved up to 2nd in the table on the back of a comfortable 4-1 victory at Hull. An early goal from Alexis Sanchez followed by a Jake Livermore red card all but killed Hull’s chances. Theo Walcott bagged his 100th goal in Arsenal colours 10 minutes into the second half and although a Snodgrass penalty got The Tigers back into the game, an Alexis second killed off all chances of a comeback. Granit Xhaka then scored his first goal for Arsenal with an absolute piledriver to seal the 3 points.
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Here’s how each player fared in the match:
Hull City
Eldin Jakupovic- 7/10
Despite conceding 4 goals, Jakupovic had a fantastic game. A penalty save in the first half kept Hull in the game and he also made a number of spectacular saves throughout the rest of the game which prevented an absolute rout.
Ahmed Elmohamady- 5/10
Elmohamady had a disappointing game by his standards. He cut a lonely figure throughout the game and was not a major threat offensively. Defensively, he often left Iwobi with a lot of time and space to cut in and make passes and the Egyptian hardly made an interception all night.
Jake Livermore- 3/10
Livermore had a game to forget. An early red card for a blatant handball left his side to cope with 10 men for the remaining part of the match. He also struggled before the sending off and was run ragged by the Arsenal frontmen.
Curtis Davies- 6/10
Curtis Davies had a mixed night. He was solid initially and made a number of key blocks off Iwobi and Sanchez’s shots but he was also at fault for a couple of goals.
Andrew Robertson- 5.5/10
Robertson had a difficult time against Walcott and Bellerin, often being double-teamed by the duo. He did however make a couple of decent challenges and blocks and was a threat offensively in the early stages of the game before the red card.
Tom Huddlestone- 4/10
Huddlestone hardly featured in the game at all and was withdrawn early in the second half. Huddlestone lacked energy in the midfield and his normally incisive passing was missing from his arsenal tonight.
David Meyler- 5/10
Meyler was invisible for most parts of the game and was surprisingly allowed to play the entire 90 minutes. A game to forget for the 27 year old
Sam Clucas- 7.5/10
Clucas was brilliant in the centre of midfield for Hull. Constantly breaking down the Arsenal attacks, especially in the first half , Clucas notched up the highest tackles amongst all the players in the game. He also ventured forward on a few occasions although his attempts did not bear fruit.
Abel Hernandez- 6/10
Abel Hernandez was constantly dealt with by Mustafi and Koscielny and hardly managed to get a foothold in the game. He was replaced late on by Mbokani who had a much better impact on the game.
Robert Snodgrass- 6.5/10
Snodgrass had a couple of chances in either half but could not capitalise on them. He did manage to get on the scoresheet through a penalty but apart from that, his performance was far from exceptional.
Adama Diomande- 4/10
Diomande hardly troubled the Arsenal back 4 at all and was withdrawn before half-time after Hull were reduced to 10 men.
Subs:
Harry Maguire- 5/10
Although solid initially, Maguire struggled as the game got more stretched towards the end and was caught out of position on a number of occasions.
Ryan Mason- 6/10
Ryan Mason replaced Tom Huddlestone just before the hour mark and although he did not manage many touches of the ball, it was his incisive pass behind the Arsenal defence to Mbokani that resulted in Hull’s penalty.
Diumerci Mbokani- 6/10
Mbokani came on for Abel Hernandez and had an instant impact, winning his side a penalty with his first touch of the game. Down to 10 men though, he cut an isolated figure in the latter stages of the game and was not provided with any kind of service.
Arsenal
Petr Cech- 7/10
Cech had a solid game between the posts for the Gunners. Hardly tested throughout the game , he did charge out of his box on a couple of occasions to make vital interceptions but he was also responsible for conceding the penalty which resulted in Hull’s goal and earning him a yellow card.
Hector Bellerin- 7/10
Bellerin was a major threat offensively and was a constant presence alongside Walcott on the right flank. A number of crosses into the box caused problems for the Hull defenders and his pace was something that Robertson just could not cope with.
Shkodran Mustafi- 8.5/10
Mustafi finally seems to be settling into the Arsenal system. The German made a number of key interceptions and blocks over the course of the game and hardly put a foot wrong for the entire 90 minutes. The 24-year-old was easily one of Arsenal’s best players on the night.
Laurent Koscielny- 7/10
Koscielny had a rather poor game by his standards. Although he was solid alongside Mustafi for the most part, he was caught out of position multiple times and also gave away possession on a number of occasions, resulting in Hull attacks.
Nacho Monreal- 6/10
Monreal was average for the entirety of the game. Offensively, the Spaniard was poor and often gave away possession cheaply. Defensively, he was caught out on a couple of occasions by Snodgrass's skills and pace. All in all, not a great game for Monreal.
Santi Cazorla- 6/10
The Spaniard has been Arsenal’s best player this season but had a poor outing tonight. An early yellow card coupled with a number of misplaced passes saw him being taken off at the 1-hour mark by Wenger. Cazorla was also lucky not to be sent-off early in the second half after a poor challenge on Elmohamady.
Francis Coquelin- 7.5/10
Coquelin surprisingly influenced the game going forward rather than with his defending. His link up play with the Arsenal midfield was outstanding and he also had a couple of shots on goal, albeit off-target. It was also his strike that struck Livermore’s hand resulting in the Arsenal penalty.
Alex Iwobi- 7/10
The youngster had a decent game tonight and his sublime backheel resulted in Arenal’s second goal. It was also his strike that deflected off Alexis to give Arsenal the lead. His link up play too, was a joy to watch but his decision making and finishing leaves a lot to be desired.
Mesut Ozil- 6/10
Ozil had a poor game by his standards. Although he did produce a number of incisive through balls, overall, his game was poor. He also missed a sitter early on to give Arsenal the lead.
Theo Walcott- 7.5/10
Walcott had a great game until his goal but faded in the later stages of the match. His delivery on the night was phenomenal and his whipped crosses into the box often caused the Hull defenders problems. He also bagged a goal himself and provided the assist for Sanchez’s goal.
Alexis Sanchez- 8/10
Alexis had a poor first half but was dominant in the second period, scoring a brace overall. He claimed the first goal after getting a touch on Iwobi's strike but missed a penalty soon after. He more than made up for it with his second half performance however and was a constant threat to the Hull defence. His link up with Walcott especially was top class and along with Mustafi, was Arsenal’s best player tonight.
Subs
Granit Xhaka- 7.5/10
Xhaka replaced Santi Cazorla just after the hour mark and was again rock solid in the centre of midfield. A number of successful passes coupled with his wonder goal late on earns him a rating of 7.5.
Mohammed Elneny- 7/10
Elneny replaced Iwobi late on but was solid for the 10 minutes he did manage to play. He also provided the assist for Granit Xhaka’s goal although it was just a 5 yard sideways pass.
Lucas Perez- N/A
Perez came on for Walcott in the closing stages of the game but hardly had a touch of the ball.
