Szczesny - 7
Dealt well with what he was given to do - perhaps could have come out for some of Villa's deep crosses though.
Sagna - 7
Up and down all night, covered well.
Mertesacker - 7.5
The ball was attracted like a magnet to his forehead. The only criticism I could make is that he should have pushed his defensive line out a bit further.
Koscielny - 6.5
Never looked entirely comfortable, but kept his head and did the simple things well.
Monreal - 6.5
Booked for a rash challenge, but provided a good assist for Wilshere's goal. An otherwise quiet night.
Flamini - 6.5
Covered space well, and had a quietly productive game.
Wilshere - 8
Had a hand in both goals, took on Villa players with ease and in the second half he was the only one providing any real midfield outlet.
Cazorla - 4
Really poor from the Spaniard - the mistake that led to Villa's goal wasn't the first time he conceded possession cheaply, nor was it the last.
Ozil - 6
Drifted in and out of the game; the lack of winter break (a luxury he's always been afforded) may be starting to show.
Gnabry - 6
Tried to make things happen - drifted across the pitch and went off in search of the ball, but wasn't given much opportunity to stretch Villa.
Giroud - 7
After that miss in the opening minutes, his head could have gone down - but he kept plugging and got his reward with a confident finish. Struggled in the second half as Arsenal's creativity shriveled up, but did his best to hold up the ball and offer some respite from Villa's attacks.
Rosicky - N/A
Came, broke his nose, went. Unfortunate for the Czech.
Gibbs - 6.5
Supported the flank well, and coped better with Villa's right than Monreal did.
Chamberlain - N/A
Good to see him back, but not enough time to leave his mark.
Player Ratings vs Villa
posted on 13/1/14
Cazorla dilly dallies with the ball a but too much and trust to get out of tight areas with his skill but it can be very risky at times.
He was ok tonight though
posted on 13/1/14
, harsh on Cazorla though.
===
Disagree. Cazorla was terrible tonight. He was noticeably our worst player in the first half and wasn't much better in the second. The poor pass that led to Benteke's goal was 100% his fault, too.
posted on 13/1/14
Ozil - had a winter break as he was injured
posted on 13/1/14
8 for mert
posted on 13/1/14
I agree with you on Mertesacker, KPPR
Santi was at least a 5 for me.
posted on 13/1/14
Thought Flamini was great, don't understand why many on Twitter don't rate him, still one of my favourite players.
posted on 13/1/14
Flim Flam was great
posted on 13/1/14
Just came back I thought Per was solid him and jack our best ayers but jack MOTM. Santi was wasteful I felt and the goal he gave away was cheap.
posted on 13/1/14
Santi played some excellent cross-field passes, but he did give it away a fair bit.
Also he's starting to WUM me a little by not shooting when he's in good positions. It's criminal for a guy with a shot like his.
6/10 is a fair one.
posted on 14/1/14
Santi was pretty poor. Offered little in attack and made that mistake that led to their goal. I think it's time he had a little bit of a rest. We've got Gnabry playing well and Ox and Podolski are hungry to get some games. So there's no reason to overplay Santi. Midfield is where we can afford to be generous in our rotation and we should utilise our squad well.
I thought Giroud had a great game and showed why he's still the main man in the club. Took his goal brilliantly and looked sharp in attack. His hold up play, as always this season, was exceptional. He did physically drop after 70 mins, so we really need another option up front. Fatigue to Giroud will kill us.
MotM, Wilshere. Very impressed with him recently. He's finally stepping up a gear or two and is making that deep midfield position a very competitive one. Ramsey can't be expected to walk in the team, and that is great news for Arsenal.
I can't fault our defence at all. They've been brilliant all season and they were so solid yesterday. The goal only came about because of a shocking pass by Cazorla which completely took them by surprise. When the ineviatable Villa attack came, you have to say (despite our nerves) that the two CBs and Flamini coped relatively comfortably. There was only that single moment when Benteke got a header in, when argubly Mert was fouled beforehand.
Overall, great result, top of the league and still marching on.