Kepa Arrizabalaga – 6
Had nothing to do. Caught a few crosses, distribution was good bar one wayward pass into Nwaneri that went unpunished.
Best moment:
Nothing of note.
Ben White – 6
Nice to have him back. Not really troubled defensively but got forward well to join the attack whenever he could. One wild shot into row Z.
Best moment:
William Saliba – 7
Strolled through the game in usual Saliba fashion. One of the great things about having a physical centre back like Saliba is that you don’t need to worry about the long ball and big striker routine when you come to places like this. Barely got into third gear but stood firm when needed.
Best moment:
Lovely ball over the top for Trossard to finish the game off. Would love to see more of this from him.
Cristhian Mosquera – 7
Another assured performance from the new signing. Seems to have a bit more pace, or at least acceleration, compared to Gabriel and Saliba, which is really useful when dealing with the ball over the top. Put in some big blocks and tackles when Port Vale threatened and it was good for him to come through a game like this, one that maybe he’s never faced before in his early career, unscathed. One awful pass that nearly led to a chance for Port Vale but not enough to mark him down.
Best moment:
Nothing specific but won a few good headers in the first half when Port Vale loaded the box.
Myles Lewis-Skelly – 7
First start of the season for Lewis-Skelly and he seemed to relish it. Very physical as usual and used his body well to win a number of fouls in our half. Some nice bursts and dribbles going forward and he played a key role in the Eze’s goal. Port Vale got no joy down his side. Nice to see him back in the starting lineup.
Best moment:
I’m still not sure he touched it but we’ll say the ‘flick’ that assisted the first goal. Even if he doesn’t touch it, I thought it was a good run that made the space for Eze in the first place.
Christian Norgaard – 6
Solid if unspectacular. Kept things nice and simple in midfield, won the majority of his duels and was generally solid. More to come from him.
Best moment:
Nothing of note.
Ethan Nwaneri – 7
A rare chance to see how Nwaneri fares over the course of a full 90 minutes and he put in a mature performance. Easy to forget he’s still only 18 years old as he carried Was a real threat in the first half with his probing passes and runs. Was busy all game and kep
Best moment:
A nice run and shot in the first half came really close to doubling Arsenal’s first half lead. Looks so dangerous when he comes in on that left foot.
Eberechi Eze – 7
Started well and was rewarded with his first goal in Arsenal colours as he coolly stroked home into the bottom right corner. Looked like he was going to rip Port Vale open time and time again in the first half with his positive runs and dribbles but after the League One side weathered an early storm from Arsenal, Eze found space much harder to come by. Nice run to see up a chance for himself in the first half from Merino’s through ball that he probably should have down better with.
Best moment:
An easy one. His first goal for Arsenal. Made it look easy, as quality players always do, with a neat finish from Martinelli’s ball into the box.
Bukayo Saka – 6
Nice to see him, Eze, Nwaneri and Lewis-Skelly on the pitch at the same time, representing Hale End. Was really threatening in the first half and played a role in the opening goal. Lots of positive running and he kept the ball so well under pressure countless times. Got as his full back and looked to have the beating of him more times than not but Arsenal didn’t really make the most of it. Faded in the second half as he tired.
Best moment:
Getting up after he took a heavy challenge was the highlight for me. Heart in mouth moment!
Mikel Merino – 6
Preferred upfront in place of Trossard and Martinelli, Merino worked hard but without having much of an effect on the game. Dropped deep far too often, which gave Arsenal little or no focal point in attack. Neat and tidy on the ball without ever really threatening and worked hard as always.
Best moment:
Lovely ball through to set up a great chance for Eze which the keeper saved.
Gabriel Martinelli – 6
Not fireworks this time around for the revitalised Brazilian but he did set up the all important opening goal, via MLS, with a nice pass. On paper this seemed like a game for the flying winger to build up some more confidence by terrorising a fullback who is used to playing against League One wingers but in all fairness, I don’t remember him beating the fullback, bar the odd dart. Not a bad performance but maybe expected a bit more out of him. Let’s put it this way, I don’t think he’ll be starting the next game based on this performance.
Best moment:
Played a key role in the first goal, even if MLS is claiming the assist. Still good figures if you look at his last three games (2 goals, 2 assists).
Subs:
Max Dowman – 7 – A few moments of real quality from the youngster. A lovely first time through ball to Gyokeres, which should have lead to a goal and a nice eye catching flick to a teammate when under pressure. What really stood out for Dowman was his maturity. In his brief cameo, you could forgive the schoolboy for wanting to take his chance and try and make something happen to get him back into the Manager’s thoughts but as the game wore on, he was sensible with the ball and didn’t take unnecessary risks. We all want to see attacking performances full of drive and excitement but after 80 minutes when we’re only 1-0 up, I think that’s a time when it’s acceptable to play it save and Dowman read the situation perfectly.
Gabriel – 6
Slotted in seamlessly alongside his usual defensive partner, Saliba, to help Arsenal see out the game.
Leandro Trossard – 7
Lovely run and finish for the goal. He’s so impactful when stepping off the bench. There’s not many players in our team who could score from there and make it look so simple. More evidence of his value to the squad.
Viktor Gyokeres – 7
He has to score that chance. He just has to. That aside, I actually really enjoyed his cameo. You have to take the opponents and the game state when he entered into account but he looked good to me. His touch was good, his runs were good, he looked lively and energetic. I think we saw what Gyokeres could be like from the bench if only we had Kai Havertz fit and available. In any case, this was a much improved performance and hopefully a taster of the Gyokeres that we’ll see on Sunday at St James’ Park.
Declan Rice – 6 – Nice run to create the space for Trossard’s goal but did little else in his short cameo. Still looked knackered when he came off though!