Arsenal attacked with a 4-2-4 system with wingers advanced and played mostly in the left wing.
Declan Rice and Oleksandr Zinchenko, together with Havertz organized the play with Odegaard advanced. Nketiah and Saka played at the same line and tried to find spaces in the second ball.
Player’s Positions
Aaron Ramsdale had a good game with the keeper that helped in the build-up. Although, he had nothing to do in the first goal as had some good interventions during the game.
He made one save inside the box denying Anthony Martial the chance to score.
His rating for this match is 6.5.
William Saliba covered well his line and it was highly active in the build-up. The fact that he had Odegaard so advanced made his game more difficult to find successful passes. Meanwhile, he made 2 clearances, blocked one shot, and made 2 interceptions.
As can be seen, Saliba performed at a high level and his rating is 7.1.
Gabriel Magalhaes played well in both phases when the team was in positive transitions and when they were advanced. When Zinchenko was in the sideline he was able to find the quick passes with him and Martinelli. He made one clearance, blocked two shots, and made two interceptions.
A shown above, his rating was 7.2.
Benjamin White played a good match. Although he might have done better in the goal they conceded not to let Rashford escape, his performance in the set pieces, the advancement higher up the pitch, and his positioning during the build-up make his performance positive. He made two clearances, blocked two shots, and made one tackle. Although he was passed by the opponents two times, he was solid for the majority of the game.
In a word, his rating for this match was 7.4.
Oleksandr Zinchenko played really well in the role of the pivot and the role of the fullback. That change in position is one of the root movements in Arteta’s philosophy of play. He played well in the left wing with quick passing and build-up also. But he could have done better to close some spaces that cost Arsenal some balls at the end of the game. He could have done better in the defensive aspect, but his overall performance was good.
Given these points, his rating for this game is 6.5.
Declan Rice was the man of the match for Arsenal. He had a key role in the build-up and in the attacking moments also. Declan was far better than the opponents and he was better in each stat and he was better in individual duels also. Declan won 3 aerial dues and 2 ground duels.
The goal of advantage at the end was the best moment for him in the game.
Altogether, his rating is 7.8.
Martin Odegaard scored the first goal for Arsenal. His positioning higher up the pitch made him more effective and at the same time made him the last touch before the transitions. Despite the opponent he is always in a high level and a key point for the formation of Arteta.
To sum up, His rating is 7.5.
Kai Havertz was the connector in the passes that Arsenal made in the build-up. He was involved in the goal of 1-1 and his positioning was quite effective. Havertz’s role as a box-to-box midfielder is quite interesting.
Overall, his rating is 7.1.
Edward Nketiah’s positioning is the classical attacker who has the freedom to create spaces for his friends and also be the point of reference. His roles were to attract defenders after him and break the line of the opponent during transitions.
Altogether, his rating is 7.0.
Bukayo Saka was the corner man in this match. His runs kept Diogo Dalot occupied and offered him a tough game. Although he misses a chance in the first half, his game was positive and he was highly involved in the attacking spaces of his team.
Overall, his rating is 7.4.
Gabriel Martinelli was by far the most advanced man in the formation of Arteta. He initiated each attack, tried to dribble, and was the assistman in the first goal. His positioning as an advanced winger gave him the freedom to express his skills.
To sum up, his rating is 7.5.
Substitutions
Jorginho played only four minutes and had the duty of defending in the set pieces. He was part of the glory of Arsenal.
His rating is 7.1.
Takehiro Tomiyasu is a natural right defender and his role on the left side is not the role where he is more productive. But his game was good.
His rating is 6.7.
Fabio Viera’s assist for Jesus was the best moment in his game as a sub and he made the game look so easy for Arsenal in the last minutes. He was occupying the left side and left Nelson to play as a midfielder. This was the key to success for both players. The third goal was not a coincidence.
His rating is 7.3.
Reiss Nelson is a winger but his positioning in the midfield as a right-advanced midfielder gave the defense of Manchester United mo marking option. Besides, that created space and this was the third goal for Arsenal. Although Nelson could and should give intensity in the left flank in the last minutes. Saying that Arsenal activated Jorginho to keep the net untouched in the last minutes.
His rating is 6.8.
Gabriel Jesus was the main point in the new moments that Arsenal had to score. He was advanced and did exactly the duty of a central attacker, which is scoring. He knows how to find spaces and scoring is what he can do best.
His rating is 7.8.
