Arsenal player ratings vs Everton: Only one player played with heart

Arsenal faced Everton at Goodison Park this afternoon. There was a lot of confidence from the Gunners camp but it was all bark and no bite. Losing 1-0 to a struggling team towards the bottom of the league, when they had the opportunity to go eight points clear at the top is simply not good enough. Let’s dive into the Arsenal player ratings…

Arsenal player ratings – Aaron Ramsdale 5/10

Didn’t have as much to do as an Everton win might suggest. When he was faced with challenges, he often prevailed. The conceded corner was an unlucky one.

Arsenal player ratings – Ben White 4/10

Didn’t play bad, but didn’t play great either. A very average game for Ben White, who didn’t look too comfortable under the physical pressure of Everton’s attack. He as brought off for Tomiyasu in the final 5 minutes.

Arsenal player ratings – Gabriel Magalhaes 7/10

Did well to compete against Dominic Calvert-Lewin, who looked a threat throughout the match. Playing with his collar up throughout the 90, Gabriel is one of the only Arsenal men who can walk away with his head held high.

Arsenal player ratings – William Saliba 6/10

A couple of wayward passes, but overall, it was a good display from William Saliba. The goal conceded was not his fault, and he helped Gabriel by sweeping up any loose balls.

Arsenal player ratings – Oleksandr Zinchenko 4.5/10

Played well in the first half, not so much in the second half. A player like Zinchenko needs freedom to move into the opposition’s box, which he wasn’t given. In truth, he looked lost.

Arsenal player ratings – Thomas Partey 5/10

Came off halfway through the second half. The Ghana international did not play bad, but he didn’t play brilliantly either. He had a few chances to score from distance and he was good when dribbling with the ball at his feet but in the end, didn’t have an impact on the game as he would have liked.

Arsenal player ratings – Granit Xhaka 5/10

Had a couple of opportunities to draw level and to play some crosses into the box, however, he wasn’t accurate enough. He stood up for himself well in the midfield battles, but didn’t do enough from an attacking perspective to warrant a higher rating.

To hear what Bernd Leno had to say about his Arsenal departure, click here.

Arsenal player ratings – Martin Odegaard 4/10

I guess he was kind of at fault for the Everton opener but it was a complete corner mismatch between him and Tarkowski. Other than this, the captain played well and showed a lot of passion to lead his men to fight back. In the end it wasn’t to be for Odegaard, who made way for Fabio Vieira in the final 15 minutes.

In truth, the entire midfield as a collective let the team down. Usually a well organised block, Arteta will not be entirely proud of the way the ball ran through the middle of the park. Too many loose balls were not contested enough and in truth, the three midfielders did not communicate enough.

Arsenal player ratings – Bukayo Saka 6/10

Saka played well and almost scored on a couple of occasions, but it wasn’t enough to paint the whole picture. An off-day for Arsenal’s proclaimed starboy.

Arsenal player ratings – Eddie Nketiah 4/10

Wasn’t his usual prolific self. Nketiah had a couple of opportunities to score, most notably in the first half when he was through on goal but the angle proved too much for him and instead of slotting the ball near post, opted for too much power and skied it.

Arsenal player ratings – Gabriel Martinelli 4/10

Wasn’t his usual self today and this was reflective in Mikel Arteta’s decision to bring him off for Leandro Trossard. I predicted before the match that he wouldn’t start and, in all honesty, he didn’t do much to convince me he should’ve.

Arsenal sub ratings – Leandro Trossard 5/10

Trossard played well when he came on, he was bright and progressive with the ball at his feet. He had a couple of opportunities to draw back level but it wasn’t to be. His frustration was clear that he couldn’t do enough in this cameo.

Arsenal sub ratings – Jorginho 5/10

Arsenal did look different under Jorginho. He was composed with the ball at his feet but couldn’t find enough space to play that killer ball.

Arsenal sub ratings – Fabio Vieira 5.5/10

A couple of good chances since he came on flowed through him. He was not given a significant amount of time to make a difference but his positive input outweighed the time he was given.

Arsenal sub ratings – Takehiro Tomiyasu N/A

Not given enough time to make an impact or warrant a rating.