Arsenal player ratings vs Everton: Super-sub Leandro Trossard wins it

In today’s Arsenal player ratings, we rank the individual performers from the game which finished Everton 0-1 Arsenal.

Arsenal came up against Everton away from home this evening. In gameweek 5 of the Premier League 2023/24 season, Mikel Arteta walked away with 3 points.

This was always going to be a tough fixture for Arsenal. At Goodison Park, they don’t have the best recent history. Even last season during Mikel Arteta’s title charge, he dropped two points against Sean Dyche away from home. In the end, this hoodoo was overturned.

Arsenal player ratings vs Everton

As the game has come to an end, let’s take a look at today’s Arsenal player ratings…

GK: David Raya – 6.5/10

Raya was granted his debut in this match and he justified that decision. A clean sheet on your debut is quite the way to go, but it was his calm and accurate distribution which caught my attention. With Premier League experience, there wasn’t much doubt with Raya between the sticks, but he dealt with the pressure better than expected.

RB: Ben White – 7/10

Had some great attacking involvements and dealt with the physical presence of the opposition well. Particularly when the Gunners were trying different methods of creativity, White’s presence of the left-flank and his link-up with Saka was appreciated.

CB: William Saliba – 6.5/10

A solid display from William Saliba, who both won his physical battles and broke the lines expertly with his range of passing. Luckily, he avoided what looked likely to be an injury and continued the game, so he’ll be ready for PSV in the Champions League.

CB: Gabriel – 6.5/10

Dealt with Beto well. Gabriel stepped forward on a few occasions to compete with the ball and it was very rare the Brazilian lost those duels. In a game which was always bound to be a battle, the height and physical presence of Gabriel made him a worthy warrior.

LB: Oleksandr Zinchenko – 7.5/10

Winning the man of the match in my Arsenal player ratings is Zinchenko. Multiple great through balls were played by the Ukraine international. Further, he drove the team forward on a few occasions and it looked like if Arsenal were to score, it would be through Zinny.

He also seemed more confident to take on the job of striking the ball, perhaps that goal in the international break has filled him with confidence.

• SUB – Takehiro Tomiyasu: 6/10 – A justified sub from Mikel Arteta. As the game neared the end, he knew that Everton might want to ramp up the attack. Tomiyasu proved to be a more stable defender than Zinchenko would have been.

CM: Declan Rice – 7/10

His ability to track back and win those midfield duels before they escalated was key for Arsenal. Further, he played some great passes, both short and long-range. In many ways, Rice is truly living up to his price tag as it was another fine display today.

CM: Fabio Vieira – 6.5/10

Justified the manager’s decision to start him. Admittedly, Vieira has been knocking on the door of the starting eleven for some time now as he’s played some great cameos of late. He proved that he could perform to the same level as a starter today.

Some great crosses played into the box by the Portugal international. The only downside is that he must improve his goal scoring instinct – His creativity makes up for this, though.

• SUB – Kai Havertz: 6.5/10 – Was brought on for the last ten minutes to add some physicality to the midfield. He played well when coming on too, looking bright both in the defensive and attacking thirds.

CM: Martin Odegaard – 7/10

Played an important pass to Bukayo Saka for the Englishman to get the assist for the only goal of the match. Throughout the match, the captain Martin Odegaard adapted his playing style to meet the needs of his team. A fine display, topped off with some great touches in and around the opposition’s box.

RW: Bukayo Saka – 7/10

Saka got the assist for Trossard to open the scoring. Other than his fine creativity, the starboy put in a great shift, both technically and physically. It always looked like he would get a goal return as he would consistently cut inside.

ST: Eddie Nketiah – 6/10

He played some great touches which involved his teammates in the attacks. Unfortunately, his positioning wasn’t the greatest today, but he made up for it with some good false nine play. He was subbed off in the 65th minute.

• SUB – Gabriel Jesus: 5.5/10 – Had a great chance to add to the scoring, but was beaten to the ball.

LW: Gabriel Martinelli – 5/10

Unfortunately, Gabriel Martinelli was subbed off early in the game through injury. At face value, it doesn’t look like a serious injury, but we’ll await confirmation on that one. Before going off, Martinelli scored with a great finish, but it was ruled out by VAR.

• SUB – Leandro Trossard: 7/10 – Got the opening goal for Arsenal with an absolutely stunning finish. He was an early sub and he proved his worth, filling in for the injured Martinelli. Trossard showed great bursts of pace throughout the match.

What were your Arsenal player ratings?