Arsenal lost their first-leg Champions League game against Monaco 3-1, and really, they were lucky they even managed to get one.
The colour-coded Monaco fans went home happy and the Arsenal players left the pitch to a chorus of boos. They weren’t just frustrated by 10 men parked in their way, they were ruthlessly shut out and countered on effectively.
In some ways it was a naive performance, but you always felt that Arsenal would turn it on at some point, speed up the play and get back in the game. That wasn’t the case, and no one in that team can be happy with their performance.
Here are their ratings, based on the – often harsh – tweets from the people of Twitter.
David Ospina: 5
Left rooted for Monaco’s deflected goal, but got a hand to their third and should’ve kept it out. Wasn’t helped by a defence rarely in position.
Hector Bellerin: 4
After much improved performances over recent weeks, Bellerin offered very little throughout the match. At a time when Arsenal clearly needed width, he opted to go inward with his runs – and Monaco’s second goal came down his side.
Per Mertesacker: 4
You could say he was unlucky with the deflection for the second goal, but he might have been a bit braver with the block. Missing for the third.
Laurent Koscielny: 6
Left with the task of carrying three other defenders, Koscielny did as well as he could’ve done. You were often left questioning which player the captain was, Mertesacker or the Frenchman.
Kieran Gibbs: 4
Nacho Monreal has been preferred to Gibbs over recent weeks, having been the more consistent of the two this season. Like Bellerin on the other side, he was often too high up the pitch and in the end his team paid for it.
Santi Cazorla: 7
Arsenal’s best player in the first half, as he has been for much of the season, but gave the ball away too often in the second. The movement around him made it difficult for him to find the killer ball, and his box to box role, unlike in other games this year, didn’t help.
Francis Coquelin: 6
A silly booking meant he was a little timid putting his foot in, and a bit slack with defensive responsibilities, but an okay performance.
Danny Welbeck: 6
Had a good opportunity to score, but the shot deflected off Walcott. As always he offered a lot of running but very little final product, and needed more maturity to stay wide.
Mesut Ozil: 5
Ozil really offered nothing throughout the match, and as usual his body language didn’t help his cause. All fans want to see is effort, and the stats would suggest he gave it – covering more kilometres than any other Arsenal player – but he was anonymous when it mattered.
Alexis Sanchez: 6
Along with Cazorla he looked Arsenal’s only real threat. Sanchez created two chances for Giroud, one from a cross and one from a shot. Needed help.
Olivier Giroud: 3
One of his worst performances in an Arsenal shirt, on a night when he should’ve gotten at least one goal. We don’t think a player has looked more embarrassed after being substituted.
Source: SNAPPA