Arsenal ratings: Joe Willock stars with brilliant goal as Granit Xhaka has quiet night at back
ARSENAL made it two wins from two in Group B of their Europa League campaign.
Goals from Eddie Nketiah, Joe Willock and Nicolas Pepe within four minutes either side of half-time sealed the victory over Dundalk.
Granit Xhaka played at the heart of a three-man defence between Shkodran Mustafi and Sead Kolasinac.
And after a tricky opening 40 minutes, it was in the end a comfortable evening at the Emirates.
SunSport’s Tom Barclay assesses the Gunners players’ performances…
Alex Runarsson – 6
Debutant goalkeeper made a solid early save to tip wide Patrick Elneny’s shot but had almost nothing else to do.
Shkodran Mustafi – 6
First chance since July for the returning German. Came off on the hour which suggested he could feature at Old Trafford given Mikel Arteta’s defensive woes.
Granit Xhaka – 6
Was deployed in a back three, which seemed overly cautious given Dundalk’s limited abilities. Was untroubled.
ARSENAL NEWS LIVE: Click here for the latest Gunners news
Sead Kolasinac – 6
Arsenal took a while to break down their opponents, summed up by the fact the Bosnian provided their first effort on target with a 34th-minute header.
Cedric Soares – 6
Making just his ninth Arsenal appearance, the Euro 2016 winner provided good width at wing-back. Lashed a wild effort over from distance early on.
Mohamed Elneny – 6
Dundalk showed such little attacking ambition, he had little to do defensively, but was solid in his passing. Dependable.
Joe Willock – 9
The star of the show. Clever movement, willing running and technical ability, he used all three to score a belter of a goal just before the break.
Ainsley Maitland-Niles – 7
Almost got in on the act himself with a blast at goal with 20 minutes to go, but was denied by a strong save.
Most read in Football
Nicolas Pepe – 7
A night that probably summed up his Arsenal career so far. A few frustrating moments, such as smashing a corner straight into the side netting, but then struck the goal of the game with a stunner.
Eddie Nketiah – 7
For the England Under-21s, he is the ultimate fox in the box, and he used those qualities to sniff out the opener here, capitalising on a goalkeeper error.
Reiss Nelson – 8
Fans would have been off their seats watching the ex-Hoffenheim loanee, if they were allowed to attend. Electric with the ball at his feet, caused multiple problems.
SUBS
Dani Ceballos: 6, Willian: 7, Kieran Tierney: 6, Folarin Balogun: 6