NUFC player ratings vs Arsenal – One 9.5, two 9’s, a few 8’s, four 7’s, the odd 6 and a couple of 5’s

Another difficult away game and another match to add to our unbeaten run. It was nervy at times and we weren’t at our fluent best, but we were up against a very good team.

It was a tough test of our resolve and we passed with flying colours. Below, we rate the performances of each player. 

Nick Pope – 8 – This was one of Nick Pope’s best performances for us. He was dominant from crosses, came out to deal with dangerous attacks and made one excellent save from Eddie Nketiah. He played a major role in the clean sheet; his SIXTH on the spin in the Premier League.

Kieran Trippier – 8 – As ever, Trippier delivered a solid performance in both halves of the pitch. Gabriel Martinelli only managed to have one shot on target, as he was kept wide for most of the game. Some feared the right back would struggle, but he performed well once again.

Fabian Schar – 9 – The Swiss international gets overlooked at times, as the focus is often on the men either side of him. He was fantastic this evening. He made a couple of key tackles in the box to prevent shooting chances. In the other box, he offered a threat from set pieces. His distribution was very good throughout. 

Sven Botman – 9 – There has been a lot of praise for the Dutchman on social media and rightly so. He has been excellent since coming into the team and he played a key role in the clean sheet again. Every defensive action he makes is well thought out and excellently executed. He is an absolute gem and makes it look easy at times.

Dan Burn – 7 – Burn struggled with Saka for the first quarter of the game, but Howe made amendments to ensure he wasn’t left on his own for the rest of the match. He could have conceded a penalty another day for a silly pull in the box. Considering what he was up against, he did well. 

Bruno Guimaraes – 7 – it was a solid performance from Bruno, but far from his best. The first half yellow card blunted his normal intensity, as he had to hold back and be more conservative. That said, it was still a good performance. He just sets such a high standard. 

Sean Longstaff – 7 – After being criticised for his missed chances on Saturday, Longstaff delivered an assured performance in the middle of the park. His energy was vital in disrupting Arsenal, as he covered a lot of ground and pressed well. 

Joe Willock – 7.5 – Willock was very good against his former club. He looked our most threatening player in open play, but the final ball wasn’t quite there. Six ball recoveries show his anticipation when defending. He went off with a knock late on. Hopefully it wasn’t a serious injury. 

Miguel Almiron – 6.5 – It wasn’t the best performance from Almiron, as Arsenal dealt with him well. There was one occasion he got into the penalty area, but he couldn’t make something happen. His silly yellow card probably caused Howe to withdraw him. As ever, he was full of running. 

Callum Wilson – 6 – During the last league win over Arsenal, Wilson was electric. Sadly for him, we didn’t give him the service he needs. He was feeding off scraps and didn’t really get into the game. 

Joelinton – 9.5* – The best player on the park was Joelinton. Defensively, he was excellent and regularly stopped promising Arsenal attacks. He won five tackles and made a further six ball recoveries, protecting Dan Burn brilliantly. Sadly, he missed our best chance of the game just before half time. That would have made it the perfect performance had he scored. 

SUBS:

Jacob Murphy – 5 – It was an evening to forget for Murphy, as he couldn’t get into the game after coming on. We will need to get better impact players as we continue our progression. 

Chris Wood – 5 – Like Murphy, he didn’t really get into the game. He worked hard though. 

Allan Saint-Maximin – N/A – In hindsight, Howe may believe he should have brought Saint-Maximin on earlier instead of either Wood or Murphy. He didn’t have time to influence the game.