Arsenal entered the international break sitting fourth in the Premier League table after a tough day at the office against Brighton and Hove Albion last time out. Their latest home clash saw them drop their first points of the season, as the Seagulls held them to a 1-1 draw.
Prior to last weekend’s meeting, Mikel Arteta’s side had secured maximum points and were yet to concede a goal. However, following Declan Rice’s incredibly divisive red card, the Gunners had to settle for a stalemate with the Seagulls.
The controversial sending off continues to dominate headlines, and Micah Richards recently criticised Chris Kavanagh for making ‘one of the worst refereeing decisions ever’ as he issued Rice a second yellow card. The decision will see the midfielder miss Arsenal’s returning North London Derby clash against Tottenham Hotspur on September 15th.
Prior to the Brighton game, Arsenal enjoyed back-to-back 2-0 wins against both Wolves and Aston Villa. Kai Havertz and Bukayo Saka were on song in their opening clash at the Emirates, before goals from Leandro Trossard and Thomas Partey snagged the win at Villa Park.
Arsenal are just two points behind Manchester City and Liverpool, who are the only sides yet to drop a point in the Premier League this season. Pep Guardiola’s side top the table, with the Reds just behind on goal difference, and Brighton sandwiched in third, having beat Everton and Manchester United prior to their draw at the Emirates.
As Arteta prepares for the North London Derby, we’ve taken a look at his side’s standout performers so far based on stats and ratings provided by WhoScored. Take a look below at Arsenal’s current player ratings based on their first three performances in the Premier League.
Bukayo Saka – 8.02, David Raya – 7.61, William Saliba – 7.30, Thomas Partey – 7.28, Kai Havertz – 7.16, Gabriel Magalhães – 6.99, Martin Ødegaard – 6.91, Ben White – 6.83, Leandro Trossard – 6.74, Gabriel Martinelli – 6.71, Jurriën Timber – 6.49, Oleksandr Zinchenko – 6.46, Declan Rice – 6.42, Reiss Nelson – 6.15, Riccardo Calafiori – 6.07, Gabriel Jesus – 5.96
