As we skipped gayly down Northumberland Street in anticipation of writing this player ratings article for you, we couldn’t help but chuckle at the fact that Mikel Arteta and his thoroughly unlikeable team have managed two shots on target against us at St James’ in over 180 minutes of football.
We’ve definitely got the hex over old Lego Head, or ‘Spanish Tony Pulis’ as we’ve taken to calling him recently, and this was a victory that invoked memories of what makes this Eddie Howe side so fantastic. We scored early, dug in, and never really looked like giving up the victory from there.
Yes, Declan Rice had that half chance at the end, but otherwise this was a superb display from the lads. Nobody in black and white shirked the challenge and our two young lads in the full-back positions were absolutely outstanding, with Lewis Hall putting in a performance for the ages.
Here’s how we scored everyone from Nick Pope through to the on-fire Alexander Isak, with a high of ’10’ (gasp!) and a low of ‘7’ for our boys, but rather less effusive praise for The Gunners and the overgrown five-year-old who had the whistle…
The Good
In the ground, we thought Lewis Hall was the Man of the Match. However, we’ve just gotten home and seen his statistics and now we’re more convinced than ever. 15 defensive actions, including eight clearances and four tackles, a clearance off the line, and 10/14 individual battles won. This kid has the potential to go all the way to the very top, that was Bukayo Saka he’s just completely shut down.
While not quite as exceptional as his big mate, Tino Livramento did a similar job on Gabriel Martinelli on the other flank. We’ve been a bit worried about Tino’s performances this season, but we’ve never had any doubts about his defensive ability one-on-one. Today he won 6/7 individual battles, didn’t get dribbled past once, and was part of a back four that totally shut down a much-hyped Arsenal.
At the other end of the pitch, this was a classic wing display from Anthony Gordon. His first-time cross for Alexander Isak’s headed winner brought to mind Keith Gillespie and his general attitude was superb. He led our press with vivaciousness, was strong in the tackle, and offered good support to Livramento when it was needed. That new contract has made a world of difference to him.
It’s hard not to love Fabian Schär and Dan Burn in the heart of our defence. They both clearly hate Kai Havertz as much as we do, which seemingly inspired them both to have brilliant afternoons. While Fab’s passing wasn’t as crisp as it usually is, he defended stoutly. Alongside him, Burn put to bed any doubts about him starting ahead of Lloyd Kelly with one of his finest displays in the jersey.
Ahead of that duo, Sean Longstaff, Bruno Guimarães, and Joe Willock can all be proud of their contributions to the cause. Longy fully justified his start over Sandro Tonali with a dogged display—only trailing Hall and Schär in terms of defensive interventions. Bruno was Bruno, and Willock showed that he is very much part of our best starting XI when everyone is fit. He was a dynamo.
In addition to scoring a wonderful (and rare) headed goal, Alexander Isak looked back to his normal self today, with some delightful bits of footwork and much better battling for aerial balls than we’ve seen for a while. To his left, Joelinton looks reborn in a more advanced position. His attitude is always second to none, but his versatility is such a boon. He was back in beast mode today.
Okay, okay, so his kicking was pretty poor again, but Nick Pope did well under some serious pressure from Arsenal players on set pieces. He didn’t have to make a save due to how ineffectual the visitors were, but his command from defensive corners and free-kicks was vital to these three points.
The head coach set the scene for Sandro Tonali to be dropped in his press conference, and so he was, but it didn’t hurt us. Still, the Italian did well when he came onto the pitch in the 65th minute—he completed all five of his passes and got stuck in when required.
Finally, a word for Eddie Howe. Heading into the Chelsea game in midweek he was probably under as much pressure as he’s ever been since rocking up to St James’ a little over three years ago. His response has been to guide his side to two massive wins, with things looking a lot rosier now than they did a week ago. It’s impossible not to respect him, even if you don’t love him. And, if you don’t love him, perhaps you need to ask yourself if you’re just a little bit dead inside…
The Bad
Is this really what Arteta’s Arsenal are all about? Like in the game last season they barely threatened our goal and seemed to want to play at a snail’s pace. Their much-vaunted set pieces caused a few moments of consternation for Pope and Co., but in open play they never looked likely to hurt us. Declan Rice stood head and shoulders above his teammates, but Kai Havertz, Leandro Trossard, Mikel Merino, and Gabriel Martinelli were absolutely bobbins.
John Brooks genuinely looks like a kid who’s on work experience and he refereed this match about as good as a kid on work experience would’ve. At times we were sure he had the remit of trying to keep the title race alive with his bias towards our visitors, but thankfully it mattered not. Still, if we don’t see him rocking up again at Gallowgate again this season we’ll be all the happier for it. People who hate VAR must surely remember how crap our refs are without it?
The Average
Harvey Barnes got a rare outing on the right flank in the final 10 minutes of play and while he wasn’t involved in the contest all that much, he certainly didn’t do anything wrong. Joelinton’s performance out in his position today makes his signing look all the more baffling, though, and it’s getting to the point where we may need to look to move Barnes on in January or the summer.
It almost feels like a waste of words rating Lloyd Kelly, who had precisely two minutes on the pitch and only managed a solitary touch, but we hope he enjoys his appearance bonus all the same.
The Breakdown
We can’t recall the last game where no starter in our ranks dipped below a ‘7’. It might’ve even been PSG (h) in the Champions League or Man Utd (a) in the Carabao Cup last season. What a lovely, lovely day.
The XI
Nick Pope – 7
Tino Livramento – 9
Fabian Schär – 8
Dan Burn – 8
Lewis Hall – 10 ⭐️
Sean Longstaff – 8
Bruno Guimarães – 8 (off 90+5′)
Joe Willock – 8 (off 65′)
Anthony Gordon – 9 (off 85′)
Alexander Isak – 8
Joelinton – 9
The Subs
Sandro Tonali – 7 (on 65′)
Harvey Barnes – 6 (on 85′)
Lloyd Kelly – 6 (on 90+5′)
The Gaffer
Eddie Howe – 8
The Opposition
Arsenal – 4
The Ref
John Brooks – 3
The Next
Oh God, just when everything is going swimmingly it’s time to face Sir Chris of Wood and Lord Elliott of Anderson at the City Ground. The game against high-flying Nottingham Forest is next Sunday at 2 p.m. (GMT) ahead of yet another international break.
The Tricky Trees are third at the time of writing, with 19 points from 10 matches, and will be extremely difficult opposition. We’d be happy enough with a point, but another win could put us level on points with Arsenal.
