Arsenal 1-2 Olympiacos: Gunners Player Ratings | Europa League 2019-20
Olympiacos handed Arsenal their first defeat of 2020 as the Gunners departed the Europa League after a disappointing 2-1 loss in the second leg of their Round of 32 fixture.
The match ended 0-1 in normal time as Pape Abou Cisse's first-half strike sent the tie into extra time. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang appeared to have sealed it for the London giants with a wonderful goal in the 23rd minute of extra time, but a strike from Youssef El Arabi in the 120th minute won it for Olympiacos and stunned the Emirates.
Let's have a look at the player ratings from a disappointing night for the Gunners.
Bernd Leno: 5
Although he wasn't called often, Bernd Leno had a good game throughout as he did well to deny Olympiacos a few half chances in the first half. He put in a decent performance overall but lost focus late in extra time, giving Olympiacos the chance to score the winner, a mistake that eventually cost his side the game.
Hector Bellerin: 4
This was an overall disappointing performance from the full-back as he often left space behind for Olympiacos, was slow in tracking back and halted his team's attacks at times by keeping the ball for too long. His tendency to leave behind space resulted in a golden chance for Camara, which the striker scuppered. The defender lacked confidence while attacking and was poor defensively making this one of his worst performances.
Shkodran Mustafi: 7.5
Surprisingly, one of Arsenal's better players on the night. The German looked calm and confident throughout the game. Mustafi made two crucial blocks to deny Olympiacos late in both halves. Although alive and positive throughout, he could have done better to deny Cisse for Olympiacos' first goal. He kept Arsenal in the game as long as they were.
Also Read: 4 reasons why Arsenal will finish in the top 4 this season | Premier League 2019-20
David Luiz: 4
It wasn't the Brazilian's night, to say the least. He lacked control defensively and was particularly wasteful with possession, shooted aimless passes multiple times during both halves and gave the ball away cheaply. Like Mustafi, Luiz should have done better to prevent Cisse's first-half header. He tried to make amends in the second half but had little to no effect on the game.
Bukayo Saka: 6
Bukayo Saka played well but did not make his usual impact on the game. The youngster dealt with initial Olympiacos' pressure well. While he wasn't able to get forward as usual as he normally does, he did supply a beautiful cross before it was flagged offside. Saka was casual on the ball in the last ten minutes of normal time and tried to supply some delightful crosses in extra time but couldn't find any teammates.
Dani Ceballos: 5
Ceballos didn't do any favours for his first-team chances under Mikel Arteta. He was good defensively but lost the incisiveness in attack. The Spaniard often gave away possession easily but he did well to stop a few Olympiacos counter-attacks. The midfielder intercepted the ball several times but surely needs to improve his display when in possession.
Granit Xhaka: 4.5
The Swiss was particularly absent from the game. He covered the ground well in earlier stages but Olympiacos were allowed to bypass him and Ceballos quite a few times. He made a nervous back pass in the final stages of extra time that luckily reached Leno in time. He was specifically poor throughout the game.
Nicolas Pepe: 6
The Ivory Coast international was quiet in the initial stages but slowly grew in as the game progressed. He tried to help the Gunners create chances in attack and was influential on the right wing. Pepe made life hard for Olympiacos defenders with his sudden turn of pace and directions but failed to make an impact as he was often outnumbered by the opposing players.
Mesut Ozil: 4
Mesut Ozil was given a free role as he floated everywhere on the pitch. He tried to create chances for his teammates but was on and off with his delivery at times. The midfielder did make a beautiful chance for Alexandre Lacazette in the second half, but the Frenchman missed from the edge of the box. Ozil tried but failed to create anything of substance to help Arsenal's cause.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang: 6
Aubameyang was effectively invisible until late into extra-time when he scored to put Arsenal in front in the 113th minute of the game. He drifted inside as the game progressed and tried to make space for himself, showed his quality with a well-taken bicycle kick goal in extra-time but his late miss from inside the six-yard box cost his side the game.
Alexandre Lacazette: 5
Lacazette once again endured a difficult showing in an Arsenal shirt as he failed to implement his authority on the game. The Frenchman lost the ball quite a few times throughout the match. He did his pressing well but couldn't really keep the hold of the ball and was excessively poor in possession.
Substitutes
Lucas Torreira: 5.5
He did well in possesion and carried the ball forward but failed to make an impact from the bench.
Joe Willock: 5
He had a couple of loose balls given to him but couldn't use his opportunities to do any good.
Gabriel Martinelli: 6
The youngster was one of the very few positives on a shocking night for the Gunners. He got a vital touch on Ozil's ball for Aubameyang's goal and should have been substituted in early as he was decisive right from his inclusion.
Sokratis: 5
He came in at right-back and did well but wasn't particularly impressive.
Also Read: Arsenal 1-2 Olympiakos (2-2): 3 Talking Points | UEFA Europa League 2019/20