Arsenal 1-2 Ostersunds: Player ratings for Arsene Wenger's team
In a shambolic and near shameful performance at the Emirates Stadium, Arsene Wenger's Arsenal succumbed to a 2-1 defeat at the hands of Ostersunds FK in the second leg of their round of 32 tie.
The North London side are through to the next round of the competition with a 4-2 aggregate scoreline but lost at home to a team they should have eased past with ease. Their porous defence and non-existent midfield caused the Gunners serious problems on Thursday night.
After notching up a 3-0 victory in the first leg, Arsenal found themselves staring down the barrel as the inspired Ostersunds attack scored two goals in quick succession at the Emirates yesterday. When the scoreline read 2-0 at halftime, it looked like this was going to be another night that could horribly wrong for Wenger and his men.
However, Arsenal scored a goal early in the second half to ensure victory. There were hardly any positives to draw out from the game for the North London club as their performance and defeat led to loud boos from the home fans after the completion of the game.
Here are the player ratings for Arsenal from the game:
Defence
David Ospina 5/10
Though the Colombian goalkeeper conceded two, he can't really be blamed as the defenders let him down. He could've tried to do better with the first goal, but was absolutely powerless in the second. He made some crucial saves in the rest of the game and kept Arsenal in the tie by showing maturity and composure in the second half.
Calum Chambers 2/10
The full-back made some glaring errors on the night and was probably the worst Arsenal defender on the pitch yesterday. The first goal from the visitors went down as an own goal from him. He looked underprepared in the first half of the game and never looked settled on the ball. Such performances are just not good enough for the level he competes at.
Rob Holding 4/10
Though the young defender made some mistakes in the early minutes of the game, he was still better than any other Arsenal player in the back four. He looked nervy and gave the ball away on multiple occasions, but made some important tackles to deny Osterunds the third goal in the second half of the game.
Hector Bellerin 4/10
The right-back's inclusion in the playing XI came as a surprise to some Gooners when the team sheet came out, as the regular first-team player was touted to be rested for the fixture. However, the Spaniard was included in the mix by Arsene Wenger. He did relatively well going forward but was extremely vulnerable at the back. The Ostersund attack kept finding a way around him and he did not look anywhere near asserting his dominance on them.
Saed Kolasinac 4/10
It looked like the left-back was in for a horrid night on the day as the mistakes from him lead to the Swedish side scoring twice in less than a minute. He looked rusty and unsettled, while all the wingers from Osterunds were slaloming past him with ease on almost every counter-attack. However, he scored the solitary goal for Arsenal with his right-foot to seal the tie for them after it ricocheted off an Ostersund defender in the opposition box.