Arsenal player ratings from their 1-0 defeat against West Ham United | Premier League 2018-19
This London derby may not be as hyped as the other rivalries, but the game had significant importance based on the League table. The Gunners needed points to move closer to the top four while for the Hammers, a win would further strengthen their case for a top half finish.
Arsenal started the first half on the front foot with Lacazette getting a couple of half chances but couldn't threaten Fabianski. As the game progressed, the Hammers became more involved with Samir Nasri at the heart of everything West Ham created going forward. Felipe Anderson got the best chance of the half, but he couldn't keep his shot on target.
The home side got the breakthrough within three minutes after the break with Declan Rice getting his first goal for the Hammers. Unai Emery's side pushed for the equalizer but were disappointing in the final third. The game ended 1-0 and the win moves West Ham up into the eighth spot, on 31 points.
Here are the Arsenal Player ratings.
Leno - 6.5/10
The home side had more attacking intent about them in the first half, but a lack of quality ensured a pretty comfortable opening 45 minutes for the German goalkeeper. However, at the start of the second half, Rice scored for the Hammers which Leno could not have done anything to save.
Sokratis - 6/10
The Greek International dealt well with the likes of Arnautović upfront and made a strong tackle to block Nasri a clear shot on goal in the first half. In the last quarter of the second half, he had to deal with Andy Carroll which in fairness to Sokratis, he stood up strong.
Koscielny - 6.5/10
It's always tricky for a player to come back after a long injury layoff and give 100 percent in this challenging league. However, Koscielny stood up to his task well and neglected any danger possessed by Antonio from the right.
Mustafi - 5.5/10
Shkodran looked a bit shaky today and got caught out of possession few times. At one point in the first half, he lost his man, Declan Rice from the corner which almost led to the opening goal for the Hammers.
Maitland-Niles - 5.5/10
Maitland-Niles has been praised lately for his performances, but today he looked far from his best. His passing was wayward and didn't possess any threat going forward. Felipe Anderson dribbled past him on quite a few occasions.
Kolasinac - 6/10
Arsenal's biggest threat came from the left side with Kolasinac marauding forward at every possible opportunity. The Bosnian interchanged well with Iwobi which gave Zabaleta all sort of problems in the right back position.
Xhaka - 5/10
The Swiss looked lost and didn't make any contribution in the game. His poor clearance led to the goal. Xhaka was eventually substituted in the second half by Lucas Torreira.
Guendouzi - 6.5/10
The Frenchman had a better outing than his central defensive partner, Granit Xhaka. Guendouzi was strong in the air and went toe to toe regarding physicality and strength with the West Ham players. He even came close with a long-range shot in the first half to break the deadlock for Arsenal.
Iwobi - 7/10
The only threat for Arsenal in the first half came through Iwobi who repeatedly drifted inside creating room for Kolasniac down the flanks to exploit. He played a couple of clever one-twos with the front players, but unfortunately, it didn't result into anything. In the second half, Iwobi hit a low left shot, but it went just wide off the post.
Lacazette - 6/10
The work ethic of the Frenchman is unquestionable, but his finishing didn't live up to his quality. Lacazette got a couple of half chances in the first half, but everything was either straight at the keeper or wide off the goal.
Aubameyang - 5/10
Based on the standard, the Gabonese have set this season; he was pretty ordinary against the Hammers today. In the first half, Aubamyang was nowhere to be seen and missed a great chance to bring Arsenal level in the second half. The Premier League's joint top scorer would hope for a better performance next time around
Substitutes
Ramsey - 6.5/10
Ramsey's introduction bought a new sense of attacking intent among the Arsenal players. His movement was sharp and created all sort of problems for West Ham in the six-yard box. No wonder, the Arsenal fans would be worried about his departure in January.
Torreira - 6.5/10
Along with Ramsey, the Uruguayan kept things moving for Arsenal in the center of the park. He also thwarted any counter attacks from the Hammers allowing the front players to push forward in search of the equalizer.
Bellerin - 6/10
The Spaniard came off from an injury and did add some pace down the right flank. He also kept Felipe Anderson at bay which Niles failed to perform till the time he got substituted.