Leicester 0-2 Arsenal player ratings: Ethan Nwaneri inspires Gunners to crucial win | OneFootball

Arsenal closed the gap at the top of the Premier League table to just four points after their hard-fought 0-2 win over Leicester City.

The Gunners went into the game barren up front due to injuries. It was the first time they had started a Premier League match without any of Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli, Gabriel Jesus or Kai Havertz since the final day of the 2020-21 season.

And it showed. Arsenal laboured for most of the game, with Ethan Nwaneri one of the few players to shine. And Nwaneri was the man to provide the assist for the opening goal, headed home by substitute Mikel Merino who went up front. Merino then made it 0-2 late on to secure the points. For what it’s worth, in his 21 minutes, Merino collected a 82% Squawka Score as a striker.

Leicester player ratings

Mads Hermansen: 68%

Mads Hermansen had a decent game despite finishing on the losing side. He made three saves and prevented 0.26 goals. Hermansen was well beaten by two good finishes too, taking no blame for either. But his kicking could have been a bit better, erratically giving possession back to Arsenal on a few occasions.

Woyo Coulibaly: 59%

Came on for James Justin just before half-time and looked okay, albeit not as impressive as the man he replaced. Woyo Coulibaly made three interceptions, more than any other player for either team and also won two tackles.

Wout Faes: 58%

There were a couple of occasions where Wout Faes looked uncertain, not fully in sync with goalkeeper Hermansen. But he still made five clearances and won two aerial duels, helping to keep Arsenal shut out for a large portion of the match.

Caleb Okoli: 50%

Although he also made five clearances, Caleb Okoli wasn’t as involved as his centre-back partner.

Victor Kristiansen: 54%

Back in the team after injury, Victor Kristiansen had a tough afternoon. He did win two tackles, but also lost four challenges, more than any other player.

Wilfred Ndidi: 60%

While you’d expect Wilfred Ndidi to be busy defensively, he was Leicester’s biggest goal threat with two shots, both coming in the first half. Defensively, the Nigerian did still make four clearances alongside one tackle won and two interceptions. He also won three duels.

Boubakary Soumare: 55%

Boubakary Soumare made one interception retaining possession and won one tackle as Leicester’s midfield fought hard for most of the match. But they eventually fell away, and Soumare did put his side in danger with a couple of unsuccessful touches.

Bobby De Cordova-Reid: 52%

Bobby De Cordova-Reid was one of two Leicester players to have a shot on target, though his had a total Expected Goals total of just 0.03. He wasn’t on the ball too much, with his 19 touches the lowest of any Leicester starter. But he did complete 10 of his 11 passes including five in the final third.

Bilal El Khannouss: 61%

Bilal El Khannouss tried as he could to trouble the Arsenal defence, completing two take-ons. He also had three touches in the opposition box and completed four crosses, being Leicester’s most-dangerous attacker.

Jordan Ayew: 57%

Looked a threat to Arsenal’s right flank with his direct running and energy. Jordan Ayew had four touches in the opposition box and created Leicester’s best chance in the second half, though it didn’t end in a shot. He didn’t have a shot or create a chance, but Ayew’s presence was enough at times.

Jamie Vardy: 45%

Jamie Vardy normally loves playing Arsenal, but he had no impact on Leicester’s front line aside from a few runs. He didn’t have a single shot and had four touches in the opposition box.

Arsenal player ratings

David Raya: 75%

David Raya had a pretty quiet afternoon in keeping his clean sheet, only having to make two saves. And they were both relatively straightforward. He also caught two crosses, keeping his area secure.

Jurrien Timber: 69%

It was an interesting afternoon for Jurrien Timber, who had Ayew running at him. But the Dutchman did pretty well with two interceptions retaining possession and two tackles won. He didn’t bring much going forward, but he didn’t have to.

William Saliba: 66%

William Saliba made five clearances against Leicester, helping to keep Raya as untested as he could. But Leicester were targeting the other side of the Arsenal defence more, so he didn’t have to do too much defensively otherwise.

Gabriel Magalhaes: 69%

Gabriel was actually quite wasteful on the ball, with his 81.54% retention rate the lowest of the four centre-backs on the pitch. But he showed up when Arsenal needed him defensively, making three clearances and winning two tackles. Gabriel also won four aerial duels and 66.67% of his ground duels.

Myles Lewis-Skelly: 65%

Defensively, Myles Lewis-Skelly didn’t have too much to do, with just one tackle, one interception and one clearance. But he had the crucial intervention at the far post with a wonderful touch to prevent Arsenal from going a goal down in the second half.

Martin Odegaard: 70%

Martin Odegaard is slowly getting back to the level we all expected from him, though he didn’t have many options to target in the box. The Norwegian did make three successful passes into the penalty area and completed 10 passes into the final third. Odegaard also created one big chance and won possession twice in the middle third.

Declan Rice: 61%

Declan Rice was the man crashing the box from a deeper starting position, trying to support Arsenal’s attack. As a result, his midfield Score isn’t as high as his teammates. But he was still effective with one interception retaining possession and three possessions won in the middle third, alongside four penalty area entries.

Thomas Partey: 81%

Thomas Partey was busy defensively, winning one tackle and making one interception. The Ghanaian midfielder won possession five times overall and won four of his six duels before coming off in the second half.

Ethan Nwaneri: 83%

Arsenal’s star of the match, although Merino got the goals. Ethan Nwaneri was brilliant for the Gunners and their only attacking player that showed up from the start. He had four shots in total, more than any other player and hit the woodwork twice in the second half. They were close shots too. Nwaneri created two chances, setting up Merino for the opener, and made a whopping 10 crosses. He also completed six take-ons and won 12 of his 15 duels.

Leandro Trossard: 49%

In the absence of Havertz, Leandro Trossard was tasked with leading the line for Arsenal. He had one shot on target but only two touches in the opposition box — and two offsides. It wasn’t really working for the Belgian or Arsenal, but he looked more of a threat after being pushed out to the wing. Trossard’s one created chance set up Merino’s second, a lovely ball across the box.

Raheem Sterling: 52%

It was a largely ineffectual game for Raheem Sterling, who was in the starting XI due to injuries. The Englishman had just one shot and created one chance, despite having six touches in the opposition box — more than any Arsenal player at the time of his substitution. Sterling failed to complete either of his two attempted take-ons and was offside twice.

How do Squawka player ratings work?

Squawka’s new player rating system is wholly stats-based. Player scores are based on the numbers they put up across a range of on-ball events, from goals scored to tackles won.

We tailored each score to the players’ respective positions using extensive research and expertise. For example, forwards are rated on metrics like shots on target, touches in the opposition box, and big chances created. Meanwhile, centre-backs are rewarded for winning aerial duels, making blocks, successful long-range passes, etc.

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