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[Ratings & goals] Arsenal 2-1 Burnley: Ceballos outstanding but Leno struggled

By mac14 on August 17, 2019

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette got the goals but it was Dani Ceballos who starred as Arsenal beat Burnley 2-1 at the Emirates this afternoon.

We started well and opened the scoring inside the opening 15 minutes when Lacazette turned well to fire low through Nick Pope’s legs to make it 1-0 to the Arsenal.

Burnley were causing plenty of problems at the other end and they grabbed an equaliser just before half-time when a deflected shot fell straight to Ashley Barnes and he tapped home for 1-1.

However, Arsenal restored their lead midway through the second period when Aubameyang slotted into the bottom corner from the edge of the area after the excellent Ceballos had won possession.

Burnley applied pressure near the end but it was Arsenal who had the better chances to add to the scoreline, however, we had to settle for a 2-1 win.

Here are my ratings:

Leno 5/10 | Flapped at a number of corners and crosses. He’ll cost us a few goals this season if he doesn’t sort it out. Luckily it didn’t cost us today.

Maitland-Niles 6/10 | Dragged out of position a few times and was given a few problems by the dangerous McNeil but did his bit going forward.

Luiz 6/10 | Played some lovely long-range passes, comfortable in possession and won the crowd over – particularly in the first half. However, still lost Barnes for their goal.

Sokratis 6/10 | Did reasonably well against a physical Burnley side as he tried to hold the defence together.

Monreal 7/10 | Very good display from Nacho. Solid enough at the back but was always involved going forward.

Guendouzi 7.5/10 | Won’t get the headlines but Matteo put in another terrific performance in midfield. Built play from deep and combined well with the likes of Willock and Ceballos. Big season for the youngster.

Willock 6.5/10 | I though he was very strong in the first half but faded as the game went on. Showed he can play and looked more comfortable in a deeper position compared to last week.

Ceballos 9/10 | Absolute baller! What a debut from the Spaniard. Ran the show in midfield and showcased an array of silky touches. He also worked his socks off and won possession to set-up Aubameyang for his goal. Set-up both goals and deservedly got the MOTM.

Aubameyang 7/10 | Wasn’t as involved as he would have liked while out on the right wing in the first half but made the difference when moved more centrally after the break. Scored the winner and combined well with Lacazette and Pepe. Although should have done better with a late break-away.

Nelson 6/10 | Saw a goal correctly ruled out for offside. Struggled to really get in the game but was replaced at half-time after picking up an ankle knock.

Lacazette 7/10 | Showed great strength to hold up the ball before opening the scoring with a fine effort. Always a threat and worked hard but faded in the second half. Still not fully fit.

Subs:

Pepe 6.5/10 | Lively after replacing Nelson at half-time. Full of tricks and the nutmeg on Mee was particularly pleasing. Bags of pace and will be a real handful for defenders.

Kolasinac 6/10 | On to shore things up during the last 20 minutes.

Torreira 6/10 | Nice cameo. Almost made it 3-1 with a fine effort that was well saved.

Obviously Arsenal are still to hit top gear but there were plenty of encouraging signs today, not least Ceballos who was unplayable at times. What a player he’s going to be for us this season. Liverpool away up next….

Here are the goals from today’s game: