Quantcast
Home   >   Match   >   [Ratings & goals] Fulham 0-3 Arsenal: Gabriel & Willian superb for on-song Gunners

[Ratings & goals] Fulham 0-3 Arsenal: Gabriel & Willian superb for on-song Gunners

By on September 12, 2020

gabriel arsenal

Arsenal made the perfect start to the new season after easing to a 3-0 victory over Fulham at Craven Cottage this afternoon.

We made a terrific start as Alexandre Lacazette was on hand to open the scoring in the 8th minute with the Frenchman poking home from close range after Willian’s initial shot was well saved.

Arsenal looked comfortable and finally doubled our lead just after half-time. It was summer signing Gabriel who got the goal as he headed home from a Willian corner to make it 2-0 in the 49th minute.

The three points were in the bag less than 10 minutes later and Arsenal certainly saved the best until last. A flowing move that started with Bernd Leno ended with Willian finding Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang with a racking pass and the skipper found the top corner with a superb finish.

We had chances to further extend our lead but Arsenal had to settle for a 3-0 victory on a very impressive opening day win.

Here are my ratings:

Leno  6.5/10 | Great early save to save Gabriel’s blushes. Game could have been very different if Fulham went ahead. Not much else to do.

Holding  7.5/10 | Looked comfortable on the right-side of the centre-backs. His usual no-nonsense approach and he didn’t put a foot wrong. Even played his part in the second goal.

Gabriel  8.5/10 | Superb debut. Leno saved him after an early mistake but was otherwise excellent. Great in the air, comfortable on the ball, has pace and scored on his debut. Looks an absolute monster of a player.

Tierney  7/10 | Solis defensively and played a few lovely forward passes too. Going to be an important player for Arsenal this season.

Bellerin  7/10 | A good game from Hector. Did his job defensively and linked up very well with Willian going forward. Even produced a couple of dangerous crosses!

Elneny  7/10 | Say it quietly, but Elneny looked a decent player today! Went about his job professionally, kept his position well and played the simple pass. Could be a useful squad player if he stays.

Xhaka  6.5/10 | Was able to have a bit more freedom with Elneny next to him. Played the link passes between midfield and attack well. Blazed a decent chance well over.

Maitland-Niles  7/10 | His versatility was important as he moved into a more central area when Arsenal were in possession. Worked hard and is justifying Arteta’s decision to start him.

Willian  8.5/10 | Excellent debut from the Brazilian. Two assists after setting up Gabriel and Aubameyang. Also played his part in the opener and unlucky to hit the post from a free-kick. Great on the ball, worked hard and looked right at home in an Arsenal shirt. Terrific debut.

Lacazette  8/10 | On hand to open the scoring from close range. Worked his socks off up front and looked very sharp. Said after the game he wants to stay, let’s hope he does based on this performance.

Aubameyang  8/10 | Picked up where he left off last season with another superb finish. Saw another effort cleared off the line when he probably should have squared it to Laca, but we were already 3-0 up. Great all-round display from the skipper.

Subs:

Ceballos  7/10 | Nice cameo off the bench. Showed a few lovely touches.

Pepe 6.5/10 | Was a threat down the right after replacing Willian. Has a battle on his hands to claim that spot now.

Nketiah  N/A | On too late.

Watch the goals here: