Arsenal recorded a 2-1 victory over Everton in their Premier League clash at the Emirates Stadium to move to the top of the table.

First-half strikes from Olivier Giroud and Laurent Koscielny put the Gunners 2-0 ahead, but Ross Barkley brought the visitors back into the game before half time.

Despite creating a plethora of chances, neither side could add to the scoreline, which allowed Arsene Wenger's men to hold out for the three points.

ARSENAL

Goal

Petr Cech: Was powerless to stop Barkley's deflected strike from finding the net. Made one solid stop to deny Deulofeu late in the game. Handling and kicking were solid throughout the contest. (7/10)

Defence

Hector Bellerin: The Spaniard had a bright start to the game as he had success down the right flank. Defensively he was solid and made several good interceptions over the course of the game. (7/10)

Gabriel Paulista: A commanding presence for the Gunners at the back and handled the presence of Lukaku extremely well. Made one strong tackle to deny Barkley in the second half and was strong in the air. (7/10)

Laurent Koscielny: Was dominant in both boxes as he powered a header past Howard into the net in the 38th minute. The Frenchman was solid at the back and ensured that his side held out for the three points with a resolute display. (8/10)

Nacho Monreal: Not as strong a performance as his defensive colleagues as he struggled at times with the threat of Deulofeu. Did not raid forward as often as he could have in the second half. (6/10)

Midfield

Francis Coquelin: Composed display from the 24-year-old as he aided his side's defensive performance by breaking up the play and bringing Ozil and Cazorla into the game. (7/10)

Santi Cazorla: A threat for the Gunners and put the pressure on the visitors with his accurate passing in the first half. His impact faded in the second half as he dropped deeper to support his team's defensive effort. (7/10)

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain: Full of energy and always offered his teammates an outlet down the right. His final ball was often lacking, apart from one low cross which could have been converted by Giroud. (7/10)

Alexis Sanchez: Not at his best in the contest as he drifted in and out of the match. Played second fiddle to Giroud in the final third as chances for the Chile international were few and far between. (6/10)

Mesut Ozil: The German put in a impressive display for the Gunners as he was a thorn in the side of the Toffees throughout the match. His incisive passing put Everton on the back foot and sent in a sublime cross for Giroud to head the Gunners into the lead. He raised the level of his game in the second half and was unfortunate not to get on the scoresheet when he hit the post. (8/10)

Attack

Olivier Giroud: A handful for the Everton defence as Stones and Jagielka struggled to cope with his physical presence. Displayed his predatory instincts with a close-range header to fire his side ahead and could have notched a second, only to be denied by the bar. A strong display, although his finishing did let him down at times. (8/10)

Substitutes

Mathieu Flamini: Could have ended the game in the dying minutes, but sent his header straight at Howard. Helped his side get over the line by retaining possession in the Everton half. (6/10)

Kieran Gibbs: Made two late surging runs to ease the pressure on his side's defence, which helped secure the victory. (6/10)

EVERTON

Goal

Tim Howard: Was not entirely convincing over the course of the contest. Could have done better to come for the cross to deny Koscielny for the Gunners' second goal. Made a few clumsy errors, which on another day could have been costly. (5/10)

Defence

Seamus Coleman: Gave away the free kick on the edge of the box which led to the second goal. Struggled at times defensively and failed to offer much of an attacking outlet in the final third. (6/10)

John Stones: Failed to deal with the threat of Giroud as he was outmuscled in the air. Made a couple of interventions on the ground, which atoned for his problems in the aerial battle. (6/10)

Phil Jagielka: Allowed Giroud to sneak behind him to notch Arsenal's first goal and had problems in the air with the Frenchman as well as Paulista and Koscielny. Suffered an injury in the second half and was forced off. (6/10)

Brendan Galloway: Made a couple of bursting runs into the final third and should have scored from a header in the second half. Stood up well to the test of Oxlade-Chamberlain. (7/10)

Midfield

James McCarthy: Failed to win control of the midfield as he and Barry allowed Ozil and Cazorla to raid into dangerous areas of the field to threaten their goal. Made one good cross to set up an opportunity for Galloway. (6/10)

Gareth Barry: Struggled throughout the contest to win control of the ball and the pace of the game troubled him in the second half as he pulled back Sanchez resulting in a booking. Was sent off in the dying seconds for a challenge on Gibbs to end his poor outing. (4/10)

Aaron Lennon: Made a couple of decent runs in the second half, which carved out an opening for his side. Anonymous in the second half and was replaced by Mirallas. (5/10)

Gerard Deulofeu: Saw a lot of the ball throughout the match, but failed to produce any quality in the final third, including one late effort that was saved by Cech. (6/10)

Ross Barkley: Everton's best player in the match as he produced one fine solo run and was rewarded when his strike was deflected into the net by Paulista. Used the ball well in the final third, but his quality was not matched by his teammates. (7/10)

Attack

Romelu Lukaku: Had one glorious chance to level the match with a late header, but saw his effort crash off the bar. Was isolated for the majority of the game, but failed to win the aerial battle against Paulista and Koscielny. Needed to be stronger to hold the ball when he did receive possession. (6/10)

Substitutes

Ramiro Funes Mori: Replaced Jagielka and caught out of position on a couple of occasions, but was a decent enough option for his team off the bench. (6/10)

Kevin Mirallas: Failed to make an impact during his 20 minutes on the field after replacing Lennon. (5/10)

Arouna Kone: On late in the game and a misplaced pass when his side were placed in the final third was his only contribution. (5/10)