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Premier League
Jan 11, 2015 at 1.30pm UK
 
SL

3-0

Koscielny (6'), Sanchez (33', 49')
FT(HT: 2-0)

Player Ratings: Arsenal 3-0 Stoke City

:Headline: Player Ratings: Arsenal 3-0 Stoke City: ID:198344: from db_amp
Sports Mole

Arsenal leapfrogged Tottenham Hotspur into fifth place in the Premier League table courtesy of a 3-0 victory over Stoke City this afternoon.

Laurent Koscielny gave the hosts an early lead in London before Alexis Sanchez scored either side of half time to wrap up a comfortable victory.

Here, Sports Mole looks at who stood out during the match at the Emirates Stadium.


ARSENAL

Goal

David Ospina: Made his full Premier League debut in place of the dropped Wojciech Szczesny and kept a second consecutive clean sheet, although he was not put under as much pressure as he might have been expecting. (7/10)

Defence

Mathieu Debuchy: Lasted less than 15 minutes before being forced off with a shoulder injury that required lengthy treatment. (6/10)

Per Mertesacker: Had a couple of nervy moments when he appeared to get complacent at 3-0 up, but kept Crouch very quiet in general. (7/10)

Laurent Koscielny: Helped his side to a rare league clean sheet and was never overly troubled at the back. Also weighed in with a goal as he nodded in the opener. (8/10)

Nacho Monreal: Left bloodied after a clash with Crouch, but carried on and put in an accomplished display down the left flank. (7/10)

Midfield

Francis Coquelin: Has become a key member of this Arsenal team since being recalled from loan. Protected his back four expertly again today and could well maintain his place against Manchester City, despite Mathieu Flamini's return to fitness. (7/10)

Tomas Rosicky: Almost broke the deadlock early on after a driving run into the box and also picked up an assist for the second goal. An all-round classy showing. (8/10)

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain: A constant threat with his pace and desire to get at the defence. Linked up with those around him really well and caused Stoke plenty of problems. (8/10)

Santi Cazorla: Is in sparkling form right now and continued that with another brilliant display today. Pulled many of the strings from midfield and combined particularly well with Sanchez. (8/10)

Alexis Sanchez: Another stunning performance from arguably the league's best player right now. Got the assist for the opener and then scored two himself, although his second may go down as a Begovic own goal. A thorn in Stoke's side and once again the man of the match. Outstanding. (9/10)

Attack

Olivier Giroud: Was surprisingly quiet considering how much joy those behind him had, but never took a backward step and was up for the physical battle. (7/10)

Substitutes

Hector Bellerin: Replaced the injured Debuchy early on and helped the Gunners contain Stoke's attacking threat comfortably. (7/10)

Theo Walcott: Squandered a glorious chance to add a fourth goal when he dragged an effort wide with only the keeper to beat. (5/10)

Mesut Ozil: Made his long-awaited return from injury and got a good reception when he replaced Giroud. It was a fairly low-key cameo, though. (6/10)


STOKE

Goal

Asmir Begovic: Made a few magnificent stops in the first half, but should have done better with the third goal and will perhaps be unhappy with letting the second in at his near post. (6/10)

Defence

Geoff Cameron: Was chasing shadows for long periods of the game as he failed to get near Sanchez. A difficult afternoon for the defender. (4/10)

Philipp Wollscheid: Not the easiest introduction to English football. Struggled to cope with Arsenal's attack on his debut and will hope for better days to come during his loan spell. (5/10)

Ryan Shawcross: Was the pantomime villain throughout, but did not let that affect him. Put in some strong challenges and held his own up against Giroud. One of his side's better players. (6/10)

Erik Pieters: Forced off at half time due to injury, but had struggled to contain Oxlade-Chamberlain in the opening 45 minutes. (5/10)

Midfield

Steven N'Zonzi: Usually one of his side's most important players, but was outclassed by Sanchez and company today. His loose touch led to the second goal, and he was hauled off at half time. (4/10)

Glenn Whelan: Partially at fault with a poor clearance in the build-up to the opening goal. Also had one of his side's best chances of the match, but blazed his effort over the top. Overrun in midfield at times. (5/10)

Jonathan Walters: Put a decent shift in as usual, but could not have any sort of impact on the game as Arsenal dominated. (5/10)

Bojan Krkic: Looked the most likely to unlock the Arsenal defence, but never produced the spark of creativity his side needed in a quiet return from injury. (5/10)

Marko Arnautovic: Ineffective on the left. As usual, showed glimpses of his undoubted skill but, his final ball deserted him when it really mattered, (5/10)

Attack

Peter Crouch: A thankless task up front today. Was isolated for long spells and got very little joy from the Arsenal defenders. (5/10)

Substitutes

Marc Muniesa: Came on at half time, but could not prevent Arsenal from getting a third goal and cruising to victory. (6/10)

Steve Sidwell: Perhaps harshly penalised for the free kick that provided the third goal, having also come on at the break. (6/10)

Stephen Ireland: Replaced Bojan with a little over 15 minutes remaining and could not make a difference with the game already beyond the Potters. (6/10)


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