Arsenal continued their bid for Champions League qualification by battling to a 2-1 victory over Queens Park Rangers at Loftus Road this evening.
QPR dominated for long spells of the first half, but two goals in five minutes from Olivier Giroud and Alexis Sanchez handed Arsenal the advantage with just over 20 minutes remaining.
Despite pulling a goal back through Charlie Austin late on, QPR were unable to find an equaliser as they missed the chance to climb out of the relegation zone.
Below, Sports Mole rates every performance following Arsenal's win over their London rivals.
QPR
Goal
Robert Green: QPR would be in a much worse position were it not for Green's form, and the goalkeeper made a string of excellent saves when Arsenal were dominating in the second half. He could be back in the England squad very soon. (7/10)
Defence
Darnell Furlong: Made a very impressive start to the match to offer the home side a good option on the wing, but he struggled to cope when Sanchez was allowed to cut in more often after the break. (6/10)
Steven Caulker: Trusted to lead the central defence in the absence of some experienced teammates, and he performed well for most of the match to keep Giroud quiet. An improvement on some of his recent displays. (6/10)
Nedum Onuoha: Looked comfortable on his return to the side before being forced off with a cut to his face prior to the half-time interval. QPR missed his pace in the second half. (5/10)
Yun Suk-young: Struggled to get forward as much as he usually does, and looked vulnerable when Arsenal targeted his side of the pitch in the second half. (5/10)
Midfield
Sandro: Typically aggressive in the middle of the pitch on his return to the side as he started a number of moves with tackles and interceptions. Tired in the second half before being removed in the 56th minute. (6/10)
Karl Henry: Battled impressively alongside Sandro as QPR won the midfield fight in the first half, but he couldn't cope with the Arsenal attackers as the visitors started to find space after the break. (6/10)
Junior Hoilett: Handed a recall on the wing, but found it tough to get involved on the regular basis. Wasted a couple of good openings with poor deliveries early in the game. (5/10)
Matt Phillips: Lively on the wing throughout the first half as he troubled Arsenal with his pace and direct approach. Suffered when Arsenal improved and eventually drifted out of the game. (6/10)
Attack
Charlie Austin: England manager Roy Hodgson was at Loftus Road to watch another fine performance from the striker. Forced to feed off scraps for long spells, but always looked a threat to the Arsenal defence before giving QPR hope late on with a stunning finish. (7/10)
Bobby Zamora: A willing runner in attack for QPR, and his aerial ability caused problems for the visitors. Struggled to shake off Per Mertesacker in the second half. (6/10)
Substitutes
Clint Hill: Sent on as Onuoha's replacement just before the break and he never looked comfortable against Arsenal's forwards. Troubled by the pace of attacks as the visitors piled on the pressure. (4/10)
Niko Kranjcar: A disappointing performance from the Croatian, who was given over 30 minutes to make an impact. Failed to make an impact further up the pitch and offered very little help to the defence. (4/10)
Mauricio Isla: Showed a couple of nice touches as QPR looked to attack through him in the closing stages, but he couldn't find the space he needed. (6/10)
ARSENAL
Goal
David Ospina: Relieved the pressure on his defence in the first half by coming off his line to deal with a few dangerous crosses. A spectator for long spells after the break before watching Austin find the net with an unstoppable effort. (6/10)
Defence
Hector Bellerin: Continuing to impress in his extended run in the side. Eager to get forward as much as possible but kept to his defensive task well, too. (6/10)
Per Mertesacker: Returned to the side and silenced a few doubters with a fine second-half display as he led by example to hold off QPR late on. Consistency will be the next target for the German. (7/10)
Gabriel Paulista: The Brazilian looked nervy attempting to keep tabs on the impressive Austin, and his night went from bad to worse as a hamstring injury forced him off in the first half. (4/10)
Kieran Gibbs: Given problems by QPR's wingers early on but improved as the game progressed and played a key role in the opening goal as a dangerous cross set up Giroud. (6/10)
Midfield
Francis Coquelin: Another fine performance from the Frenchman. Responded to the physical challenge against the QPR midfield and provided vital protection for the visiting defence. (8/10)
Santi Cazorla: The Spaniard's influence grew as the game progressed after being kept quiet by the hosts in the first half. Not a headline-stealing performance, but he's certainly a key man for the Gunners. (6/10)
Tomas Rosicky: Looked after the ball in trademark fashion to keep things ticking over in midfield, despite being denied the space he enjoys in the final third of the pitch. (6/10)
Attack
Mesut Ozil: A Jekyll and Hyde performance from the World Cup winner. Starved of service for much of the first half before improving to give QPR problems with his clever passing and movement. (7/10)
Olivier Giroud: A periphery figure for much of the game, but he played a crucial role in another win. Opened the scoring with his fifth goal in five games to send Arsenal on their way. (6/10)
Alexis Sanchez: Much like Ozil, the Chilean was unable to break free of his markers to get involved on a regular basis before the break. However, he was key in the second half. Started the attack for the opener before securing the points with his first goal in seven matches. (8/10)
Substitutes
Laurent Koscielny: Sent on as Gabriel's replacement in the first half, and he played an important part of Arsenal's defensive improvement after the break. (6/10)
Aaron Ramsey: Given just a few minutes following his recent injury problems and couldn't make an impact as QPR piled on the pressure. (5/10)
Danny Welbeck: Couldn't get a kick of the ball after being introduced in stoppage time. (4/10)
