Arsenal player ratings vs Club Brugge as Noni Madueke stars but 5/10 has night to forget

CLUB BRUGGE 0-3 ARSENAL: Gunners' player performances rated after Champions League League clash at the Jan Breydel Stadium

Arsenal have given themselves a massive boost winning their sixth consecutive Champions League game.

Piero Hincapie came very close to scoring, redirecting a Myles Lewis-Skelly strike onto the post. Noni Madueke soon after broke the deadlock with one of the goals of the tournament, firing in from range.

The England winger then doubled the lead just after the break after Martin Zubimendi’s cross was perfectly executed to give Madueke the simplest job to finish. It was far from a simple finish when Gabriel Martinelli curled a gorgeous strike into the far corner.

Here is how football.london rated the performances of the Arsenal players:

David Raya – Stood firm against several strikes from Carlos Forbs. Great save to deny Stankovic with a low drive, got down really well and smothered the follow-up too! 8

Ben White – Was a constant running machine, overlapping Madueke down the right to find the open space. Partnered with Norgaard surprisingly well and supported the unorthodox choice in defence. 7

Christian Norgaard – Tasked with playing a centre-back role and the man on the long throws for the Gunners. Provided a potential goal-saving interception to prevent Hans Vanaken tapping-in and continued to defend strongly throughout – unfazed by the unfamiliar position. 7

Piero Hincapie – Went closest for the Gunners in the early part of the game, redirecting a Myles Lewis-Skelly strike onto the post. At the other end, he got his body on the line several times to block multiple attempts on David Raya’s goal. 7

Myles Lewis-Skelly – Like Zubimendi before him, earned an assist for playing the ball 15 yards to Gabriel Martinelli before his brilliant strike. After a few shaky displays, this was a much better performance from the 19-year-old. 7

Martin Zubimendi – An assist which perhaps he might not have thought he’d have earned after finding Noni Madueke miles from goals before his long-range strike. What an amazing assist it was for the second; however, a perfect cross on his weak foot gave Madueke the simplest of tasks. 8

Mikel Merino – Returning to the midfield, the Spaniard was somewhat absent from the game, at least that’s how it felt for long stretches as his lack of recovery pace did see the midfield somewhat exposed at times. 5

Martin Odegaard – Had an opportunity from outside the box saved in the opening stages of the game. Kept the play ticking over as he always does but perhaps again still needing to find that sharpness as he returns to regular action. 6

Noni Madueke – Hearts were in mouths when the winger went down with an issue early on; thankfully, it was just a finger injury. Good news considering not long after it was his brilliant long-range strike which gave the Gunners the lead.

He forced a strong save just before the break, again from the right, a curling effort had to be pushed away. Headed in at the back post after a great cross from Zubimendi. 9

Viktor Gyokeres – Chance in the first half from a Gabriel Martinelli cross, which he headed wide. Overall, it was another display that leaves more questions than answers, with a real lack of involvement, where the argument of a lack of service is dwindling. 5

Gabriel Martinelli – Had the beating of Hugo Siquet for the most part, finding some crosses into the box and working the ball well on the left, but had a quiet first half. That changed in the second with a great nutmeg on Siquet before curling a strike into the top right corner. 7

Substitutes:

Gabriel Jesus – Had a shot which was tame but on target after weaving his way through several players. Found another before the end which he could’ve done better with, and ended the game with more touches in half the time than the man he replaced, Gyokeres. 7

Riccardo Calafiori – Replaced Piero Hincapie to help see out the game in the centre of defence with Norgaard. 6

Bukayo Saka – Perhaps not a substitute fans wanted to see come on but the player is always pushing to play. 6

Ethan Nwaneri – Forced two good late saves from the goalkeeper in a bright cameo. 6.

Marli Salmon – A great moment for the youngster to make his debut late on for the club. n/a