Arsenal 4-0 Chelsea : Player Ratings as Gunners smash Blues in pre-season

Arsenal produced a thoroughly convincing performance to see off Chelsea and win the Florida Cup, with four separate players getting on the scoresheet in the end.

It was a first half of utter domination by the Gunners, as they appeared the fitter of the two sides by some way, forcing the Blues into multiple careless mistakes at the back – two of which led to goals before half time.

The first was a smart finish by new signing Gabriel Jesus, who chipped Edouard Mendy in the Chelsea net, before Martin Odegaard shot past the Senegalese ‘keeper 10 minutes from the break to consolidate Arsenal’s lead.

There were two more goals to come after half time, with Bukayo Saka slotting home midway through the second half, and Albert Sambi Lokonga heading into the back of the net with practically the final touch of the game.

Here’s the player ratings from VAVEL for every single one of the 41 across both teams that stepped out onto the pitch in Florida for this game.

Arsenal Starting XI

Aaron Ramsdale – 6

Had very little to do throughout the 72 minutes he was on the pitch, barely having to make a save.

Kept a clean sheet, so praise must be given there, but overall a pleasingly quiet night for the goalkeeper.

Ben White – 6

Played in an unorthodox right back position where he filled in occasionally last season.

Didn’t look too out of place, and like the rest of his defence was rarely troubled by opposition forwards.

William Saliba – 7

For a player who hasn’t played a competitive game for Arsenal, he looked very much assured at the back.

Linked up well with the rest of the defence and could be a major addition to Arteta’s squad this year.​​​​​

Gabriel – 6

One of just two Arsenal players to complete the full 90 minutes (along with the previously mentioned Saliba).

Looks like a natural leader at the back and was comfortable on the ball too.

Oleksandr Zinchenko – 5

As far as debuts go, this was probably the sort of performance Zinchenko would’ve taken before the game.

Didn’t set the world alight but showed promise with some sweeping cross field passes in the first half.

Thomas Partey – 7

Dominant in the middle of the park, controlling his area of the pitch especially well in the first 45 minutes.

Had a few of his customary pop shots from range which weren’t too far off going in either.

Granit Xhaka – 6

Needs to make sure his temper doesn’t get in the way, especially in a pre-season game.

But apart from that, Xhaka is turning into one of the most valuable members of Arteta’s team – something that would’ve seemed shocking a couple of years ago.

Bukayo Saka – 8

Got the crowd on their feet (literally) as he drove at the Chelsea defence, particularly effective against Alonso.

Deserved more than the one goal he ended up getting and was a definite contender for player of the match. 

​​Martin Odegaard – 8

Another exciting performance from the youngster as he showed his talent in various situations.

Exquisite finish for the second goal too, capping off a slick team move.

Gabriel Martinelli – 7

Had a brief injury scare in the first half with his wrist but appeared to recover fairly quickly.

Was a key part of almost all of Arsenal’s attacks and was unlucky not to get a goal for himself.

Gabriel Jesus – 8

Continued his fine start to life in a red shirt, opening the scoring with a delightful finish.

Was on the end of some harsh challenges too, but managed to continue on without any lingering effects.

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Substitutes

Nuno Tavares – 5

Briefly put under pressure at the start of the second half when Chelsea came out with slightly more promise.

Once that subsided he looked comfortable enough – time will tell how many appearances he’ll truly make this season though.

Eddie Nketiah – 7

Impressed from the minute he came on, keeping Arsenal’s attacks fluid even after Jesus had departed.

Another one that will probably feel as though his performance deserved a goal tonight.

Nicolas Pepe – 5

Forced a last ditch block out of Koulibaly with around six minutes to go until full time.

That chance also included a slick run, but few other highlights apart from that.

Marquinhos – 4

Not a whole lot of action to judge the youngster on but he looked exciting to watch when he did get the ball.

Mohamed Elneny – 5

Most definitely set to be behind both Xhaka and Partey when competing for those two defensive midfielder slots in the team.

Matt Turner – 4

Made a couple of goal kicks – virtually nothing else to do for the American in his home country.

Cedric Soares – 5

By the time he was on the pitch Chelsea had effectively stopped attacking, so not much to do in defence for him.

Albert Sambi Lokonga – 7

In the 14 minutes he had he certainly made an impact, getting the fourth goal that truly capped off the victory.

Ainsley Maitland-Niles – 5

Extremely hard to judge based on such a short amount of time, but he didn’t do anything wrong.

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Chelsea Starting XI

Edouard Mendy – 3

Conceding four goals is never going to be a good night for a goalkeeper, no matter the context.

Was particularly at fault for the third goal as he only pushed the ball out into the path of Arsenal players with his saves.

Reece James – ​​​​​4

Got very little of the ball, though did produce a half-chance when he fired a promising cross across the box that was met by nobody.

Other than that, a very quiet performance from the Englishman.

Trevoh Chalobah – 4

Forced off with an injury before half time but had looked shaky up until that point, giving away the ball on multiple occasions. 

Looked noticeably out of place in the back four of the new system that Tuchel was trying out.

Thiago Silva – 5

Like Chalobah, didn’t cover himself in glory for the time he was on the pitch, though there were certainly not as many individual errors from the Brazilian.

Perhaps a sign of the vulnerabilities outside of the three man central defence with his lack of pace.

Emerson – 4

Nothing totally shambolic but was overrun on the wing by Saka over and over again, offering very little going forwards either.

Fair to say he won’t be causing Tuchel any selection headaches at left back this season.

Conor Gallagher – 3

For a player that has been talked up so much, this was a dispiriting performance from the midfielder.

Gave away countless silly fouls and was chasing shadows as part of an obviously overrun midfield.

Jorginho – 5

Didn’t do a disservice to the armband but equally didn’t cover himself in glory with it either.

Expect debates to continue about his ability in helping or hindering moves up the pitch.

Mason Mount – 4

Barely got a touch of the ball so perhaps harsh to criticise him too much but he was a passenger here.

Still has never looked at home in a midfield three, appearing far more comfortable in the attack.

Raheem Sterling – 5

Once more, nothing massively worrisome from the new recruit, though nothing to write home about either.

Was taken off at half time for a tactical switch more than anything based on his performance.

Kai Havertz – 4

Much like Mount, Havertz found himself as a passenger for the time he had on the field.

Still not certain whether the false nine position is one in which the German can flourish properly.

Timo Werner – 2

Arguably the worst of the lot in the first half, spurring the one shot on goal the Blues had in that time.

Lost control of the ball in seemingly simple situations and elicited audible groans from the fans inside the stadium.

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Substitutes

Malang Sarr – 4

Has to be question marks over whether he has a future at the club, given his obvious difference in quality.

Not as apparent today due to the overall poor performance but still not Chelsea standard, though may be kept around to fill the squad out.

Marcos Alonso – 3

If Emerson looked bad in the first half, Alonso did his very best to try and make the left back position even less competitive.

Was left for dead on multiple occasions by Saka and Ben Chilwell must’ve been laughing to himself on the bench.

Cesar Azpilicueta – 4

Was brought on to shore up the defence, which he did to a point, before it then caved in again.

Rumours still swirling around that the Spaniard may be returning to his native country in the near future.

Mateo Kovacic – 6

Was one of few positives for the Blues as he clearly improved the side when he came on.

Lack of quality in attack meant his impact was limited in terms of actual output.

Christian Pulisic – 4

An improvement on Werner, though that didn’t exactly take much to be achieved.

Going to need to be more impressive to challenge for the starting positions in the team.

Michy Batshuayi – 5

Actually had one of the closest chances of the game for Chelsea, heading inches wide of the post.

But, in reality, the fact he is still at the club after all this time is a concern for fans and management alike.

Hakim Ziyech – 6

Put in a couple of promising crosses, including one notable one towards Alonso which should’ve been converted.

Another one whose future is still up in the air due to a lack of guaranteed game time.

Callum Hudson-Odoi – 4

Frustratingly familiar in the lack of quality within the performance – school report would say ‘must do better’.

Kalidou Koulibaly – 5

Made a vital block to prevent Pepe making it four, but it did end up becoming that anyway – probably not the most enjoyable debut.

Ethan Ampadu – 4

There’s an argument he should have started after impressing in previous games, but he had no time to prove that in this one.

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