Arsenal player ratings vs Club Brugge: 9/10 steals the show in key victory

Arsenal kept their winning run in the Champions League going at the expense of Club Brugge as Mikel Arteta’s injury-hit team bounced back to form

Arsenal have given themselves a huge lift by securing their sixth consecutive Champions League victory.

Piero Hincapie was inches away from finding the net, deflecting a Myles Lewis-Skelly shot onto the post. Shortly after, Noni Madueke broke the stalemate with one of the competition’s standout goals, firing in a long-range strike.

The England winger then doubled the advantage just after half-time, capitalising on a perfectly delivered cross from Martin Zubimendi to easily finish. Gabriel Martinelli curled a shot into the far corner from distance to wrap up the three points.

Here, the Daily Star Sport rates the performances of the Arsenal players:

David Raya – Held his ground against several shots from Carlos Forbs. Made an excellent save to thwart Stankovic’s low drive, getting down quickly and covering the follow-up too. 8.

Ben White – Was a tireless runner, overlapping Madueke on the right to exploit open space. Formed a surprisingly effective partnership with Norgaard and backed the unconventional defensive choice. 7.

Christian Norgaard – Given the responsibility of playing as a centre-back and taking long throws for the Gunners. Made a potentially goal-saving interception to stop Hans Vanaken from tapping in and continued to defend robustly throughout – undeterred by the unfamiliar position. 7.

Piero Hincapie – The Gunner who came closest to scoring in the early stages, deflecting a Myles Lewis-Skelly shot onto the post. He also put his body on the line at the other end, blocking several attempts on David Raya’s goal. 7.

Myles Lewis-Skelly – Like Zubimendi before him, he bagged an assist by passing the ball 15 yards to Gabriel Martinelli before his stunning strike. This was a much-improved performance from the 19 year old after a few shaky displays. 7.

Martin Zubimendi – He might not have expected to earn an assist after finding Noni Madueke far from the goal before his long-range strike. His second assist was more eye-catching; a perfect cross with his weaker foot made it impossible for Madueke to miss. 8.

Mikel Merino – Back in midfield, the Spaniard seemed somewhat absent from the game, particularly during long stretches when his lack of recovery pace left the midfield exposed at times. 5.

Martin Odegaard – Had a chance from outside the box saved in the early part of the match. He kept the play moving as usual but perhaps still needs to find that sharpness as he returns to regular action. 6.

Noni Madueke – There were gasps when the winger went down with an injury early on; luckily, it was just a finger problem. It was good news considering it wasn’t long before his brilliant long-range strike put the Gunners ahead. He managed to force a strong save just before half-time, with a curling effort from the right that had to be pushed away. He then headed in at the back post after a brilliant cross from Zubimendi. 9.

Viktor Gyokeres – Had an opportunity in the first half from a Gabriel Martinelli cross, which he headed wide. Overall, his performance left more questions than answers, with a noticeable lack of involvement and dwindling arguments for a lack of service. 5.

Gabriel Martinelli – Managed to get the better of Hugo Siquet for the most part, delivering some crosses into the box and handling the ball well on the left, but had a quiet first half. However, he turned things around in the second half with a brilliant nutmeg on Siquet before curling a strike into the top right corner. 8.

Substitutes:

Gabriel Jesus – Managed a shot which was tame but on target after weaving his way through several players. Found another opportunity towards the end which could have been better executed, and ended the game with more touches in half the time than the man he replaced, Gyokeres. 7.

Riccardo Calafiori – Came on to replace Piero Hincapie and helped see out the game in the centre of defence alongside Norgaard. 6.

Bukayo Saka – Perhaps not the substitute fans were hoping to see come on, but the player is always eager to play. 6.

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

Marli Salmon – A fantastic moment for the young player to make his debut late on for the club. n/a.