Arsenal player ratings: Ethan Nwaneri is perfect Bukayo Saka replacement but Gabriel Jesus goes missing against Brighton
ETHAN NWANERI was the brightest spark on the pitch as Arsenal slumped to a draw against Brighton.
Nwaneri continued to impress despite his tender age as he opened the scoring with a composed finish in the first half.
His goal could have been a winner if it was not for a Joao Pedro penalty in the second half.
However, the same could not be said for striker Gabriel Jesus.
The former Manchester City striker was anonymous against the Seagulls.
Jesus’ previous flash of form would have come in handy to stop the Gunners dropping points on the road.
SunSport’s Isabelle Barker has given her ratings for the Arsenal players…
DAVID RAYA – 6
The Spanish stopper didn’t have too much to deal with apart from Joao Pedro’s penalty which he went the wrong way for. He couldn’t have done too much about it though, it was a classy finish into the other corner.
THOMAS PARTEY – 6
Partey was ok to start with at right-back but the experiment still looked unconvincing in the second-half, with him struggling to handle Kaoru Mitoma when the Japanese international came on.
WILLIAM SALIBA – 6
The French centre-back was solid up until conceding the crucial penalty for dangerous play against Pedro in the box. If it had been a headbutt, Saliba would have been sent off, in fairness it looked as though he was going for the ball, and it was an unfortunate clash of heads.
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GABRIEL MAGALHAES – 5
Started off solidly at the back but faded out with little answers for Brighton‘s pressure towards the end.
RICCARDO CALAFIORI – 7
Calafiori was superb, particularly in the first half against Brighton, with the stats speaking for themselves. He won the most duels, completed the most take ons and most tackles. He also misplaced just one of his 22 passes.
JORGINHO – 6
The ex-Chelsea man struggled to receive the ball under pressure, nearly costing Arsenal a goal for the hosts. Generally looked too slow for the game this evening.
MIKEL MERINO – 7
The Spanish midfielder linked up beautifully with Rice for the opener, producing a lovely pass over the top for Nwaneri to latch onto. Merino faded out towards the end though, looking more sluggish and ponderous on the ball as the minutes went by.
DECLAN RICE – 7
The midfielder was the furthest forward, pressing the Brighton backline with Jesus and it worked at first.
He took on the Odegaard role when Arsenal didn’t have possession. Was involved with first big chance with Jesus and then pulled the strings for Nwaneri’s opener.
LEANDRO TROSSARD – 6
The Brighton faithful were booing Trossard from the get go but he didn’t show up to silence them. The Belgian winger offered very little going forward.
ETHAN NWANERI – 8
So good from Nwaneri for the opener. He was involved in the build up with Rice and Merino then put on the afterburners to produce a charging run before slotting the ball into the bottom corner.
What a good replacement Nwaneri has been for Bukayo Saka. He fits the bill with pace, body shape, and a lovely left foot.
GABRIEL JESUS – 5
The striker lashed a shot at Verbruggen for an early warning, but he was offside anyway, wasting the delicious through ball from Jorginho. Was virtually anonymous by the end and Arsenal won’t be able to win the league with a striker like that.
Substitutes
MARTIN ODEGAARD – 6
GABRIEL MARTINELLI – 6