Arsenal 3-1 Chelsea, Player Ratings: Xhaka shines

8:23pm on Saturday 26th December 2020
By Stefan Bienkowski

Arsenal brought an end to a run of four games without victory with a somewhat unexpected 3-1 victory over Chelsea in the Premier League.

Mikel Arteta was forced into playing a number of young players after injury and COVID regulations ruled out a number of first-team stars, but it ended up working in his favour as they put in an impressive, youthful performance against a disappointing Chelsea side.

Arsenal 3-1 Chelsea: Player Ratings, Match Stats, Player Stats

So, who were the best and worst performers from both sides?

✔️ GOOD PERFORMANCE

Bukayo Saka: 7.3

Arsenal desperately needed their young players to step up in place of their missing senior stars and they undoubtedly did that. And in Bukayo Saka, Arteta has an attacking midfielder that was an exceptional example throughout.

Not only did the English midfielder score a tremendous cross-turned-goal in the second half to put Arsenal 3-0 up, but he also managed more crosses than any other Arsenal player on the pitch.

❌ BAD PERFORMANCE

Timo Werner: 5.7

In a match that Chelsea struggled to find any sort of foothold in, it was undoubtedly Timo Werner that was the biggest disappointment in Frank Lampard’s side.

The German striker was pulled off at half time after managing just two shots and two touches of the ball in the opposing box in 45 minutes.

A poor opening half now means that Werner has gone 11 appearances for the London club without scoring a single goal.

⭐ STAR MAN

Granit Xhaka: 7.5

After a straight red card against Burnley in his last Premier League outing for Arsenal, Granit Xhaka not only had to prove he could put in a good performance but also show a degree of maturity among this new-look, youthful Arsenal side.

Fortunately for Arsenal, that’s exactly what the midfielder did. No player in an Arsenal shirt had more touches of the ball than Xhaka on Saturday evening and the Swiss international also completed more passes than any of his team mates.

However, his greatest contribution to Arsenal’s impressive victory was a superb free-kick into the top right corner just before the break. Not only did it give Arteta’s side a two-goal cushion but it also dealt Chelsea a major blow at a crucial point in the match. And one they never recovered from.

Arsenal 3-1 Chelsea: Player Ratings, Match Stats, Player Stats