Man City 5-0 Arsenal: Player ratings as champions thrash limp Gunners

Manchester City romped to an easy Premier League win over a very poor Arsenal, who played more than half of the game with 10 players after Granit Xhaka was sent off.

Just as it was when they thrashed Norwich a week ago, the game was over for City as a contest in the first half. The champions cut through the Gunners far too easily and led 2-0 inside 12 minutes thanks to easy goals Ilkay Gundogan and Ferran Torres.

Arsenal already had a mountain to climb, but Xhaka made it impossible with a moment of madness in the closing stages of the first half. The Swiss international, who is supposed to be a leader and one of their ‘experienced’ players, flew into a two-footed tackle and had no right to argue with the referee’s decision to produce a red card – although he did try.

City made it 3-0 before half-time, while a fine team goal early in the second half was finished off by Rodri. The latter strike summed up the game because Arsenal defenders were chasing shadows on the edge of their own box before the Spaniard nonchalantly stroked the ball home.

City didn’t let up and Torres got his second of the day in the closing stages when he drifted off the back of Rob Holding and converted an easy header.

The inquest will begin for Arsenal, who failed to register a single shot on target and only had one paltry shot off target, slipped to the bottom of Premier League table as a result. City, meanwhile, are flying after scoring 10 goals in two games without reply.

Here’s a closer look at how both sets of players got on…

Manchester City player ratings

1. Goalkeeper & Defenders

Ederson (GK) 6/10: Hardly saw the ball in the first half and saw even less of in the second.

Kyle Walker (RB) 6/10: Taken off after 45 minutes to give Zinchenko some decent minutes.

Aymeric Laporte (CB) 7/10: His biggest was trying to make something happen going forward because there was no need to any defending.

Ruben Dias (CB) 7/10: Showcased his ability to pass the ball out from the back.

Joao Cancelo (LB) 7/10: Got forward at every opportunity because he didn’t have much defending to do. Swapped flank to right-back at half-time.

2. Midfielders

Rodri (DM) 8/10: Dominated midfield and dictated player. Scored a fine City fourth.

Bernardo Silva (CM) 7/10: Had Arsenal chasing shadows in the first half. Withdrawn not long after half-time.

Ilkay Gundogan (CM) 8/10: Good in possession and made his trademark runs forward from midfield. Rewarded with City’s first goal of the day and his first of the season.

3. Forwards

Gabriel Jesus (RW) 8/10: Thriving in this role on the right flank. Scored his first goal of the season and bagged another assist in another top performance. Taken off after an hour with the job done.

Ferran Torres (ST) 9/10: Two goals and an assist for the young Spaniard who is doing a fine job as City’s ‘number nine’ in the absence of a big name signing.

Jack Grealish (LW) 7/10: Continues to look at ease in this team. Bagged an assist after beating his marker and knocking the ball to Jesus.

4. Substitutes

Oleksandr Zinchenko (LB) 6/10: Created an attacking overload on the left in the second half.

Raheem Sterling (LW) 7/10: Looked lively and sharp when he came on.

Riyad Mahrez (RW) 7/10: Kept the tempo high and provided the cross for City’s fifth goal.

Arsenal player ratings

5. Goalkeeper & Defenders

Bernd Leno (GK) 5/10: Made some saves that kept the scoreline from getting even bigger.

Cedric Soares (RWB) 3/10: Took a cheap booking in the first half and it set him at a disadvantage for the rest of the game. Had a torrid time trying to deal with Grealish and later Sterling.

Calum Chambers (CB) 2/10: Not strong enough or defensively aware enough to be playing as a Premier League centre-back. It is that simple.

Rob Holding (CB) 4/10: Fared slightly better than his defensive colleagues but it was always going to be extremely tough. Completely lost Torres for the fifth goal.

Sead Kolasinac (CB) 2/10: Ben White’s absence gave the Bosnian international a chance he and fans probably never thought he would get again. Not up to it.

Kieran Tierney (LWB) 5/10: Was fortunate that most of City’s attacking came down the opposite flank.

6. Midfielders

Martin Odegaard (CM) 3/10: Couldn’t get into the game at all as City’s far superiors midfielders zipped the ball around him with ease.

Granit Xhaka (CM) 1/10: Showed a shocking lack of intelligence when he flew into a challenge with Joao Cancelo with two feet off the ground. Instant red card was rightly issued.

7. Forwards

Bukayo Saka (RW) 5/10: Had to be tactically sacrificed when Xhaka was sent off.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (ST) 3/10: Could only watch on as his team leaked goal after goal. But his own performance was rather anonymous.

Emile Smith Rowe (LW) 4/10: Spent most of the game without the ball, which was to be expected but meant he couldn’t create anything for his team.

8. Substitutes

Mohamed Elneny (CM) 3/10: Brought on at half-time to fill the central midfield void caused by Xhaka’s red card. Always struggling to keep up with City’s quick passing.

Alexandre Lacazette (ST) 3/10: Anonymous.

Ainsley Maitland-Niles (CM) 4/10: His presence in midfield didn’t change anything.

For more from Jamie Spencer, follow him on Twitter and Facebook!