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Arsenal thrashed Sheffield United 5-0 at the Emirates Stadium in the Premier League on Saturday, October 28.
The Gunners entered this contest on the back of three wins, one draw and one defeat in their last five outings. Their last game was a spirited 2-1 win over Sevilla away from home in the Champions League as they moved to the top of their group.
Mikel Arteta made three changes to the team that drew 2-2 with Chelsea last weekend as Jakub Kiwior and Emile Smith Rowe were handed deserved starts.
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Arsenal made a strong start to the game and looked to control the tempo by keeping possession of the ball. With two-thirds of the ball in the first period, the hosts attempted five shots with three of those on target. In doing so, they kicked the opening goal of the contest after 28 minutes.
Declan Rice received the ball on the edge of the box before picking out Edward Nketiah, who took a delightful touch to make space before shooting and scoring to make it 1-0.
Sheffield were fully on the back foot going into the half-time break as they trailed by one goal.
Arsenal made a great start to the second half as they doubled their lead just five minutes after the resumption. Bukayo Saka's cross was dealt awkwardly with by goalkeeper Wesley Foderingham and the ball fell kindly to Nketiah, who composed himself and fired it in to make it 2-0.
The Englishman grabbed his hat-trick just eight minutes later as he scored a thunderous goal from outside the box to make it 3-0. Fabio Vieira then converted a penalty in the 88th minute to make it 4-0 as the Gunners were cruising to victory. Takehiro Tomiyasu then grabbed his first goal for the club late on to make it 5-0.
Arsenal secured a thumping win over Sheffield and on that note, let's take a look at their player ratings.
Arsenal Player Ratings
David Raya - 7/10
Raya did not have to make any saves as he cruised to a clean sheet.
Benjamin White - 7/10
White had a good game on the right flank and was solid in defense. He won five duels, making two tackles in the process. He also came close to scoring with an attempt on target in the second period.
William Saliba - 7/10
Saliba won one duel and passed the ball with 96% accuracy, including three long balls.
Jakub Kiwior - 7/10
Kiwior was good in defense as he made five clearances and played six long balls.
Oleksandr Zinchenko - 7.5/10
Zinchenko had a very good game both on and off the ball. He made two tackles and one interception and also won two duels. He also played one key pass and four long balls.
Kai Havertz - 6.5/10
Havertz had a decent game in midfield, winning five duels and making two interceptions in the process. He also played one key pass.
Declan Rice - 7/10
Rice won two duels in midfield and made two tackles and one interception. He also played one key pass and two long balls. He also assisted Arsenal's first goal of the game.
Emile Smith Rowe - 7/10
Smith Rowe looked sharp in midfield as he passed the ball with 83% accuracy, including one key pass and one long ball. He also won three duels.
Bukayo Saka - 7/10
Saka put in a decent performance in his first start as the Gunners' captain. He won four duels and played one key pass.
Edward Nketiah - 9.5/10
Nketiah was superb as he bagged his first career hat-trick for Arsenal with three smart finishes. He also won six duels.
Gabriel Martinelli - 7.5/10
Martinelli was fast with the ball at his feet and made things happen in the final third for his team. He passed the ball with 97% accuracy, including three key passes, two crosses and two long balls. He also won six duels.
Substitutes
Leandro Trossard - 6.5/10
Trossard replaced Martinelli in the second half and put in a good display.
Takehiro Tomiyasu - 7.5/10
Tomiyasu came on in the second half and grabbed his first-ever goal for the club late in the game.
Reiss Nelson - 6.5/10
Nelson put in a good performance after replacing Saka.
Fabio Vieira - 7.5/10
Vieira scored for Arsenal from the spot having come on in the second half.
Mohamed Elneny - N/A
Elneny came on late in the game and did not play enough minutes to justify a rating.
