Blackburn Rovers v Arsenal - Player Ratings

It was a scrappy game of little quality, but it was the result that mattered here. The first half saw us offer little going forward, and the same could have been said about Blackburn. The game was a middle third battle, and we were lucky to be one up at half time. The second half was a little better, with Reyes and Van Persie both coming close. Two late Blackburn chances gave us a scare, but we came through to take the three points.

Key Incidents:

Goal (Arsenal) (44) – It took some time coming, but it was worth the wait! Cole spun away from his man and slipped the ball to Van Persie, who was on the edge of the Blackburn box. He turned inside and rounded Friedel before slotting the ball away.

Man of The Match – Mathieu Flamini

Player Ratings

Jens Lehmann - 7 - Dealt with every ball that game into our box in a cool and collected manor. He was rarely forced into anything other than a routine save.

Gael Clichy - 7 - Linked up well with Cole, and he got stuck into the challenges. Always made himself available.

Kolo Toure - 7 - Good strong defending. He only had one slip late on allowing Reid in, but he blazed the chance wide.

Philippe Senderos - 7 - Our recent good defending has been in no small part down to him. He seems to have finally found his feet in the English game, and is looking better every game. With every touch he seems to gain more experience.

Lauren - 6 - Gave the ball away on a number of occasions. This could however, have been said of a number of players.

Ashley Cole - 7 - He kept on going through a first half we he was barely able to get forward at all. Played a few excellent balls in the second, and set up the goal.

Patrick Vieira - 7 - Another good performance. It has been a while since I could say that for two games running, but again he led us on.

Mathieu Flamini - 7 ½ Narrowly the man of the match. His tackling ability won him the prize, with many a fine challenge being made. He did this consistently throughout the game – never letting them settle in the middle. His passing was also good.

Cesc Fabregas - 6 - Made himself available on the right wing, but didn't always look comfortable out there. As with Gilberto last season, I don't see Fabregas on the right wing as a long term option.

Jose Reyes - 7 - Another good game for him. While he still didn't want to shoot from outside the box, he made sure he fired away when inside the box. His running on and off the ball was great to see.

Robin Van Persie - 7 - He was only included in the line up due to a late injury to Freddie. He had a good game, and was a close call for man of the match. In a game where we had to play long ball, he was the one to win the headers. He hit the bar, as well as scoring the winning goal.