Arsenal ratings: Martinelli shines with crucial winning goal but Odegaard has an off-day

ARSENAL have extended their lead at the top of the Premier League table to five points thanks to a fantastic finish from Gabriel Martinelli.

It was another impressive performance from the Gunners, who reserved their spot at the top for at least another week.

But, Leicester didn’t make it easy for them.

Following another win for Mikel Arteta and his team, SunSport’s Emillia Hawkins rates Arsenal’s performance.

Aaron Ramsdale – 7

He wasn’t called upon too much throughout the game, but whenever he was he did well to maintain the clean sheet.

Ben White – 6

The full-back didn’t get off to the best start as his foul on Ward led to Trossard’s stunning goal being ruled out.

It was another relatively quiet afternoon, but he did contribute to the much-needed clean sheet.

William Saliba – 6

Another solid performance from the Frenchman. He has established an excellent defensive relationship with Gabriel.

Gabriel Magalhaes – 6

Worked very well with Saliba in defence to break up any goalscoring opportunities from Leicester.

Oleksandr Zinchenko – 6

A leader’s performance. Zinchenko was handed the captain’s armband as a mark of respect ahead of the game, but he continues to lead by example on the pitch each week and this occasion was no different.

Granit Xhaka – 6

Xhaka did well to break up play in midfield and helped to prevent a number of Leicester attacks.

Jorginho – 6

Worked well next to Xhaka in midfield when breaking up play.

Martin Odegaard – 6

It was by no means his best performance, but Odegaard put in another composed performance in midfield.

He needed to play with more urgency and decisiveness at times when on the counter attack, especially with the likes of Martinelli and Saka providing a threat on each wing.

Bukayo Saka – 7

Another excellent performance from the winger.

He caused numerous problems for Leicester right-back Victor Kristiansen and almost wrote his name on the scoresheet in the second half, but his effort was ruled out for an offside in the build-up.

Leandro Trossard – 7

He started the game slightly out of position, replacing Eddie Nketiah as a striker. But, throughout the game he dropped slightly deeper on some occasions to link up with Odegaard as a false nine.

Trossard has continued to impress Arsenal fans each week since his arrival from Brighton and this time was no different.

He was unlucky not to get on the scoresheet within the first 30 minutes of the game after his stunning strike was ruled out following a foul on Ward, but he did claim the assist for Martinelli’s second-half goal.

Gabriel Martinelli – 7

Despite his recent dip in form, Martinelli was able to produce a moment of magic to put his team 1-0 up at the start of the second half.

He was almost injured in the process after Wilfred Ndidi appeared to stamp on his knee, but he was able to play on for the remainder of the game.

Substitutes

Eddie Nketiah (for Trossard, 70) – 6

Didn’t pose too much of an attacking threat when he came on, but it didn’t matter in the end as the Gunners took all three points.

Thomas Partey (for Odegaard, 84) – 5

He didn’t have too much time to make an impact, but showed glimpses of composure in midfield after replacing Odegaard.

Takehiro Tomiyasu (for Zinchenko, 93) – 5

Did not have enough time on the pitch to make an impact.