Arsenal 2 – 2 MAN CITY – PLAYER RATINGS

Hart - Deceived early on by Welbeck’s chip and would have been relieved to see the ball bounce off the post and into his arms. There has been the odd whisper that he was to blame for Wilshere’s goal, beaten at his near post, but it was a magnificent finish and Hart was helpless - 6

Zabaleta - One outstanding last-ditch tackle to thwart Welbeck in the second half, but found life tricky against the pace and trickery of Alexis Sanchez. Received a booking early on and had to tread carefully for the rest of the match. That seemed to impinge on his customary full-blooded approach - 6

Kompany - As he so often is, he was the rock at the heart of our defence. He anticipated danger so quickly, stepping across to cover or moving out from the back to make an interception, and he was the charismatic leader and presence that we needed in such an important fixture - 8.5

Demichelis - Rescued a point with a bullet header and produced a solid, competent display at the back. Gave possession away worryingly on one occasion, but was otherwise right on his game when faced with Arsenal’s movement and fluidity - 7

Clichy - Exceptional. He seemed to be everywhere and seemed to do everything. It would be easy to overlook his understated work – and, indeed, some have rather harshly blamed him for Wilshere’s goal – but he gave a near-complete performance. Supported our attacks eagerly down the left, moving forward with pace, purpose and class, and he was imperious in defence, constantly making required blocks and clearances - 9

Fernandinho – He seemed off the pace in the first half, often taking one touch too many and being dispossessed, but then really grew into the game and became a key figure in the second half - 7

Lampard - He’ll be pleased to get his debut out of the way and he will hopefully kick on in future appearances. Arsenal’s midfield is full of energy and dynamism and he found that combination a struggle at times, but there were some promising touches - 6

Navas - City’s main outlet throughout the match. His pace is frightening and he was always available for the pass out wide. His bursts forward gave the defence some respite and pushed the team into dangerous positions. Supplied Aguero with a delightful cross for the opener and looked the most likely source of chances. If there were one criticism, however, it would be that he ought to be even more direct, as he has the beating of the opposition every time - 8

Milner - You know what you get with Milner: tactical awareness, intelligent movement and an underrated ability on the ball, and yesterday was no different. He limited Debuchy’s offensive forays in the first half and then after a ten-minute spell in central midfield in which he found it tough to adjust to the pace of the game, he showed his quality from the middle. He will, as ever, be a very useful player this season - 8

Silva - If it were not for Clichy’s brilliance, Silva would have been accepting even more plaudits. We should never grow tired of watching him shuffle around, orchestrating attacks and probing for opposition weaknesses. Pellegrini deployed him in his best role, floating just behind one striker, and he was influential in all we did - 8.5

Aguero - Took his goal superbly, making a difficult chance look routine, but that is a measure of his clinical touch and enduring quality. Worked hard to get involved and bring others into play and he’ll presumably reprise his lone striker role against both Bayern Munich and Chelsea - 7

Subs

Nasri – He has frequently seemed affected by the Arsnal fans’ booing in recent years and so I felt it Pellegrini made the right decision to leave him out of the side. He did OK when introduced and showed a few neat touches in possession, but had no major impact on proceedings - 6

Džeko - Should have buried his chance in injury-time and that would have given us the three points. Instead, his tame effort was saved relatively comfortably - 6

Kolarov - Almost scored the winner with a trademark powerful shot - No time to mark

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