Wojciech Szczesny – 9 Yet another fantastic performance from the young Arsenal goalkeeper. Now we know why Arsene Wenger did not buy a keeper in the summer. Was very unlucky to concede a goal in that fashion.
Johan Djorou – 7 Was good at right back as long as he stayed on the pitch. His injury in the second half caused a major reshuffle at the back, which proved to be Arsenal’s undoing.
Per Mertesacker – 6 Could have had a much better game than he did. His lack of pace was an obvious disadvantage for Arsenal, who obviously tried to maintain a high line at the back.
Laurent Koscielny – 8.5 Dealt effectively with Sergio Aguero and was unruffled by anything that Manchester City could throw at him. A fantastic outing for Koscielny at the Etihad on the night.
Thomas Vermaelen – 9 In an unfamiliar left back position, Vermaelen was Arsenal’s best player on the night. Was unlucky not to have got on the score-sheet really. An accomplished display from the former Ajax man.
Alex Song – 7 Picked up a needless yellow card in the first half which restricted his movement really. Could have impacted the game much better had his name not been taken by the referee.
Aaron Ramsey – 6 Had a lot of ideas throughout the match, however, woeful execution from the Welsh lad. Chose to control the ball rather than shoot past Joe Hart early in the first half.
Mikel Arteta – 6.5 Did well, but his limitations came to the fore against formidable opponents. Could not do anything special for Arsenal, when they needed him to conjure a spell on proceedings.
Theo Walcott – 4 Was this guy even on the pitch? I do not remember anything from this lad other than a long range shot that did not test Hart.
Gervinho – 7.5 Tried his level best to get a goal for Arsenal and create something however, he fell short by a whisker. It was end to end stuff from the Ivorian who did not allow a moments peace for Micah Richards.
Robin van Persie – 6.5 Vincent Kompany’s brilliant man marking meant that the flying Dutchman hardly had a sniff on the ball in the box. A goal was ruled off-side and another worthy effort was saved brilliantly by Hart. Had a poor game by his lofty standards.
Substitutes
Ignasi Miquel (47th) – 6.5 Assured on the ball. Although it took him sometime to get on with it, the youngster turned in a professional performance for the gunners.
Andrei Arshavin (82nd) – 1.5 Wasted a couple of chances, shooting wide by some distance on both occasions. Possibly the Russian’s last appearance in an Arsenal shirt.
Marouane Chamakh (82nd) – N/A