Arsenal decimated Norweigan side Viking 8-0 in a pre-season friendly match in Stavanager.
Youngsters Joel Campbell, Chuba Akpom and Alex Iwobi netted five of Arsenal’s eight goals on the day as the Gunners swept past a hapless Viking side in Norway. After a drab 30 minutes of football, the game burst into life with the Arsenal players putting up a show against the Norwegian side. Arsene Wenger’s side dominated the game in all parts of the field and proved to be no match for the Vikings.
Below are the player ratings for the eleven starters on the day for Arsenal:
David Ospina: 6.5
Had very little to do in Arsenal’s goal. There were only a few moments when the Colombian was called into action, and he made easy work of those attempts.
Mathieu Debuchy: 7
Was decent going forward and also won a penalty. Good showing by the French right-back.
Gabriel Paulista: 6.5
Looked resolute at the back and rarely gave anything away to the opposition. He was calm on the ball and made a couple of last ditch clearances to see off the pressure.
Krystian Bielik: 6
Looked a bit shaky initially, but got better as the game wore on.
Kieran Gibbs: 7
Looked good defensively and also linked well with Walcott in the final third. Was up to the task and won most of the aerial duels. An absolutely neat performance from the 26-year-old.
Francis Coquelin: 7
Bullied the Viking midfielders in the middle of the park and provided ample cover to the defence.
Mohamed Elneny: 9
Was a constant threat in the opposition penalty area, winning a number of headers. He also gave the assist to Campbell’s first goal.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain: 6
Was anonymous for most of his time on the pitch, and did very little to impact proceedings.
Santi Cazorla: 8
Despite missing a penalty in the third minute, the Spanish midfielder was impressive throughout the game. He scored an absolute screamer in the 49th minute.
Joel Campbell: 9.5
Scored two goals, assisted another, and was quite simply the best player on the day. It was also due to his cross that Arsenal scored their fourth through an own goal. Great pre-season game for the youngster.
Theo Walcott: 5.5
Despite grabbing a goal for himself, the Englishman looked far from impressive. Starting as a number nine, he failed to do what was asked of him as he missed a number of chances. His passes too were often off the mark, and it seems an uphill task if he is to establish himself as a first-team regular.