ARSENAL have waved goodbye to their unbeaten start to the season after they fell victim to a shock 2-1 defeat to Lens.
The French outfit were absolutely superb and Mikel Arteta’s Gunners never really got firing.
ReutersElye Wahi sunk Arsenal in a 2-1 win for Lens[/caption]
AlamyDeclan Rice was sharp in midfield, but couldn’t do it all for his side[/caption]
ReutersDavid Raya made a costly mistake for Lens’ first goal[/caption]
To add insult to injury Bukayo Saka was hooked after just over half an hour with the England international nursing an injury.
Gabriel Jesus put Arsenal ahead early on with a tidy goal, but it was quickly nullified by Thomasson’s delightful curled finish.
It was Eyle Wahi who gave the North Londoners’ European dreams a deeper blow when he put Lens ahead in the 69th minute.
Here’s how SunSport rated the Arsenal players’ performances.
David Raya – 5
The Spaniard gave away the ball very cheaply for the Lens goal in the first half.
He’s been brought in for his distribution, but Arsenal fans are yet to see him show off his Brentford skillset – a night to forget.
Takehiro Tomiyasu – 6
Struggled in the opening exchanges of the game up against Lens’ overlapping full-backs, but settled in well afterwards.
Had a lovely venture forward with Saka, but couldn’t recreate his relationship with Fabio Vieira once the Englishman was subbed off.
He came close to scoring in the second half from a superb left-footed volley, but was denied by Brice Samba.
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William Saliba – 6
Not his finest game, but he wasn’t at fault for either of the goals that Lens put away during the 90 minutes.
Like most of the Arsenal side he seemed to be off the pace and a little lethargic.
GettyWilliam Saliba was unable to help Arsenal keep two goals out[/caption]
Gabriel Magalhaes – 6
Much like his centre-back partner Saliba, he didn’t make any glaring errors.
But when called upon he wasn’t able to do enough to help his side get over the line against a 16th placed Lens team.
Oleksandr Zinchenko – 5
Couldn’t help Arsenal keep hold of the ball the way he usually does and was caught out on the flanks a couple of times.
When Zinchenko dominates, Arsenal dominate but neither of those things happened tonight.
Declan Rice – 8
Perhaps the only shining light in a dismal night for the Gunners.
£105m is starting to look like a bargain with Declan Rice consistently performing for the Gunners week-in-week-out.
He was everywhere when he needed to be and dominated the gaps between Arsenal’s attacking midfielders and their back line.
GettyRice has made an impact for Arsenal since signing this summer[/caption]
Martin Odegaard – 5
It’s not often that Martin Odegaard isn’t at the races, but he struggled to create for Arsenal tonight.
He was hooked with ten minutes to play and it’s not clear if that’s in preparation for Arsenal’s clash with Man City this weekend or if it’s because he couldn’t contribute.
Kai Havertz – 5
Havertz was unable to build on his first Arsenal goal at the weekend with another uninspiring performance.
He did his defence duties when he was called upon, but he was bought for £65m for more than a defensive clearance or two.
Bukayo Saka – 6
Looked good when he was on the pitch… but he wasn’t on it for long.
Mikel Arteta and Arsenal fans alike will be deeply concerned that they’ve lost their starboy for Sunday’s MASSIVE clash with Man City.
Saka was subbed off just 34 minutes into the game for Fabio Vieira after going down with a knock he’s been nursing for a while.
AlamyBukayo Saka was forced off with an injury and could miss Arsenal’s matchup with Man City[/caption]
Leandro Trossard – 6
The Belgian wasn’t able to shine the same way he did against PSV and perhaps it’s because he’s just come back from a stint in the medical room.
Gabriel Jesus – 8
A stunning finish to open the scoring for Arsenal, but as usual with Jesus it was more than his attacking play that caught the eye.
The Brazilian was regularly dropping deep to link things up and threw himself about to win the ball back a few times too.
He struggled a bit in the second half, but was definitely one of Arsenal’s better performers.
APGabriel Jesus’ goal wasn’t enough to see Arsenal get anything from the game[/caption]
SUBSTITUTES
Fabio Vieira (for Saka) – 5
It’s never easy to step in for Bukayo Saka, but it’s even harder when you have to do it for most of the game.
Vieira has been impressive this term, but he looked like the Vieira of last season this evening in France.
Reiss Nelson (for Trossard) – 6
Always bright when he comes on, but wasn’t on the pitch long enough to make an impact.
Had one effort saved by Samba that would have seen him add to the collection of late late goals he’s building.
Ben White (for Zinchenko) – 6
Like Nelson, he was unable to influence the game with so little time on the pitch.
Emile Smith Rowe (for Havertz) – 6
Still looks like he’s lacking match sharpness after so long out of the picture.
One good effort against Samba, but it wasn’t enough to beat the Lens shot-stopper.
Eddie Nketiah (for Odegaard) – 5
Couldn’t get on the end of anything when he came on, but like the others is excused due to his lack of minutes on the pitch.
GettyFabio Vieira couldn’t slip in seamlessly for Saka[/caption]
ReutersEmile Smith Rowe got more minutes in the tank, but is still lacking match sharpness[/caption]
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