Champions League Player Ratings: Arsenal 3-0 Real Madrid - find out who got 9/10

Arsenal thrash Champions League holders Real Madrid on a never-to-be-forgotten night at the Emirates

Find out who impressed with our Gooner Fanzine Player Ratings after two magnifcent goals from Declan Rice and a third from Mikel Merino sealed an outstanding victory for the Gunners 

Player ratings:

David Raya 8.5/10

Challenged from the opening minutes, saving an early strike from Mbappé. Another crucial save in the 30th minute kept Madrid at bay. Looked ever-confident, frequently making runs to claim the ball. Another convincing clean sheet.

Jurrien Timber 7/10

Defensively solid, worked well with the back line to ensure this evening’s clean sheet. A good performance throughout.

William Saliba 7/10

Was unfortunate to block an Arsenal shot on target at the start of the game but managed to keep Mbappé quieter in the second half. Calm and collected in such a high-pressure game. 

Jakub Kiwior 7/10

Lack of contribution in the first half, giving away a couple of cheap balls. But ultimately did what was necessary to neutralise Madrid’s threats.

Myles Lewis-Skelly 7.5/10

Good at driving the team forward when on the ball, played well up high and in defence. Brilliant pace and physicality across the pitch and a great assist for Merino’s goal.

Martin Ødegaard 7/10

Sometimes struggled to control the ball, but when he managed to keep possession, he was impactful, always offering himself as an option after offloading the ball. Part of the Gunners’ effective midfield unit. 

Thomas Partey 7/10

Had a shot on target in the first half, an early sign of what was to come from Arsenal. Played a key part in a solid midfield performance this evening.

Declan Rice 9/10

A free kick in the 57th minute saw him open the scoring, curling the ball around Madrid’s defensive wall to find the back of the net with a phenomenal goal, only to repeat it ten minutes later, finding the top corner to double the Gunners’ lead.

Bukayo Saka 8/10

His dangerous corner deliveries have certainly been missed, as well as his presence up high on the wing both of which we saw in the opening half. Promising balls into the box, with no one on the end of them. Madrid kept him a bit quieter in the second half.

Mikel Merino 7/10

The makeshift striker struggled to get into the right positions in the first half, especially with the pinpoint balls into the box coming from either side. A quiet opening to the second half was ended with a powerful strike from the edge of the box gave Arsenal their third goal.

Gabriel Martinelli 7/10

Some promising runs down the left wing, and strong balls into the box, helped Arsenal’s to be threatening from the wide areas. Less impact in the second half.

Substitutes:

74’ Leandro Trossard: Replaces Bukayo Saka

80’ Kieran Tierney: Replaces Declan Rice

90’ Ben White: Replaces Jurrien Timber

Subs not used:

Neto,

Tommy Setford,

Oleksandr Zinchenko,

Jorginho,

Nathan Butler-Oyedeji,

Jimi Gower,

Ethan Nwaneri

I was at Copenhagen, both legs vs PSG & Torino in 94, both legs vs Sampdoria in 95, the 2-1 vs Barcelona, 1-0 in the Bernabeu, wins at San Siro & so many other clubs across Europe but I have to say Arsenal 3-0 Real Madrid is the most magnificent Arsenal Euro game I’ve ever seen pic.twitter.com/qEpzzGKspu

— Layth (@laythy29) April 8, 2025