Player Ratings: Arsenal beat Porto on penalties to reach Champions League quarter-finals

Arsenal keeper David Raya was the hero as the Gunners beat Porto 4-2 on pens to reach the last eight of the Champions League



Player Ratings: Arsenal beat Porto on penalties to reach Champions League quarter-finals

Victoria Concordia Crescit. Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta and Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya celebrate victory. CREDIT: Charlotte Wilson / Offside


David Raya saves seal Arsenal's place in the last eight of the Champions League.

Arsenal beat Porto 4-2 on spot-kicks to make the Champions League quarter-finals after their last-16 tie had ended 1-1 on aggregate. The Gunners goal came from Leandro Trossard's first-half strike to help the Gunners beat the Portuguese side 1-0 in return leg at the Emirates.

Read on to find out who impressed on a night of drama at a raucous Emirates 

David Raya: 1000000/10. He’s landed. Minerals on minerals. Two enormous saves in the shootout, claiming crosses for fun and pinging long ones up to Kai et al all night.

Ben White: 7/10. Not his most impactful performance, especially after a dreamy, devastating showing on Saturday.

Gabriel: 8/10. Hooking things clear, winning aerials and a threat from set pieces as ever.

William Saliba: 6.5/10. A little nervy, a little rushed.

Jakub Kiwior: 7/10. The definition of “do a job”. 

Jorginho: 7/10. Didn’t feel like a “Jorginho game”. Relatively effective out of possession, but failed to help progress the ball.

Declan Rice: 7.5/10. His pen curling in felt like a massive moment. Textbook coverage and sliding-in, perhaps a little less imperious than we’ve come to expect. 

Martin Odegaard: 10/10. My favourite footballer. I’m biased. When you need something to happen, you give the ball to him. Egging the crowd on, picking it up wherever he can, kicked off the shoot-out impeccably, a genius.

Bukayo Saka: 8/10. Really pleasing to see him try and make things happen. Taking ownership on a huge occasion, even if the end product was reluctant to appear. 

Kai Havertz: 8/10. Football’s a simple game. Put the f***ing ball in the air, and Kai Havertz will find a way to be underneath it when it comes down.

Leandro Trossard: 8.5/10. One of the biggest goals of our season. A spectacular moment in an otherwise quiet game. One of the biggest compliments you can pay a player is to say that he clearly had nothing more to give when he came off.

Substitutes: 

Gabriel Jesus: 7/10. Battled fiercely, pins defenders with aplomb. Could he have put that away?

Olekesandr Zinchenko: 7/10. Stereotypical Zin. Punching passes through lines, causing defensive panics.

Eddie Nketiah: 6.5/10. It’s so evident how desperately he wants to make a positive impact, but it feels like a drop-off when he comes onto the pitch. 


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  1. silentstan

    Mar 13, 2024, 20:32 #117320

    Saka 8 ! For what? Misplaced passes Inability to beat his man? Couldn’t pick anyone out on cutbacks Slowing every attack but stoping and cutting inside Even he said he had a poor game.