Arsenal missed the chance to go top of the Premier League after being held to a frustrating draw at home to Manchester United.
It was a dour, uninspired performance from both sides, with Arsene Wenger’s side remaining second, a point behind leaders Chelsea.
The Gunners were indebted to keeper Wojciech Szczesny, who’s stunning reflex save tipped former Arsenal man Robin van Persie’s point-blank header onto the bar in the second half.
United now find themselves 11 points behind Liverpool in fourth, with their Champions League aspirations becoming even smaller after another draw.
Santi Cazorla could well have snatched it late on for Arsenal, but saw his goal-bound shot saved by United keeper David De Gea.
Here are the player ratings:
Arsenal
Wojciech Szczesny: 8/10
Let Mikel Arteta off the hook with a save in the opening minutes from Van Persie, and produced a fine one handed stop to deny the Dutchman in the final few minutes.
Kieran Gibbs: 7/10
Made some fine runs down the flanks, and was a real threat for the Gunners coming forward.
Per Mertesacker: 6/10
Solid yet unspectacular from the big German. A little lumbering for the big Van Persie chance.
Laurent Koscielny: 7/10
A few decent challenges, and kept Rooney in his pocket all game. Saw a goal-bound header cleared off the line by Valencia.
Bacary Sagna: 6/10
Was done by Evra midway through the game, but recovered well.
Jack Wilshere: 6/10
A frustrating evening for Arsenal’s little terrier. Hit and miss both in attack and defence.
Mikel Arteta: 6/10
Endured a horror early moment when he gifted the ball to Van Persie, but picked himself up well, and made some crucial interceptions.
Santi Cazorla: 7/10
Came alive in the last half-an-hour, and could well have scored had it not been for a sprawling save from De Gea.
Mesut Ozil: 5/10
Normal Ozil unfortunately for Arsenal fans. A few nice shimmies, but nothing truly penetrative from the German.
Tomas Rosicky: 6/10
Bust a gut for his side, but failed to provide the cutting edge. Came off for Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain in the second half.
Olivier Giroud: 6/10
Worked tirelessly, and almost scored from Sagna’s second-half cross. You feel like he is lacking something however…
Manchester United
David De Gea: 7/10
Some super late saves, and a real presence in the box.
Rafael: 5/10
Nothing much from the tenacious right-back, and was replaced by Rio Ferdinand in the second half, who did well to stem the Arsenal tide.
Nemanja Vidic: 7/10
A rock in the heart of the United defence. Contained the threat of Giroud, and headed bravely away form Mertesacker near the end.
Chris Smalling: 6/10
Comfortable at centre-back in the first half, and made a decent go of it at right-back in the second.
Patrice Evra: 6/10
Got forward when he could, but nearly gave Ozil a fantastic chance to score near the end after a silly foul.
Tom Cleverley: 5/10
Largely anonymous and rarely forward-thinking, the England man will undoubtedly come in for further criticism for another unmotivated performance.
Michael Carrick: 7/10
Some decent interceptions, and almost set up Smalling with a delightful little flick-on from Mata’s freekick.
Antonio Valencia: 6/10
Tried to get forward, but couldn’t link up effectively with Van Persie up top. Cleared off the line from Koscielny’s header.
Came off for Ashley Young late on.
Juan Mata: 6/10
A few interesting-looking passes, but still doesn’t seem to be on the same wavelength as his new teammates.
Came off for Adnan Januzaj late on.
Wayne Rooney: 5/10
Bar the fabulous ball over to Van Persie for the chance of the match, it was arguably one of Rooney’s quietest games this season.
Robin van Persie: 5/10
Was not his usual clinical self, and should have scored with one of his two clear-cut chances. Was starved of service throughout however, and did well to keep his head up.
What do you think? Agree with the ratings? Let me know in the comments below…
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