Molde 0-3 Arsenal: Player ratings as the Gunners reign supreme in Norway | UEFA Europa League 2020/21 

By Sachin Bhat
Modified Nov 26, 2020 21:32 GMT
Arsenal soundly beat Molde again to secure passage into the knockout rounds
Arsenal soundly beat Molde again to secure passage into the knockout rounds

Arsenal stormed into the Europa League last-16 after swatting Molde aside in a comprehensive 3-0 victory on the road.

Nicolas Pepe, Reiss Nelson, and Folarin Balogun all scored apiece in the second half to break the Norwegian side's resistance which had kept them at bay during the opening stanza.

They ran a taut ship, sitting deep to frustrate their rivals, and looked threatening on the break, but eventually, the Premier League side's quality showed. Mikel Arteta's side are now into the knockout stages.

Here are the player ratings for Arsenal:

Runar Runarsson - 7/10

A busy night for the Icelandic custodian, despite the clean sheet. He notably kept out Sinyan's effort on the line early on in the first half.

Cedric - 6.5/10

A solid display from the Portuguese full-back, who connected well with Pepe down his flank, and was sound defensively too. Time for him to finally start in the Premier League too?

Shkodran Mustafi - 7/10

The towering German was colossal in the defense, making three tackles and clearances each, as well as four interceptions.

David Luiz - 6/10

He lasted only 45 minutes, perhaps due to a possible injury after a clash of heads with Sinyan, but looked assured for the time the Brazilian played.

Ainsley Maitland-Niles - 7/10

The 23-year old was excellent going forward, laying some good crosses for Pepe and Nelson but was unlucky to have an assist chalked off after Nketiah's goal was ruled offside. On the defensive front, he made a vital clearance when Runarsson came off his line and misjudged the ball, leaving the space behind exposed.

Nicolas Pepe - 8/10

A night of redemption for the Ivorian, who got sent-off at the weekend against Leeds but got back on the scoresheet here again to repay Arteta's faith in him. That was also his third consecutive strike in the competition.

Joe Willock - 8/10

Another excellent performance from the 21-year old fireball, who burst forward with so much energy and purpose. He bagged two assists on the night too.

Granit Xhaka - 6/10

The Swiss international lacked pace on the counter but constantly kept the ball moving and even made a vital block in the second half.

Reiss Nelson - 8/10

Arsenal's best player, particularly in the first half, Nelson was constantly knocking on the door with some testing shots, before finally getting his breakthrough in the 55th minute by tapping home a nice counter-attacking move.

Alexandre Lacazette - 6/10

He kept dropping off the front and looking to play between the lines, even making three key passes, but the Frenchman never bothered to push back when Arsenal didn't have the ball.

Eddie Nketiah - 5/10

Nketiah was frustrated by Molde on a few occasions, even having a goal ruled out, but when he was presented with a great chance, the 21-year old blazed his header well over the bar.

Substitutes

Rob Holding - 7/10

Holding replaced David Luiz at half-time and was calm and composed in the defense, never putting a wrong foot forward.

Dani Ceballos - 7/10

He came on for the final half an hour of the match and once again, was full of running and passing.

Emile Smith Rowe - 7/10

Another brief cameo for the youngster, but reminded everyone of his talents with a brilliant assist for Balogun's striker, getting into a good position and showing composure to square the ball for the striker.

Folarin Balogun - 8/10

Balogun scored just over half a minute after coming on for only his second appearance for the Gunners. A dream moment for the teenager.

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Edited by Parimal
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