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Arsenal Player Ratings vs. Portsmouth: Gunners Survive Early FA Cup Scare
Arsenal advanced to the fourth round of the FA Cup with a 4–1 victory over Portsmouth which was not always as comfortable as the scoreline might suggest.
Mikel Arteta made 10 changes to his starting lineup, with Gabriel the only player to keep his place from the 0–0 draw with Liverpool. Portsmouth took a shock, yet deserved lead inside just three minutes before Christian Nørgaard and Gabriel Martinelli both scored from corners to ease tensions, although Noni Madueke’s missed penalty did not help things.
Arsenal improved after the break, led by a Martinelli tap-in and the completion of his hat-trick from yet another corner, and ultimately flexed their quality to see out the game in routine fashion.
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Arsenal Player Ratings vs. Portsmouth (4-3-3)
GK: Kepa Arrizabalaga—6.7: Looked nervous early on and probably should have done better for the Pompey goal. David Raya’s position remains safe.
RB: Ben White—6.9: Really stood out with his technical quality and made a real impact going forwards with his long passing. Hard to see him spending too long outside Arteta’s preferred starting lineup.
CB: Christian Nørgaard—6.9: Comfortable out of position. Enjoyed the hard work defensively and looked relaxed in possession, getting Arsenal moving with some smart passing out from the back.
CB: Gabriel—6.3: Busier than he would have expected to be and did not always cover himself in glory as Portsmouth put serious pressure on in the air.
LB: Myles Lewis-Skelly—6.1: Portsmouth clearly targeted the youngster and looked to exploit his comparatively limited physicality. The youngster struggled against his combative opponents.
DM: Mikel Merino—7.6: Nice and relaxed from the base of midfield as he kept things ticking over. Strong in the tackle to stop Portsmouth on the counter.
CM: Eberechi Eze—6.8: Ending the first half with just 12 touches spoke volumes of how quiet Eze was. A really disappointing performance as he failed to get involved in proceedings at all.
CM: Ethan Nwaneri—6.6: Flashes of brilliance from the youngster, but Nwaneri still looked a little rusty at times. Valuable minutes for the 18-year-old even if things didn’t always go to plan.
RW: Noni Madueke—7.7: The sequence of winning a penalty and then dragging it wide really summed up Madueke’s mixed performance. Bullied physically for the opening goal but made up for it with two assists from corners.
ST: Gabriel Jesus—7.3: Offered very little in the first half but flashed his quality with an excellent assist for Martinelli early in the second half.
LW: Gabriel Martinelli—9.6: Took his goals well and could have easily had two or three more in a performance which was as exciting as it was frustrating at times. Ruthlessly efficient from corners.
Substitute | Rating (Out of 10) |
|---|---|
Kai Havertz (69’ for Jesus) | 6.3 |
Jurriën Timber (69’ for White) | 6.5 |
Martin Ødegaard (69’ for Nwaneri) | 6.9 |
Marli Salmon (76’ for Gabriel) | 6.3 |
Martín Zubimendi (82’ for Martinelli) | N/A |
Subs not used: David Raya (GK), Declan Rice, Bukayo Saka, Viktor Gyökeres.
Portsmouth (4-2-3-1)
Starting XI: Josef Bursik; Terry Devlin, Regan Poole, Conor Shaughnessy, Zak Swanson; Andre Dozzell, Luke Le Roux; Adrian Segečić, Conor Chaplin, Harvey Blair; Colby Bishop.
Subs used: Franco Umeh, Connor Ogilvie, Marlon Pack, Jordan Williams, John Swift.
Player of the Match: Gabriel Martinelli (Arsenal)
Portsmouth 1–4 Arsenal—How it Unfolded at Fratton Park
Portsmouth made a lively start to the game and even found themselves ahead inside just three minutes.
Noni Madueke ceded possession too easily and a cross fizzed into the box was met by Conor Chaplin. The midfielder’s strike was parried away by Kepa Arrizabalaga, who perhaps should have done better than pushing the ball into the path of Colby Bishop to tap home an opener.
Thankfully for Arsenal, they were not behind for long. Just five minutes later, Nørgaard bundled home from a corner, sending the ball off Portsmouth midfielder Andre Dozzell and over the line.
Arsenal settled into possession but did not live up to expectations early on, with Mikel Arteta visibly furious at his side’s lack of ingenuity. And yet, the Gunners were 2–1 ahead 25 minutes in after Martinelli headed home from yet another corner.
Things began to slowly improve for Arsenal and Martinelli should have added to his total shortly before half-time, scuffing a strike off the post with the goal gaping, but the Gunners were quick to move on and Madueke was soon awarded a penalty after being bundled to the ground by Zak Swanson.
Madueke stepped up but, after hesitating in his run-up, failed to get his strike on target as he dragged wide of the post with the final notable action of an underwhelming first half.
Arteta persisted with the same personnel to start the second half and was celebrating a third goal from his side after six minutes, Martinelli sliding in at the back post to finish off an excellent low cross from Gabriel Jesus.
Arsenal were much-improved in the second half—it would have been hard not to be—but Portsmouth were brave and lively, and the Gunners were well aware they were locked in a real battle.
The sight of Kai Havertz entering the game for the final 20 minutes for his first appearance since the opening day was a welcome one for Arsenal, as was Martinelli heading into the back of the net from yet another corner.
Portsmouth simply could not maintain their energy levels and soon found themselves pinned back by Arsenal, who kept possession and saw out the game comfortably to book their place in the next round.
Portsmouth vs. Arsenal Half-Time Stats
Statistic | Portsmouth | Arsenal |
|---|---|---|
Possession | 44% | 56% |
Expected Goals (xG) | 0.58 | 1.56 |
Total Shots | 6 | 5 |
Shots on Target | 4 | 1 |
Big Chances | 1 | 4 |
Pass Accuracy | 72% | 81% |
Fouls Committed | 7 | 6 |
Corners | 0 | 2 |
Portsmouth vs. Arsenal Full Time Stats
Statistic | Portsmouth | Arsenal |
|---|---|---|
Possession | 39% | 61% |
Expected Goals (xG) | 1.07 | 2.89 |
Total Shots | 13 | 15 |
Shots on Target | 5 | 4 |
Big Chances | 1 | 6 |
Pass Accuracy | 72% | 84% |
Fouls Committed | 16 | 9 |
Corners | 6 | 8 |
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Tom Gott is a writer, reporter and editor for Sports Illustrated FC. A lifelong Chelsea fan and academy football enthusiast, he spends far too much time on Football Manager.