Arsenal first half player ratings vs Athletic Club as Viktor Gyokeres scores and Saka lively

Arsenal scored twice in quick succession to move into a deserved lead at half-time against Athletic Club at the Emirates Stadium. Viktor Gyokeres got his first for the club in a bright display from the Gunners.

Gyokeres had been threatening before his goal and got the ball rolling with a strong header from Martin Zubimendi’s cross. Bukayo Saka then doubled the lead after some direct play straight through the centre of the pitch from Arsenal.

Riccardo Calafiori, Saka, and Gyokeres had all spurned chances to give Arsenal the lead earlier in the half with the visitors not offering much from their own making.

Here, football.london goes through how each of the starting XI got on in the first half of the game.

David Raya – Dealt easily with the few tame shots at him but will have been concerned with where Arsenal lost the ball in front of him a few times. 6

Jurrien Timber – Dallied in possession and lost the ball in a dangerous area as Athletic worked a shot. Started to link more with Odegaard and Saka as the half grew on following an early injury scare. 6

William Saliba – Punched a pass through the lines to Odegaard in a largely controlled half. Didn’t have too much to do and shut down the rare Athletic threats well. 7

Gabriel Magalhaes – Swept several balls out towards Saka to expose Jesus Areso. Strong next to Saliba as always. 7

Riccardo Calafiori – Fortunate not to be punished for a poor pass to Zubimendi which fell well short of his target and offered up a free shot inside the Arsenal area. Did play some nice outside-of-the-foot passes when moving forward. Blazed a close-range effort over with his right foot. 6

Martin Zubimendi – As composed as ever at getting the ball through the thirds from deep. Sprayed a lovely first-time pass out to Saka early on. Set the winger free in the move to create an open shot for Gyokeres and wasn’t afraid to get the ball forward. 7

Declan Rice – Pretty quiet but exchanged positions with Zubimendi to mix things up. 6

Martin Odegaard – Found a clever reverse pass to Saka early and continued their relationship well. Flicked the ball up field in the build-up for Saka’s goal. 7

Bukayo Saka – Got to the byline twice with great close control in one-on-ones, forcing a good save from one and winning a corner with another. Could have squared the first but tried to score instead. Got the goal he deserved when Martinelli prodded a pass around Unai Simon, stroking into an empty net. 8

Viktor Gyokeres – Thundered in Zubimendi’s cross, meeting it with perfection. Sharp movement to gain momentum for the chance. Also ran the channels well, drawing a foul and seeing Yuri Berchiche booked within 70 seconds.

Scuffed an open shot before scoring later on but set up Calafiori with a trademark run in behind followed by a fake shot and cutback. 8

Gabriel Martinelli – Made a good drive into the box but took a wild shot when better options were available. Showed several bursts of speed to get past his man but missed the end product until he laid the ball to Saka for the second goal. 7