Premier League giants Arsenal showed their quality in their 5-0 thumping against the best of MLS in the 2023 MLS All-Star game.
The game began with both sides on the front foot at Audi Field, as MLS All-Stars and DC United's Wayne Rooney, Christian Benteke, and Tyler Miller were familiar at their home field.
But just five minutes in, Arsenal's Gabriel Jesus chipped MLS' Roman Burki from the edge of the penalty box, giving the Gunners an early lead. The move was set up by the electric Bukayo Saka, who made a brilliant run and just got enough on the ball for it to reach Jesus.
Things went from bad to worse for the All-Stars. Saka was the driving force yet again, cutting in from the left-hand side to square it to Leandro Trossard who made no mistake from the edge of the box, and Arsenal's lead increased to 2-0. There was nothing Burki could've done about that strike from the Belgium international.
A flurry of substitutions from Rooney for the All-Stars weren't enough to get much going as Arsenal remained in front, 2-0.
Tim Parker couldn't have had a worse introduction to the MLS All-Star game. In his first ever time at the event, he gave away a penalty just 15 seconds after being substituted on for the second half. The decision may have been a bit harsh at Parker didn't appear to bat his left hand at the ball, but the rules are the rules and Jorginho converted from the penalty spot to make it 3-0.
After a bit of a lull in the second half, Arsenal substitute Gabriel Martinelli made it 4-0 to the North London club after a well-placed through ball from Martin Odegaard. The goal was coming for the young Brazilian as he looked threatening ever since coming into the game.
Although it's an exhibition game on paper, Arsenal continued to show their quality as new signing Kai Havertz controlled a cross well with his chest before burying it into the back of the net. It seems that Havertz waited to showcase his finishing skills in the All-Star game instead of the Skills Challenge the night before.
The Gunners were too much for the MLS All-Stars, winning 5-0 after the full 90 minutes. The crowd at Audi Field, which was full of Arsenal supporters, were more than delighted with their team's performance.
MLS All-Stars player ratings (4-3-3)
GK: Roman Burki - 5/10 - Was put in a tough spot by his defenders, as there wasn't much he could do about the two top-class strikes from Jesus and Trossard.
LB: Alvaro Barreal - 6/10 - Had a bright moment going forward early on, but struggled to contain Saka and picked up a yellow card in the process.
CB: Walker Zimmerman - 5/10 - Didn't really help his goalkeeper out by giving the Arsenal forwards too much space.
CB: Jakob Glesnes - 6/10 - The 29-year-old neither helped nor hindered his team.
RB: Ryan Hollingshead - 7/10 - Struggled a little bit dealing with Eddie Nketiah, but had some good moments going forward on set pieces.
CM: Hany Mukhtar - 6/10 - The 2022 MLS MVP had a few moments on brilliant skill on the ball but didn't do enough in his limited minutes.
CM: Jose Martinez - 6/10 - The Philadelphia Union player had a quiet game, and was subbed off near the end of the first half.
CM: Riqui Puig - 8/10 - Although Puig was also subbed off early, he looked quite dangerous going forward and set up one great chance for Christian Benteke.
LW: Luciano Acosta - 7/10 - Playing at his former stadium, he had a few bright moments on the ball and had several nice passes into the final third.
ST: Christian Benteke - 7/10 - Despite having a few rusty touches on the ball, the DC United figure did well to link up play, dropping into the midfield.
RW: Denis Bouanga - 8/10 - Looked dangerous up front and even helped out doing some defensive work.
Substitutes
AM: Thiago Almada (34' for Hany Mukhtar) - 6/10 - Picked up a yellow card shortly after coming on, and had a great free-kick effort go just wide of Aaron Ramsdale's goal.
GK: Tyler Miller (34' for Roman Burki) - 6/10 - Was unable to keep out Jorginho's penalty.
AM: Carles Gil (34' for Riqui Puig) - 5/10 - Wasn't able to get much going after coming on.
ST: Jesus Ferreria (34' for Christian Benteke) - 5/10 - Couldn't conjure up his recent goal scoring ways with the USMNT against the Gunners.
RW: Cristian Espinoza (34' for Denis Bouanga) - 7/10 - The San Jose figure was one of the lone bright spots for the All-Stars.
CM: Aidan Morris (34' forJose Martinez) - 5/10 - Didn't really offer much in the middle of the park.
CB: Tim Parker (46' for Walker Zimmerman) - 4/10 - Didn't help his fellow All-Stars by unfortunately giving away a penalty just seconds after coming on.
RB: Jon Gallagher (46' for Ryan Hollingshead) - 5/10 - Fell asleep at the back and allowed Havertz all the time in the world to score his first goal for Arsenal.
CB: Matt Miazga (46' for Jakub Glesnes) - 6/10 - Nearly gave away a penalty but redeemed himself by blocking a shot from Balogun.
AM: Lucas Zelarayan (46' for Luciano Acosta) - 5/10 - Tried to breathe some life into the MLS side but was unable to make things happen.
LB: John Tolkin (46' for Alvaro Barreal) - 6/10 - The Red Bulls fullback had a quiet game.
CM: Hector Herrera (69' for Cristian Espinoza) - 6/10 - The legendary Mexican figure encountered the same problems as his MLS teammates - Arsenal's quality all over the pitch.
ST: Giorgos Giakoumakis (69' for Jesus Ferreira) - 5/10 - The Greece international had a few half-chances on the ball, but Arsenal's defense was quick to shut down any shots at goal.
ST: Kei Kamara (69' for Jesus Ferreira) - 5/10 - N/A.
RW: Jordan Morris (69' for Aidan Morris) - 5/10 - Tried to make things happen when he had the ball, but it amounted to nothing.
GK: Djordje Petrovic (69' for Tyler Miller) - 5/10 - Although he conceded twice, there wasn't much he could do to stop the stunning goals from the Arsenal playmakers.
CM: Mathieu Choiniere (69' for Thiago Almada) - N/A.
Manager
Wayne Rooney - 6/10 - Picked a strong lineup but they struggled to compete with the Gunners.
Arsenal player ratings (4-1-3-2)
GK: Aaron Ramsdale - 6/10 - Had little to do in the first half, made one decent save to force a corner kick.
LB: Jakub Kiwior - 7/10 - Although usually deployed as a center back, he was solid at left-back and made one key clearance in the first half.
CB: Gabriel Magalhaes - 6/10 - Like most of the Arsenal defense, he didn't have much to do on the night.
CB: William Saliba - 7/10 - Put in another shift in defense like he's done on numerous occasions for the Gunners.
RB: Ben White - 6/10 - The English international didn't get forward as much and was solid defensively.
DM: Jorginho - 7/10 - Wasn't a flash performance from the Italian, but the usual solid game from midfield along with the converted penalty kick.
LM: Leandro Trossard - 9/10 - Created all kinds of problems for the All-Stars as well as recovering a couple of loose balls. Scored a spectacular goal from distance.
AM: Fabio Vieira - 6/10 - Had a couple moments of skill on the ball, but didn't offer much other than that.
RM: Bukayo Saka - 8/10 - Gave Alvaro Barreal nightmares after continually cutting in from the right to do damage against MLS' defense.
ST: Gabriel Jesus - 8/10 - Was Arsenal's second best player behind Trossard, scoring a beatifully chipped goal to give his side the lead.
ST: Eddie Nketiah - 6/10 - Had a couple of nice moments before being taken off.
Substitutes
GK: Karl Hein (46' for Aaron Ramsdale) - 6/10 - Didn't have too much to do, but was commanding when he needed to be.
AM: Martin Odegaard (46' for Eddie Nketiah) - 7/10 - The midfield maestro pulled the strings with a clever through ball to assist Martinelli.
CM: Kai Havertz (46' for Bukayo Saka) - 7/10 - One of the Gunner's newest recruits scored a splendid volleyed shot, which was his first unofficial goal for the club.
LM: Gabriel Martinelli (56' for Leandro Trossard) - 7/10 - Continued the theme of Arsenal substitutes coming into the game and scoring with a composed finish.
CM: Declan Rice (64' for Jorginho) - 6/10 - Was a quiet debut for the former West Ham player as he pulled off a few nice passes.
RB: Takehiro Tamiyasu (64' for Gabriel Magalhaes) - N/A.
ST: Folarin Balogun (64' for Gabriel Jesus) - 6/10 - Had a few looks at goal but was unable to convert.
CB: Jurrien Timber (64' for William Saliba) - 6/10 - Had a quiet cameo off the bench.
LB: Kieran Tierney (64' for Jakub Kiwior) 7/10 - Made a few good runs down the wing and sent in one tempting cross.
RW: Marquinhos (64' for Fabio Vieira) - 6/10 - The young winger made sent in a couple of decent crosses, but they were to no avail.
CB: Auston Trusty (80' for Ben White) - N/A.
Manager
Mikel Arteta - 7/10 - Chose a balanced lineup with a different formation that worked quite well throughout the game.
Player of the match - Leandro Trossard (Arsenal)
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This article was originally published on 90min as MLS All-Stars 0-5 Arsenal: Player ratings as Gunners show out in 2023 MLS All-Star game.
