Arsenal vs. Liverpool: Arsenal Player Ratings and Analysis

It's still way too early in the season for full judgement, but at the moment Arsenal's fortunes are not good.

Arsenal were very poor offensively throughout the game and the defense held up in the first half, thanks mainly to Thomas Vermaelen.

Another defensive injury to starter Laurent Koscielny means Wenger must surely dip into the transfer market now.

The second half was not much different with Arsenal's midfield still struggling to gain a foothold, and Liverpool took advantage.

The red card for Emmanuel Frimpong eased Liverpool's troubles in finding the net and, with the introduction of Luis Suarez, they overcame a weary Arsenal defense.

Premier League debuts for Carl Jenkinson and Emmanuel Frimpong were subpar and other youngsters, Henri Lansbury and Ignasi Miquel, were thrust into unfortunate circumstances.

Overall the signs are not good for the Arsenal, as there were some poor performances from individuals.

Click through to see the Arsenal player ratings and analysis.

Wojciech Szczesny

Despite Arsenal being dominated in possession, Liverpool had very few shots on target, meaning Szczesny did not have much to do.

He did well to keep a well-placed Andy Carroll header out of the net midway through the half. Some indecision on a shot/cross by Downing gave away a corner.

He wasn't really at fault for the goals; he couldn't do much about either of them. He had little to do in the second half otherwise.

Rating: 6.0

Carl Jenkinson

The first half of Jenkinson's debut was mostly uneventful. He committed a needless foul on Enrique near the Arsenal corner flag, but, like with most of the set pieces so far, Liverpool's delivery was poor.

Jenkinson continues to cross the ball constantly when there is nobody in the box. He was unfortunate to suffer from cramps after the first goal, but his performance was lacking otherwise.

Rating: 5.5

Laurent Koscielny

Koscielny was unable to stay on the pitch after a collision with Carroll. He did not have much to do in the first 15 minutes, but was again sloppy in the pass early on, almost allowing Kuyt to intercept in a dangerous position.

Rating: 5.0

Thomas Vermaelen

The Gunners' best defender, and player, by far, Vermaelen dealt well with the Andy Carroll threat on any free headers or set-piece plays. Even with more pressure on him due to Koscielny's injury he performed well.

He continued his solid first half with some excellent defending, and even went on a run and shot that showed his drive and passion to lead Arsenal. Vermaelen did not receive any help from Frimpong with the red card, but provided the best Arsenal performance of the day.

Rating: 8.0

Bacary Sagna

Playing in an uncomfortable position on the left (not sure why), Sagna did okay, all things considered, and did not make any mistakes really.

He provided a decent left-footed cross midway through the half, but, just like the majority of the team, his efforts were focused on defense. He was caught out a little by both goals, but so was the rest of the defense.

Rating: 5.5

Emmanuel Frimpong

Inexperience and a feisty attitude marred his debut. Frimpong made himself known with a strong tackle in the midfield early in the game, but received a silly yellow card for blocking a throw in. It forced a save from Reina.

Still, unable to help the Gunners keep possession, he was eventually sent off. His red card was deserved considering his play throughout the game.

Rating: 4.5

Aaron Ramsey

Just like with the first two games of the season, Ramsey got on the ball at times but didn't make a significant impact on the game.

Before the own goal, Arsenal had very short spells of possession and ultimately gave the ball away when they needed to keep it. Ramsey was unfortunate with the own goal, but his overall performance was not a good one.

Rating: 5.5

Samir Nasri

A surprise starter, Nasri showed what the Gunners would be missing if, and probably when, he signs on the dotted line to head to Manchester.

He provided one or two runs and shots, and was generally lively in the first half.

Along with van Persie he seemed to be trying the most, but he still wasn't at his best. His mind was probably elsewhere.

Rating: 6.0

Theo Walcott

Walcott put in an anonymous performance after a solid midweek display against Udinese. He was rightly subbed off for Bendtner as he was a peripheral figure throughout.

He needs service from the midfield to do damage and Arsenal defended a lot more than usual, but he had no impact whatsoever on the outcome.

Rating: 5.0

Andrei Arshavin

Arshavin, like Walcott, was a peripheral figure throughout the game. He tried to make positive moves, but gave the ball away far too many times—especially in the first half.

He did not contribute anything of note.

Rating: 4.5

Robin van Persie

Robin van Persie was not able to deliver on his first day as the full captain of the squad. He was not helped by the players around him and he tried his best to provide a spark.

Like Nasri before him, he tried to make something happen in the attacking third to no avail.

Rating: 6.0

Ignasi Miquel

Miquel was thrust into a big game and did okay. He dealt well with some bad passes from Szczesny in his first few minutes and grew into the game.

Composed at times, he still showed some inexperience but was ably covered by the excellent Vermaelen. Unlucky with the first goal, he had a right to argue that Suarez was in an offside position.

His positioning was a bit off in the second goal.

Rating: 6.0

Henri Lansbury

Lansbury received a yellow card for his efforts. He did not really help or hinder the Arsenal cause when introduced.

Rating: 5.0

Nicklas Bendtner

Much like Lansbury, Bendtner did not help or hinder Arsenal's cause. He had little time to affect the game.

Rating: 5.0