Arsenal vs. Olympique De Marseille: Rating the Arsenal Players

The Gunners netted their second consecutive Champions League tonight over Olympique Marseille and took the top spot of their group, but it wasn't easy. Plenty of errors on both sides, lackluster officiating and a formidable Marseille attack complicated matters, but a last-minute Aaron Ramsey goal and some clutch substitute performances tipped the scales in Arsenal's favor.

Here are the player ratings from tonight's performance, along with the Man of the Match pick (Hint: His name starts with "L" and ends with "aurent Koscielny"). As always, if you have any thoughts about tonight's performances, have at it in the comments. 

Goalkeeper and Defenders

Wojciech Szczesny: Szczesny didn't have to work particularly hard tonight, as Marseille was pretty subdued around the box. Nevertheless, he made some nice saves and still ends the night with a clean sheet, so good on him. 6.0

Per Mertesacker: Mertesacker's gotten a lot of criticism as of late, but tonight, he was more solid than most. He made a couple of mistakes, most notably when he struggled against Loïc Remy, and he looked vulnerable at times, but overall, he held a formidable attack from Marseille. 6.0

Laurent Koscielny (MOTM): For all the discourse and criticism about the Gunners' back four as of late, Koscielny had one of his best matches in an Arsenal shirt tonight. He read the match well, was good in the air and made a number of key interceptions. If he keeps this up, Arsenal's back four problems will become smaller and smaller. 8.0

André Santos: Santos had a rough first half riddled with disciplinary problems (including a yellow card and a handball) and errors that gave the ball away a number of times. He improved in the second half, connecting better with the midfield and showing impressive restraint after his yellow. When it evens out, what we end up with is ultimately... meh. He needs some time to get back into peak form. 5.0 

Carl Jenkinson: Of all the performances tonight, Jenkinson's was among the most polarizing, but ultimately, he played rather well compared to some past appearances and considering how far he's come from League One. He's still got a ways to go, of course, but once he recovers and has more experience on the pitch, he could very well be a defensive force. 6.0

Midfielders

Tomas Rosicky: Rosicky has been on the rise as of late, and although he looked mediocre in the first few minutes out of the starting gate, he quickly recovered and put in a tremendous effort and stepped in to pick up the slack in defense. 7.0

Mikel Arteta: Arteta proved his value as a summer signing, with accurate passing and great control, not to mention his handling of the corners (although they were ultimately unsuccessful). Definitely showed his potential as a playmaker tonight. 7.0

Alex Song: Nice work from the holding midfielder again today. He worked the defense well, got the ball away from Marseille's attack a number of times and stayed composed in the second half after disciplinary problems early on. 7.0

Forwards

Robin van Persie: Typically solid performance from the captain tonight. He led the attack prior to Gervinho's entrance and made some solid attempts and had to work harder up front as his attacking partners underwhelmed. 6.0

Theo Walcott: Overall, today was rather disappointing for the Gunners' wee speed demon. He was fast, as usual, but his effort was lackluster, his touch wasn't quite what it could be and his crossing still needs quite a bit of work. His substitute, Gervinho, definitely outshone him. 5.0 

Andrei Arshavin: Arshavin was probably the most underwhelming player on the pitch tonight. He was uninspired, failed to make an impact and when Ramsey came on in his stead, Arsenal won the match. 4.5 

Subs

Johan Djourou: In the first few minutes after his arrival, it looked as though Djourou would be a disappointing sub. But he had his moments: The tackle that led to his booking was spot-on and an unfair call, and his excellent cross to Gervinho set the events in motion for Ramsey's match-winning goal. 6.0

Gervinho: Energy, energy, energy. The addition of Gervinho in place of Walcott definitely upped the momentum for Arsenal's attack; he was involved and unafraid to confront the defenders (fore)head-on. Even though it was a misfire that led to Ramsey's goal, for effort alone, Gervinho deserves some serious props. 7.0

Aaron Ramsey: He was pretty quiet up until the last few minutes, but that goal was powerful, well-executed and, well, it won the game. 6.0