Marseille vs. Arsenal: Arsenal Player Ratings from Scoreless Draw

Arsenal slogged through a scoreless draw Tuesday against Marseille in a Champions League Group F clash at the Emirates Stadium.

The match? Well, it was about as exciting as that paragraph.

There were negatives, of course: Arsenal ended their five-match winning streak in all competitions and missed a chance to qualify for the knockout stages with two matches to spare.

But there were positives, too: Arsenal didn't concede a goal—something that hasn't happened enough this season for Arsene Wenger's team.

And with two matches left in Group F, Arsenal stayed unbeaten and maintained its hold on first place.

So even though the performance didn't suggest it Tuesday night, Arsenal still have a great chance to finish as the class of Group F.

Player Ratings

Goalkeeper

Wojciech Szczesny: 6.0

Szczesny didn't have much to do all night, but he did almost get himself into trouble by taking a few too many dribbles after a back-pass in the first half. When Marseille did challenge Arsenal's goal, though, Szczesny provided a steady and calming presence for the defense.

Defenders

Thomas Vermaelen: 8.0 (Man of the Match)

Vermaelen showed why he's so integral to Arsenal's defense. As usual, he was strong in every way, clearing headers, intercepting passes, running down attackers and generally being a bad mamba jamba. Vermaelen even got into the attack when he could. It's no coincidence that Arsenal kept a clean sheet.

Per Mertesacker: 7.0

Mertesacker didn't do much wrong Tuesday night, but he still got himself out of position a few times. European competition seems like a much more palatable proposition for the tall German, who has yet to adjust to the pace of the Premiership. In Europe, he's a top-class central defender. Now can he translate that to England?

Andre Santos: 6.5

Santos showed more of the defensive, er...adventurousness that has given scores of Arsenal fans grey hair this season. But he also showed that he can get forward and create chances in the other team's half. If he can balance the two, he'll be a great player.

Carl Jenkinson: 6.5

For most of the night, it was easy to forget that Jenkinson was on the pitch. Considering he's a defender, that's a good thing.

Midfielders

Mikel Arteta: 7.0

Arteta played well in a holding role paired with Alex Song. The two disrupted Marseille's attacks and provided an unbreakable link between the back line and the attacking midfielders. That's harder than it looks.

Alex Song: 7.0

See above. The only difference was that Song played his customarily physical style.

Gervinho: 6.5

This rating would be higher had Gervinho continued his strong first-half performance after the break. Before halftime, Gervinho pulled the strings for Arsenal's attack while working in a more central role than usual. He was Arsenal's most dangerous player in the first half but still lacked the cutting edge that would have created goals.

Aaron Ramsey: 6.5

Ramsey had perhaps the best chance of the first half and fluffed it. He worked himself into dangerous positions consistently until being subbed out in the second half. He couldn't turn his hard work into goals, though.

Theo Walcott: 6.0

Walcott didn't play poorly. He just didn't show the edge he showed against Chelsea over the weekend. The same could be said for most of Arsenal's players, though.

Forward

Park Chu-Young: 4.5

Park made just his second appearance for Arsenal and his first in the Champions League. It wasn't a performance he'll look back on fondly. Park looked off the pace and struggled with his touch until being subbed out in the second half.

Substitutes

Robin van Persie: 5.5 (replaced Park in the 62nd minute)

Van Persie has served as Arsenal's talisman lately, but he didn't have his normal, inspirational effect on his teammates Tuesday.

Tomas Rosicky: 5.0 (replaced Ramsey in the 66th minute)

Rosicky didn't affect the game much but worked hard in the midfield.

Andrei Arshavin: No rating (replaced Gervinho in the 77th minute)

Arshavin played an anonymous cameo towards the end of the match. His stock has fallen dramatically over the past few months.