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Norwich logo
Premier League
Nov 29, 2015 at 4.15pm UK
 
Arsenal logo

1-1

Grabban (43')
FT(HT: 1-1)
Ozil (30')

Player Ratings: Norwich City 1-1 Arsenal

Sports Mole looks at who stood out during Norwich City's 1-1 draw with Arsenal in the Premier League.

Lewis Grabban scored on his first start since the opening day of the season to earn Norwich City a 1-1 draw against Arsenal at Carrow Road.

The Canaries had to battle back from a goal behind, having seen all their solid defensive work undone when John Ruddy's weak clearance allowed in-form duo Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil to link up and open the scoring 30 minutes in.

Some good work by star player Robbie Brady to open up the visitors' defence allowed Grabban to level things up, however, with Norwich then squandering a couple of decent chances to win the game in a tame second half.

Here, Sports Mole takes a look back at who impressed during the tightly-fought battle in East Anglia.


Lewis Grabban of Norwich City (7) celebrates with Jonathan Howson (8) as he scores their first and equalising goal during the Barclays Premier League match between Norwich City and Arsenal at Carrow Road on November 29, 2015© Getty Images

NORWICH CITY

Goal

John Ruddy: A horror showing from Ruddy, who had very little to do during the 90 minutes. Miscued a few clearances, including the one which ended with Ozil slotting the ball home. (4/10)

Defence

Andre Wisdom: Alex Neil could so easily have overlooked the full-back for this one after struggling to cope with Eden Hazard last weekend, but this was a much better display from Wisdom. Almost claimed an assist at the end of the first half, too. (7/10)

Ryan Bennett: Competed well in the air to thwart crosses into the box, but he loses a couple of marks for his needless push on Sanchez which sent the Chilean tumbling into the photographers' pit. (6/10)

Sebastien Bassong: As solid as you like at the back from the experienced defender. Was actually City's biggest attacking threat against Chelsea when seeing a shot well turned behind, but he could focus solely on defensive duties here. (7/10)

Martin Olsson: Put his pace to good use by keeping in touch with super-quick full-back Bellerin. Did struggle to deal with Ramsey at times in the first half but soon recovered. (7/10)

Midfield

Robbie Brady: Cut Arsenal's defence apart on a couple of occasions, first to help play in Grabban for the opener before doing likewise to send Olsson clean through. A fine set-piece delivery only adds to his all-round quality. (8/10)

Gary O'Neil: Takes a small share of the blame for Arsenal's opening goal after allowing Sanchez to slip in ahead of him, and was also caught out on a few more occasions by the dazzling Chilean. (5/10)

Graham Dorrans: Decent enough showing from the midfielder, doing pretty much what was asked of him in that central role without doing too much more. (6/10)

Jonny Howson: Certainly boasts plenty of energy, but that was barely put to use this evening as he saw this one pass him by before being withdrawn in the second half. (6/10)

Wes Hoolahan: Solid enough performance, although his miss at the end of the opening 45 minutes when blasting over from five yards could have seen the Canaries claim maximum points. (6/10)

Attack

Lewis Grabban: Handed a first start since the opening day of the season, which caused some real surprise pre-match. Had very few touches of the ball during his time on the pitch, yet he scored when his only chance arrived so you can hardly criticise him too much. (7/10)

Substitutes

Nathan Redmond: Added some pace out wide when brought on 20 minutes from time, without being able to make a telling difference in the final third. (6/10)

Cameron Jerome: Introduced late on for a tiring Grabban, but was not given the support he needed to score a late winner. (5/10)

Vadis Odjidja-Ofoe: A late cameo for the Belgian to help see the final few minutes through from his midfield position. (5/10)


Mesut Ozil of Arsenal (2L) celebrates with team mates as he scores their first goal during the Barclays Premier League match between Norwich City and Arsenal at Carrow Road on November 29, 2015 in Norwich, England.© Getty Images

ARSENAL

Goal

Petr Cech: The sign of a world-class goalkeeper? Being able to produce a top-class save after doing next to nothing for the rest of the match, as witnessed this evening when pulling off a superb stop to turn aside Paulista's flick. (7/10)

Defence

Hector Bellerin: Looked good defensively but, when he did get himself into advanced positions, he often took the wrong decision. A wayward shot into the side-netting when others were better positioned was particularly frustrating. (6/10)

Per Mertesacker: Did not put a foot wrong as such, but then he had very little to do. Had to readjust to life alongside Paulista, so deserves some credit for that. (6/10)

Laurent Koscielny: Went off after just eight minutes with a leg injury, which is exactly half the time it took Arsenal to fly to this game. (5/10)

Nacho Monreal: One of Arsenal's more lively players, getting forward at will due to Wisdom's tracking of Sanchez. Failed to make the most of his decent spells on the ball, though. (6/10)

Midfield

Aaron Ramsey: Back in the starting lineup for the first time in more than six weeks. Understandably faded before being taken off, yet he did show signs of promise when linking with the likes of Ozil and Sanchez. (6/10)

Mathieu Flamini: A first Premier League start this calendar year, with Francis Coquelin's absence already being felt on the basis of this showing. Needs to simply focus on playing as a defensive midfielder. (6/10)

Santi Cazorla: Some good moments, particularly when waltzing through and playing in Sanchez to test Ruddy. Picked up a knock so he is another who failed to hit his true heights in the second half. (7/10)

Mesut Ozil: His first-half strike makes it 13 goals that he has directly contributed to in his last 12 league outings. Well and truly found his groove in the top flight now, with his finish in particular oozing quality. (8/10)

Alexis Sanchez: If dropping points was not bad enough for Arsenal, they will now likely be without their key man for the remainder of the year. Looked lively as ever before hobbling off, with his absence likely to be felt over the coming weeks. (8/10)

Attack

Olivier Giroud: Difficult to remember him doing anything of note. That was largely down to a lack of real service, in truth, though he did not really show any desire to make things happen in an attacking sense. (5/10)

Substitutes

Gabriel Paulista: Outmuscled for Grabban's strike and was a Cech wonder save away from putting the ball in his own net. Needs to improve if he is to remain in the heart of defence in Koscielny's likely absence. (4/10)

Joel Campbell: A little unlucky to be dropped to the bench following a decent showing against Dinamo Zagreb last time out. Replaced Ramsey on the right but could not add to his midweek assist. (6/10)

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain: Swung in a few decent crosses during his 20 minutes on the pitch. The England international's return is a major boost for the Gunners. (6/10)


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Alex Neil manager of Norwich City looks on during the Barclays Premier League match between Newcastle United and Norwich City at St James' Park on October 18, 2015 in Newcastle upon Tyne, England.
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