Premier League Player Ratings: Arsenal 2-0 Sunderland

By Matthew Weiner | Arsenal Correspondent

ARSENAL

Manuel Almunia - 7 - Denied Bent the equaliser with vital save. Largely untroubled.

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Emmanuel Eboue - 8 - Menaced down the wing. Jinking run into the area followed by shot-cum-cross led to a tap-in for Bendtner. Sagna will have to watch that he doesn't lose his first-team place.

Mickael Silvestre - 6 - Wasn't particularly stretched by Sunderland's attack.

Thomas Vermaelen - 7 - Stung Gordon's palms with a vicious free kick in second half.

Gael Clichy - 6 - Played conservatively by his standards. Rarely got forward.

Cesc Fabregas - 7 - Not at his creative best but that's still very good indeed. Booked in the second half. 'Won' and dispatched penalty in 92nd minute.

Alexandre Song - 6 - Patrolled back line effectively.

Aaron Ramsey - 6 - Played with maturity. Beautifully disguised pass misread by Bendtner.

Samir Nasri - 7 - Seriously troubled Hutton down the wing. Driving shot from short corner only just deflected over bar.

Nicklas Bendtner - 7 - Useful link up play. Screwed shot wide on 17 minutes. Got on the end of cross-shot from Eboue to score opening goal.

Theo Walcott - 4 - Pace gives Arsenal a new dimension but lacked invention. Put clean through in first five minutes but failed to finish with a cross-shot that went wide.

Substitutes

Tomas Rosicky - N/A - On for Nasri on 72 mins.

Bakari Sagna - N/A - On for the ineffective Walcott.

Denilson - N/A - On for Eboue.

SUNDERLAND

Craig Gordon - 7 - Had no chance with the opening goal. Saved from Nasri, Walcott and Bendtner to deny Arsenal the second. Came close to reaching Fabregas's penalty.

Alan Hutton - 4 - Lacked the skill and pace to cope with Nasri.

George McCartney - 4 - Badly troubled by Walcott's pace. Great sliding tackle in the box to deny Bendtner.

Michael Turner - 6 - Managed to keep Arsenal from scoring a second. Cautioned for silly handball that was born out of frustration.

Darren Bent - 5 - Forced to play wide midfield and defended like a forward.

John Mensah - 5 - Foul on Fabregas on edge of area led to vicious free kick from Vermaelen. Booked for another foul on Fabregas.

Kieran Richardson - 6 - Stole the ball from Arsenal and fed Jones for what should have been the equaliser.

Anton Ferdinand - 5 - Looked off the pace in the unfamiliar role of central midfield. Moved to left-back eventually.

Lorik Cana - 7 -  Booked for two-footed lunging tackle on Eboue. Could have been a harsher punishment.

Fraizer Campbell - 5 - First chance of the game for Sunderland after 20 minutes but is crowded out. Missed a sitter in second half - lucky to be ruled offside in the end. Brought down Fabregas for penalty.

Kenywne Jones - 4 - Guilty of a terrible miss after going one-on-one with Almunia but then put shot wide.

Substitutes

Bolo Zenden - N/A - On for Richardson on 75th minute

Benjani - N/A - Replaced Jones up front

Phil Bardsley - N/A - Replaced McCartney in last five minutes.