Arsenal increased their gap to the teams
Arsenal took the lead through Leandro Trossard who was actually on the floor when he swung his leg at the ball which trickled comically into the Ipswich net. The second was scored by Gabriel Martinelli, tapping in after a lovely backheel flick by Mikel Merino in the box.
The Gunners would make it three again, through Trossard and this time from a well-worked short corner leading to a Rice pass into the Belgian to strike low into the corner.
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Ethan Nwaneri added a fourth on the day. Gratefully seeing his shot deflected past the Ipswich keeper.
Here is how football.london rated the performances of the Arsenal players.
David Raya – Remained untested for large portions of the game but had to stay alert at all times and was strong with his distribution. 7
Ben White – Coming in for Jurrien Timber to help build up match fitness. Strong defensively, while offering the overlaps to Saka and Nwaneri but his crossing lacked the edge it did last season. 7
William Saliba – A relatively straightforward display from Saliba after the drama of the Bernabeu where he gifted a goal to Vinicius Jr. Not necessarily tested and dealt well with any pressure he found himself under throughout the afternoon. 7
Jakub Kiwior – The Polish international just looks like a completely different player these days, and continues to grow in confidence both in and out of possession. 7
Oleksandr Zinchenko – A rare start for the Ukrainian international at left-back but perhaps more suited than Kieran Tierney to the style of Mikel Arteta. He played the inverted position like he used to when he was the undisputed figure for the position. 8
Declan Rice – After back-to-back man of the match displays against Real Madrid, Rice was moved into the number six position but was still vital to the Gunners’ forward play here. While certainly having to put in a greater defensive shift with some strong challenges and interceptions, he was always looking to send the ball into advanced positions. 8
Mikel Merino – Like Rice, Mikel Merino was moved in the structure too and into midfield – perhaps a sign of things to come with Thomas Partey suspended for the first leg against PSG – and he delivered a masterclass in the first half. Despite the Spaniard spurning a great chance to score in the first half, heading a cross from a corner over the bar when the goal was gaping, he was so strong in every duel, progressed play, recovered and calmed. His backheel flick for the second goal was just lovely – if indeed that was his intention. 9
Martin Odegaard – I think I may have underestimated Martin Odegaard’s performance against Real Madrid in midweek. His emboldened approach to want the ball, start play and transitions gets lost in the swell of pressure surrounding the need for goals and assists. At Ipswich, he was again always making himself available all the time, finding space, driving the team forward and finding Trossard and Saka in the final third. Some of his passes into the box deserved a better outcome as hopefully we’ve started to see more from the skipper. 8
Bukayo Saka – Good work on the right-hand side in the first half to pick the ball up, driving at the Ipswich defence before finding the perfect cross that landed at Trossard’s feet. Again, involved in the second goal, finding the cross that would eventually lead to Martinelli tapping in. He was lucky to avoid injury after the second goal, Leif Davis going studs down on the winger’s Achilles and being sent off for the challenge. After the challenge he became the target of many ‘boos’ inside the ground and this might’ve got in his head somewhat as he missed two very big chances. 8
Gabriel Martinelli – The good form of Arsenal’s left-wing continued as he scored yet again, tapping in for the easiest chance he will ever get. Always a threat inside the box and down that left, he has now nailed down the role. 8
Leandro Trossard – Moved into the centre-forward position, Leandro Trossard gave Arsenal the lead, in that central role, taking a loose ball and, on the floor, striking it into the net. He doubled his tally later in the second half with a strong low strike into the bottom corner in what Mikel Arteta will surely be thankful to see in his latest team selection experiment. 8
Substitutes:Myles Lewis-Skelly – Played both left-back and moved into midfield to replace Declan Rice in a twenty-minute stretch. he was mainly occupying the edge of the Ipswich box as the Gunners' dominated. 6
Ethan Nwaneri – Replaced Bukayo Saka to play on the right, the youngster managed to do what the man he replaced couldn't and hit the back of the net, with the help of a large deflection. 7
Kieran Tierney – Came on to play left-back, he got his obligatory cross into the box in the short stint but had little impact overall. 6
Raheem Sterling – Replaced Martinelli on the left-wing to get some minutes. Had very little impact on proceedings. 6
Nathan Butlet-Oyedeji - A rare but welcome appearance. He had a shot tipped over the bar late on. 6
