The Game

Brilliant performance.

What really makes the win special is the fact that both Cesc Fabregas and Denilson were not missed. Granted, this Pompey team is very, very poor, but when you know that you have someone like Aaron Ramsey as backup, Samir Nasri on a roll and Eduardo slowly regaining confidence, we can look ahead with plenty of optimism.

And Tomas Rosicky is back as well.

It's that easy, for Aaron Ramsey

Match Video Highlights

Match video highlights are available in the Videos section of our website. If not there yet, rest assured they will be up in a matter of hours.

Player Ratings

Almunia: 6 – Quiet game. Still not 100% convinced when he comes out to catch, or should I say, punch.

Traore: 7,5 – Impressing more and more is Armand. How close is he to Gael Clichy and Kieran Gibbs in terms of a regular place?

Gallas and Vermaelen: 7,5 – They had a rock solid display these two. Until the goal. Both of them completely lost Belhadj who slotted it in without any pressure, but of course, the game was pretty much closed when that happened.

Sagna: 7,5 – Forgetting how poor his crosses can be, Bacary is doing absolutely nothing wrong defensively. Top class at the back, yet again.

Diaby: 7,5 – Another, yet another brilliant performance in midfield. Amazing first half, a little quiet in the second but he’s finally enjoying back-to-back convincing performances.

Song: 8,5 – Nothing new here. And he even found the net today.

Ramsey: 8,5 – For a game like this, when it’s 95% going forward and there’s very little defending to do, he’s surely ahead of Denilson. With the ball in his feet, he clearly knows what to do, how to shoot and how to score. He is not as good as the Brasilian in doing the dirty defensive work but these two offer two different solutions which every squad would love to have.

Nasri: 8 – Another one who was outstanding. Full of runs, full of tricks and he also found the net.

Arshavin: 5,5 – Disappointing. Seemed uninterested with what was going on around him. Was it because Cesc wasn’t there? Was it because he’s not compatible with Dudu? Well surely you wouldn’t expect a “yes” to either one of these questions when you’re speaking of such a top player.

Eduardo: 6,5 – He’s coming back. Slowly, but coming back. Today was more like Hull City and less like Aston Villa. He’ll be an asset for the months to come.

(Subs)
Rosicky: 6 – Pretty impressive after weeks on the sidelines.

Eastmond: No Vote – Only five minutes for the youngster.

Vela: No Vote – Not much for Carlos, who will hopefully feature in the F.A. Cup.