Sam Allardyce promises Arsene Wenger he won't be a 'wind-up merchant' in Arsenal clash

Norwich vs Arsenal - player ratings

• 1/24 John Ruddy: 3

  One careless kick is understandable in the driving rain. But having miscued early on there were no excuses whatsoever for Ruddy’s second shank, which led to Arsenal’s goal. Three miscued kicks and more than one instance of poor positioning made up a woeful performance.

• 2/24 Ryan Bennett: 7

  The 25-year-old was a commanding presence in the Norwich backline, competing well with Giroud in the air and repelling Arsenal crosses into the area.

• 3/24 Martin Ollson: 6

  Was all too often dragged out of position by Ramsey when he cut infield, giving space for Bellerin to accelerate in to. His covering of the full-back improved in the second half though, as Norwich’s resolve stiffened.

• 4/24 Sebastien Bassong: 6

  A mistake-free display from the senior defender, he may not have done anything to seize headlines but he also never gave Alex Neil cause for concern.

• 5/24 Andre Wisdom: 7

  Bombed up and down the right flank despite the threat posed by Sanchez and Monreal, creating his own chances with accurate crossing. Should have received an assist on the stroke of half-time after Hoolahan blew a perfect opportunity to give Norwich the lead.

• 6/24 Gary O'Neil: 6

  Did all that could be asked of him in his chasing of Alexis Sanchez, the Arsenal man was often too good for him though, as when he carelessly lost the ball for the opener. But O’Neil kept committing to tackles and trying to stem the Arsenal tide.

• 7/24 Graham Dorrans: 6

  His main task seemed to be ensuring that Norwich held the ball on the occasions they were able to get it back from Arsenal, something he achieved without ever doing much more.

• 8/24 Jonny Howson: 5

  Should have offered his team-mates more cover for the marauding Sanchez down the right, particularly as he offered next to nothing going forward. It was little surprise he was the first to make way for Norwich.

• 9/24 Wes Hoolahan: 5

  A quiet day for the Irish playmaker, whose side did not have enough of the ball to get him involved. Blew Norwich’s best chance to take the lead late in the first half and should have at least tested Cech from six yards out.

• 10/24 Robbie Brady: 8

  By far the host’s most effective attacking force, typified by an assist Ozil would have been proud of to draw Norwich level. His delivery from set-pieces often left Arsenal on the ropes and his ability to find a team-mate in space was remarkable.

• 11/24 Lewis Grabban: 6

  Comfortably kept in check by Mertesacker for 45 minutes but when a chance fell to him he needed no second invitiation, turning well and calmly tucking the ball past Cech. He was not able to get back in the contest again but he had already made a telling contribution.

• 12/24 Petr Cech: 6

  Could do nothing to prevent Grabban bringing Norwich level, and rarely had much to do as the visitors dominated proceedings. After a quiet 70 minutes he produced a spectacular save from a deflected cross to keep Arsenal level.

• 13/24 Hector Bellerin: 5

  Rarely let Norwich’s attack get in behind him but was not at his peak going forward. His afternoon was best summed up by his strange decision to shoot at goal from a tight angle when he could have delivered a cross.

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• 14/24 Per Mertesacker: 6

  From minute one to minute 90 he didn’t put a foot wrong, but then he was rarely tested by a Norwich side intent on holding on to a point.

• 15/24 Laurent Koscielny: 6

  His injury bug struck once more, as he went off in the opening ten minutes due to back-pain.

• 16/24 Nacho Monreal: 5

  Targeted Norwich’s lack of numbers on the left flank, getting forward as Wisdom was dragged out of position by Sanchez. But time and again his delivery left a great deal to be desired – whilst he found an Arsenal player it was not always the right player in the right position.

• 17/24 Mathieu Flamini: 6

  Much improved from Wednesday’s poor showing, Flamini seems to have calmed down and ditched his desire to be in every position at every time. He showed reliability in shielding a backline thrown together ten minutes into the game.

• 18/24 Aaron Ramsey: 6

  An encouraging return to the starting XI for Ramsey, who continued to show his excellent understanding with Ozil and Sanchez. His influence visibly waned later in the second half, but Wenger will be pleased to have him back in contention.

• 19/24 Santi Cazorla: 7

  Made the most of the opportunities Norwich provided him to bring the ball forward from deep, dribbling past opponents at will before teeing up team-mates. Another to suffer a potentially worrying injury, he slowed down significantly in the second half.

• 20/24 Mesut Ozil: 8

  The playmaker has clearly taken on board his manager’s wish for him to add greater goal threat to his game. Was immediately alive to the opportunity when Ruddy miscued his kick, finding space as a true poacher should.

• 21/24 Alexis Sanchez: 8

  Consistently found the space to draw Norwich defenders into mistakes. It was little surprise that he was well-placed to profit for the opener. An excellent performance was cut short on the hour with an utterly predictable hamstring injury.

• 22/24 Olivier Giroud: 4

  Whilst his team-mates displayed some sumptuous short passes and flicks around the area the Frenchman was unmoved and unmoving. He contributed next to nothing to the Arsenal attack, at best competing for a few headers.

• 23/24 Gabriel: 5

  Got far too tight to Grabban as the Norwich striker converted to bring the hosts level. His second half got little better, as only a spectacular save from Cech prevented him from chalking up an own goal.

• 24/24 Joel Campbell: 6

  With Arsenal attackers dropping like flies he did his case for further opportunities no harm with a half-hour cameo full of direct running and willingness to get into the right positions. He may not have the quality of his more illustrious team-mates but that was somewhat compensated for by plenty of effort.