Chris Wheatley’s Arsenal player ratings: one 8/10 and a disappointing 4/10 in 2-2 draw with Sporting

Arsenal drew 2-2 with Sporting CP in the first leg of their Europa League last 16 tie in Lisbon.

William Saliba’s header gave the Gunners the lead in the first half, before Goncalo Inacio equalised for the impressive hosts following a hesitation from goalkeeper Matt Turner.

Paulinho put Sporting ahead in the second half but it was Granit Xhaka’s deflected shot which hit Hidemasa Morita and made sure that the tie is still alive for Mikel Arteta’s side in the second leg.

Here’s how we rated the Arsenal players...

Matt Turner - Looked rusty and was caught ball watching on the first goal when he should have come out to punch the ball away. 4.

Ben White - Won just one of his duels and lost possession seven times. Wasn’t his best game. 5.

William Saliba - Scored a great header and put in one of his best performances this season. 8.

Jakub Kiwior - Struggled to make an impact and had a mix up with Turner for Sporting’s equaliser. 5.

Oleksandr Zinchenko - Had a decent first half but was left on his own at times in the second period. Replaced by Tomiyasu. 6.

Jorginho - Kept things ticking over in midfield although the lack of pace between him and Xhaka sometimes leaves Zinchenko exposed. 6.

Fabio Vieira - Was one of Arsenal’s most lively players on the night, driving forward with the ball and causing problems for Sporting’s defence. 7.

Granit Xhaka - Worked hard in midfield and made some important tackles, but also gave the ball away too easily at times. 6.

Bukayo Saka - Caused Sporting all sorts of problems with his pace and trickery. 7.

Gabriel Martinelli - Looked dangerous in attack and linked up well with his teammates, but could have been more clinical in front of goal. 6.

Reiss Nelson - A constant thread down the left hand side in the first half. Won his duels and completed the majority of his take-ons. A good performance. 7.

Subs:

Takehiro Tomiyasu - Came on for Zinchenko and made an immediate impact, adding some much-needed solidity to Arsenal’s defence. 6.

Gabriel - Replaced Kiwior at centre-back and did a solid job, making some important tackles and clearances to keep Sporting at bay. 6.

Emile Smith Rowe - Came on for Nelson and injected some creativity and spark into Arsenal’s midfield, playing some incisive passes and linking up well with his teammates. 6.

Thomas Partey - Replaced Jorginho and added some steel and physicality to Arsenal’s midfield, helped take some control of the game back. 6.