Emi Martinez: Had a shaky start as he flapped a header across goal which could have landed anywhere. Did well after Sokratis' goal to react and get the ball away from danger before the break. Didn't have much to do in the second half. 6.
Sokratis Papastathopoulos: Was a surprising choice at right-back which Portsmouth looked to take advantage. Harness took it upon himself to drive right at the Greek ad he struggled to cope early on. As Arsenal settled in the game, however, he did well to catapult the Gunners into an attack which a cross-field pass into Gabriel Martinelli's path. Harness continued targeting him, however, and was able to drift past him on the inside and outside with relative ease. Took his goal extremely well, guiding his volley into the bottom corner inside a packed box. 7.
David Luiz: Was more of a defensive force than usual. Did have his moment when he ventured forwards, beating a couple of players before setting up Nketiah who should have scored. Was steady all around and key to keeping the clean sheet. 6.
Pablo Mari: His first involvement for Arsenal was a block on the edge of the box from a long-range effort after Matteo Guendouzi misplaced a midfield pass. As with the Under-23s, he wasn't scared to engage onrushing attackers. His passing was also a positive as the passing angles he chose were varied - some out to the left, others across the the right. Also handled bouncing balls well to either hook them away from danger or knock them towards a teammate. As in the Under-23s, he wasn't scared to travel with the ball and spray it out to the wingers. Should have scored late on but mistimed his volley. A good debut. 7.
Bukayo Saka: Was more reserved than usual and wasn't able to break down the left frequently. When he did, his end product was tame. Started the second half poorly by shying away from a loose ball on the edge of the Portsmouth box which gave the hosts a chance to attack. As Arsenal grew into the game Saka started to show himself a bit more but never really got going. Did do well to twist and turn inside the box to get a dangerous shot on goal but saw it saved. 6.
Lucas Torreira: Wasn't on the pitch long enough to have much of an impact. Unfortunate that he had to leave the pitch in the circumstances he did. 5.
Matteo Guendouzi: Could have had a better start in midfield as he gave the ball away cheaply at times. After his unfair booking, however, he started to look better. A bit calmer, he kept the ball and moved it well to get Arsenal back into the game. This being said, his passing wasn't unbelievable. Showed good positional awareness to hold his depth and stop Harness after Saka's mistimed challenge. Helped Arsenal stay in control throughout the second half. 7.
Reiss Nelson: Slow start to the game but his persistence was key. He did well to get deep into the box but his delivery across goal for Martinelli needed much more care. Got into a dangerous position again but sent his cross wayward. Finally, he got the right delivery just before the break with a sweet low cross for Sokratis. Began the second half in a similar fashion with an unbelievable cross for Nketiah's goal. Picked up again as the game began to slow down with a great run into the Pompey box but couldn't quite make things work off his left foot. 8.
Joe Willock: Had to drop really deep early on to receive the ball where he wasn't as effective. Started to find better positions in the second half and played the ball in Nelson before the second goal but didn't really stand out. 5.
Gabriel Martinelli: Did well off the left as he wasn't scared to take on his man. This nearly led to a goal as he cut back to Nketiah who shot just past the post. Was intense out of possession which was positive although it led to a foul or two. Could have scored on the half-hour mark but the cross into him was very hard to deal with from Nelson. Showed great skill in the second half when in the final third but more importantly did the defensive side of the game to keep Arsenal out of trouble. 7.
Eddie Nketiah: Looked to prove he is more than just a goal scorer by dropping in to receive the ball. This worked well early on as he combined with Nelson to get in down the right but no-one took his place in the middle. Was unlucky with his left-footed effort which was deflected out for a corner but should have got a better hold of his later shot in the first half. Held up the ball well and allowed Nelson to play off him nicely. Took down Nelson's cross ridiculously well with his left foot before working an angle to finish. Lovely stuff to see. Didn't stop dropping in after his goal and was crucial to Arsenal keeping possession. 7.
Substitutes
Dani Ceballos: Took a while to settle but looked good once he did. Rather than just accepting Portsmouth's blocks, he drove forward and gave Arsenal a real lift ahead of the break. Showed good grit in the second half to keep the Gunners on the ball in sticky situations. Like Guendouzi, he also helped keep the side in control. The positions he took up were key to this. 7.
Granit Xhaka: Not on long enough to rate. N/A.
Ainsley Maitland-Niles: Not on long enough to rate. N/A.
