Almunia 6.0
Nothing to do.

Sagna 7.5
Defended well and supported the attack. Good assist for Diaby’s goal.

Song 7.0
Although was against poor opposition, showed good strength and impressive composure in defence.

Vermaelem 7.0
Did his job.

Clichy 7.0
Defended well and was his usual strong attacking self.

Diaby 6.5
Good goal but gave away some cheap possession in the 1st half.

Wilshere 6.5
Tried hard but nothing to shout about. Still, showed that he can slot into the team when needed to.

Rosicky 8.0
Our best player besides Walcott. His movement and passing was excellent.

Arshavin 6.5
Aside from the penalty and the assist for Walcott’s 1st goal, did not seem to be that much of a threat. Looked off the pace at times.

Chamakh 6.5
Deserved his goal and I thought was involved in alot of our good passing. Missed a few simple chances, was move out wide when RVP came on. I hope thats not were Wenger will play him

Walcott 9.0
Good finishes and was a threat all afternoon. Showed he can turn it on against the weaker teams, but just got to do it more consistently and especially against the bigger teams. [MOTM]

Subs
Fabregas 6
Good game to get some minutes. Lots of running and good linkup play.

Van Persie 6
Still not fully match fit and was afraid he could have been injured anytime.

Vela 6.5
Showed glimpses of brilliance but needs to contribute more when called upon.

on the fluency of Arsenal's performance
I believe overall we played always well going forward but in fairness Blackpool when they had 11 on the pitch they looked like they could create. They tried to play in a positive way. We looked very dangerous when we won the ball and I believe we have matured because when we were 3-0 up at half-time we didn't become sloppy. We kept playing the way we wanted to play and overall it became a comfortable win.

on how Theo Walcott is maturing
He is more electric than he has been to date because he is sharp. I like today the fact he mixed well the final ball and the finishing. That is always a sign that the player is always more mature. Let's not forget that what he does is at a very high pace so it's not always easy to make the right decision but today I think he got many decisions in the final third right.

on the benefit of a summer break
He had a good preparation for the first time for a long, long time without being interrupted by injury or without coming back late. You could see that. We have known for two or three weeks now that he is sharp because he had a very good preparation.

on his response to missing the World Cup
He is a guy with his feet on the ground, he takes life in a positive way. He sees always the glass half-full and not half-empty. So he took that as another challenge and that is what is amazing about Theo. He is 21, he is now at the age where usually players start. You can't say he is at the peak of his game, there is a lot to come from him. There are two things: first he has to keep his attitude right and two he has to be injury-free because that decides careers as well.

on Tomas Rosicky's return to form and fitness
He is as well a player who had a proper preparation. He was 18 months out and it takes a long time to come back and after when you do you have little problems. I believe when he came on at Liverpool he had a big impact on the game and he looks physically ready and sharp as well.

on the penalty decision and red card
From where I was I thought it was outside the area but I think the linesman gave it. I saw it but from the bench... I invite you down there, it is difficult to see if it was inside or outside. The referee has no choice unfortunately because it was not a malicious foul, but denying a goalscoring opportunity is clear. I feel many times a yellow card would be enough.

on Blackpool's approach
I believe they had two away games at Wigan and Arsenal. If you had told them they would come back with three points they would have signed for it at the start. I think they did right to play today.

on the impact of Marouane Chamakh
I believe he is a player who adapts still to our style but if you look at the impact he has on the game... he got the penalty, he got the sending off, he got the goal and he was involved in the goal last week. He is an efficient player and he has still to adapt to our style. But I am very confident that when you see the header today his goals can be vital in big games.

on how he and Robin van Persie will link up
They can play together but that will be a 4-4-2. We'll see, it depends a little bit, one can play on the flank and come in, but at the moment we have plenty of choice going forward - touch wood.

on the prospect of new signings
I am confident we will add at least one, maybe one plus one. It is difficult to predict because the market is very quiet but I know that in the last five days it gets crazy and then it gets completely mad.

on speculation about Mark Schwarzer
It's important we do not start saying what we do and they say what they [Fulham] do. I believe it has to be as quiet as possible. We always respect the decision of the clubs if they don't want to sell. They do not need to come out in the press with that. If they don't want to sell they say that and we respect that. It's the same with anybody.