On a glorious, gentle, sunny day at King Power Stadium, it was Arsenal’s European troubadours who were touched by the breath of spring. After six minutes, Arsenal dominated the possession, scoring three times before the hour mark and looking good value for a 3-1 win over an exhausted Leicester City team.
Much of the build-up to this game has focused on status. Is there such a thing as the “big six” in Stenosing football, and if so, how do we measure it? Finance? Expectation? Actual league positions? With the kick-off, Leicester removed 12 points and six league places from their visitors. Full-time, it was hard to avoid the feeling of Arsenal
greater group depth led to the day that the quality of their substitutes, especially Nicolas Pépé, was simply too much.
Mikel Arteta made six changes, with Cédric Soares and Pablo Marí coming on in defense, and Willian, Pépé and Alexandre Lacazette in the field. Bukayo Saka undoubtedly needed a break after a while.
Pépé took his chance brilliantly, with a performance so convincing that he was already involved in two Arsenal awards (one VAR’s) ten minutes after half-time, won the free kick that led to Arsenal’s opening goal and forced replacing Leicester’s young left-back Luke Thomas, who simply could not cope with Pépé’s move and direct running.
Leicester City switched to a 4-4-2 for this match, which was possibly a reaction to the best available staff. Kelechi Iheanacho plays near Jamie Vardy in attack. Maybe the shift in form was a blow to get a little more out of Leicester’s captain. If so, it did not work. Vardy was a ghost for a long time. He is 34 years old and has been playing more or less continuously for the past six years. He looks cautious here.
Arsenal started well enough, keeping the ball nice, until the moment Leicester had their first attack of the game and scored a brilliant goal. It comes from the right flank. Iheanacho held the ball with his back to goal. Youri Tielemans runs a clever turn outside him, slips away from Kieran Tierney’s lungs and just keeps going, reaching the right edge of the area, unhindered by David Luiz and Marí, who are apparently content to take this fine step at lunch admire.
The shot on the fly was low hard and perfectly placed past Bernd Leno’s right hand. There is something almost old-fashioned about a central midfielder who can swing from deep to score regularly. It helps if the opposition offers you the defensive equivalent of a welcome basket and a polite applause.
Arsenal were commendably inflexible, helped – although the jury also wanted to work on this – through Arteta’s constant barking, screaming and squeaking from the touchline. It’s a driver who loves nothing more than to “call” every play and shoot up every few moments like the flashy dad coach of the everyday local U-11s.
His players responded, and six minutes later it was time to equalize when Pépé was turned in the field. A penalty was awarded, but the VAR ruled it out. Wilfred Ndidi made contact just outside the area.
Arsenal dominated found a few attacks on the left by Tierney’s willingness to move outside. Willian alternated with flanks for a while and was involved in a move that spread the ball wide to Tierney in an open green space. His cross was met with a scurry by Pépé.
Seven minutes before half-time, Pépé was polluted for the fourth time. Thomas was booked. Willian kicks in a hard, flat free-kick and David Luiz draws with a superb header, running across the front of a static Leicester defense and turning his neck to look at the ball in the corner.
Emile Smith Rowe came off, replaced by Martin
Ødegaard. And Arsenal had time to take the lead from another penalty kick, this one awarded by the VAR. Ndidi blocks a Pépé shot with his hands uncomfortably raised. The screen control was mercifully short. Lacazette hammered the ball into the corner. Arsenal have earned nothing less, having managed the game almost single-handedly since Leicester’s goal.
Brendan Rodgers responded at halftime, Thomas took off and tackled Mark Albrighton. Harvey Barnes left the field with a serious injury.
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Arsenal took a 3-1 lead at 52 minutes with a good team goal made and scored by Pépé. This time he dribbled in, passed to Willian on the left, saw the ball deflected in the six-meter bend, while Willian evaded a joint challenge from Kasper Schmeichel and Timonthy Castagne, and was there to tap the ball .
Leicester are now deprived of two members of a weakened team, and look slightly lost. There was something impressive about Leicester’s ability to function due to the absence of key players. Here they looked tired and a little low quality.
Leicester pushed hard towards the end. But the exit from Europe in the middle of the week seems like a blessing for their Premier League hopes. Arsenal will be very happy with a good away win.