Leicester City 0-2 Arsenal: 5 talking points as Gunners claim an impressive win over the Foxes | Premier League 2021-22
Quickfire first-half goals from Gabriel Magalhaes and Emile Smith Rowe saw Arsenal defeat Leicester City 2-0 in their Premier League clash on Saturday.
An inspired Aaron Ramsdale performance, plus first-half goals from Gabriel and Emile Smith Rowe, secure a confident victory for the Gunners
#LEIARS https://t.co/m0dAR7DX5W
Arsenal made much the better start to the game as their urgent pressing did not allow Leicester to settle into a rhythm. Their all-action approach paid off, with Gabriel and Smith Rowe’s goals giving them an early two-goal lead. The hosts upped their game as the half wore on but were kept at bay by a solid Arsenal backline.
Leicester ratcheted up the pressure in the second half and came close to scoring, but found the Arsenal defense extremely hard to beat. The visitors stood firm in the face of incessant pressure from the hosts and saw out a well-deserved win with a clean sheet.
With the win, Arsenal jumped up to fifth in the table, with Leicester much further down in tenth. On that note, here are the five major talking points from the game.
#1 Arsenal’s youngsters are leading by example
When a football team is going through a tough period, most people look to its senior members to provide some inspiration. However, at Arsenal, it has been the youth that has stepped up to take on the challenge.
Chief among Arsenal’s impressive youngsters have been Bukayo Saka and Emile Smith Rowe. Both are academy graduates who have been heavily involved in the attack. That was the case once again, with Saka setting up the first goal and Smith Rowe scoring the second. Smith Rowe has chipped in with four goals and two assists in his last seven appearances.
Bukayo Saka (2) created more chances than the entire Leicester side combined (1) in the first half.
He also marked his 100th appearance with an assist. 🅰️ https://t.co/2e9MZZz6fT
Equally impressive at the back have been some of Arsenal’s summer signings, who were brought in with the club’s long-term future in mind. Takehiro Tomiyasu, Ben White, Gabriel Magalhaes and Aaron Ramsdale have been crucial in the Gunners’ recent improvement. The defensive solidity they offer perfectly complements the side’s exuberance and fearlessness up front.
Gabriel made more clearances (7) than any other player on the pitch against Leicester, while no player won more aerial duels (3).
Topping it off with his first goal of the season. ⚽️ https://t.co/GLf3HGg1d3
#2 Leicester City’s bad luck with injury continues
Over the past couple of seasons, Leicester City have had to contend with a particularly unfortunate injury record. This seems to affect their defenders, with the Foxes backline featuring some quite noticeable absentees.
Ahead of the game, Leicester were missing right-back Ricardo Pereira, having himself recently returned from a lengthy layoff. As such, Brendan Rodgers had to make alterations to his defense, which was evident in their disjointed performance at the start of the game.
Alongside Pereira, Leicester are also missing the services of James Justin and Wesley Fofana, who had established themselves as key members of the side. Defensive lynchpin Wilfried Ndidi was another important miss, even though the Nigerian was on the bench for this game.