Read Barney Ronay’s full match report:
Then read Sachin Nakrani’s blog from the match:
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Post-match thoughts
Arsenal have got themselves back into the title race with a victory that felt big enough to shift the balance of power at the top. Leicester, as is their way, gave everything, and to get nothing from the game may be incredibly damaging. That said, they have a run of very winnable games now and are still the team at the top no matter what happens between Spurs and Man City this afternoon. What a dramatic game. Thanks for your emails and tweets. Bye.
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Full-time: Arsenal 2-1 Leicester
How much will that harm Leicester’s momentum? Could that be the win that propels Arsenal on to a 14th title? It’s a huge victory.
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Goal! Arsenal 2-1 Leicester (Welbeck 90)
Wow! How important could that be? The man who has been bothering the treatment-table all season, rises on the penalty spot to glance home into the far corner after Ozil whipped in a free-kick from the left for a clumsy foul by Wasilewski. Pandemonium among the home fans.
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90+2 min: Walcott watches a ball drop out of the sky and prepares to wallop it at goal on the volley from 10 yards but Gray, the young scamp, takes it off his toe with a vital clearance. Then Sanchez curls a ball to the back post where Ramsey is waiting to nod home but Schmeichel, who has been so, so, solid today, palms it out for a corner.
90 min: “Pundits can thank this second half for making their season recaps on Arsenal quite easy. They are just awful at finishing. Completely awful,” reckons Daniel Finucane. They’ve had so many shots and yet just five have been on target. Oh what they would give to be as ruthless as Leicester.
89 min: If Arsenal want to win the title I feel they need to score here. They’ll have four minutes of injury time to do just that.
87 min: What a save by Kasper Schmeichel! Giroud absolutely belts a left-footed shot at the far corner from 10 yards. It must go in. But out pops a huge right hand to keep Leicester level at 1-1. Phenomenal reflexes. A moment later Giroud has another shy and Schmeichel is equal to that too. This is one hell of a characterful display by Leicester.
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84 min: Ozil is given far too much space on the edge of the Leicester area. He has so much time he takes a few backwards steps before wafting his wand of a left foot and curling a delicious little ball into Mertesacker, who stoops to glance a header into the far corner. But his touch is too light and the ball goes wide by mere inches.
82 min: “Why limit yourself to Leicester bands,” reckons Mark Turner, before taking this riff highbrow. “Author Julian Barnes is from Leicester. His novel ‘Staring at the Sun’ is an apt metaphor.” Will they get burnt today Mark? We’ll find out in the next six minutes. Corner for Arsenal.
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81 min: Arsenal are throwing everything at Leicester but their attacks are petering out on the edge of the area. Albrighton is replaced by King as Ranieri looks to waste a few seconds. And Arsenal are replacing Oxlade-Chamberlain, who has been a pesky menace today, with Welbeck. It’s his first Arsenal appearance of the season.
78 min: Vardy somehow finds himself in the Arsenal penalty area surrounded by four defenders. He does ever so well to check and turn and find Kante (who else?) in support. But the midfielder’s curled shot is just a foot wide of Cech’s far post.
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76 min: Walcott has made a massive difference to Arsenal’s attacks. His pace has stretched Leicester’s defence, usually a tight unit, into a loose string of bodies.
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74 min: Leicester could have very easily been reduced to nine men had Atkinson seen a Danny Drinkwater tackle that was high and wild that resulted in studs being pressed into Ramsey’s left leg. It looked very nasty on the replay although I think the midfielder was perhaps trying to clear the ball and his momentum carried him into Ramsey. Perhaps that saved him. Sanchez has just slashed a shot wide as Arsenal continue to boss the game, playing almost entirely in Leicester’s half.
72 min: Giroud’s headers on goal have all been pretty tame today, but in their own way, they all just seemed to be leading up to that deft nod down to Walcott.
Goal! Arsenal 1-1 Leicester (Walcott 70)
This is all down to Giroud’s headed assist. Ozil curls a ball out to Bellerin on the right wing. He takes a touch and whips in a cross towards Giroud. He stoops and takes all the pace out of the ball with the most delicate of headers to put it on a plate for Walcott to slam home from 10 yards. This could be a long 20 minutes for Leicester.
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67 min: Sanchez scurries down the left wing and wins a corner after his cross is deflected out by Schmeichel at the near post. The corner’s dealt with reasonably comfortably though. The league leaders are using every ounce of their fantastic spirit to dig in here. The travelling fans are making a good din too.
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65 min: Back to Leicester bands: “Brimful of Asha might be overplayed, but Lessons Learnt From Rocky I to Rocky III is a Cornershop song that would sum up Leicester recently pretty well,” warbles Peter Donaghy.
64 min: Leicester are on the ropes but they’re not taking a proper pounding just yet.
62 min: Arsenal are applying the pressure here, they win a corner on the left. Ozil thumps it in and Leicester clear. But in the second phase of the attack, Bellerin gets his motor up to top gear and races to the byline before whipping in a low cross that Morgan is lucky to clear as he gets only half a foot to it.
60 min: The Thinkerman takes Okazaki off and puts Gray on, the young trickster who they signed from Birmingham in January. Le Prof, not to be outdone, shuffles his chess pieces and withdraws Coquelin and replaces him with Walcott, which seems like replacing a knight with a bishop if you could do such a thing in chess.
58 min: Sanchez scuffs a shot wide after some good work from Oxlade-Chamberlain on the right from Arsenal. He was under pressure, mind.
56 min: Wasilewski, a burly centre-half, is on for Mahrez, who is sacrificed by Ranieri. As Mahrez takes his time strolling off, Coquelin races over and attempts to push him off the pitch. As you can imagine, that goes down well with Mahrez, who only uses it as an excuse to take even longer to leave the Emirates turf.
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55 min: Leicester are in danger of unravelling here. Kante clips Ozil’s heels when Arsenal are breaking rapidly. Ranieri needs to tell his players to take a few deep breaths and calm down here. Kante is booked.
Simpson is sent off for Leicester!
54 min: Well, well, well. Simpson holds on to Giroud’s arm on the left wing and doesn’t let the striker get away from him. Giroud is apoplectic and Atkinson shows a second yellow card to the Leicester right-back. That was a stupid decision by Simpson. He perhaps could have gotten away with it on another day. But this wasn’t another day.
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51 min: Simpson is booked for a late tackle. Fuchs follows him into the book too for a hefty challenge as Arsenal created a crossing opportunity for Oxlade-Chamberlain on the right, who didn’t make the most of said crossing opportunity.
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49 min: There’s another penalty call from Leicester involving Monreal. Mahrez gets his tap-dancing feet going in the Arsenal box and shuffles inside Monreal only to have his left leg clipped by the Arsenal defender. It looks a penalty to me. Atkinson perhaps didn’t dare give it. Hmm.
48 min: Apparently Cornershop are from Leicester too but, to be honest, I’d rather hear Kasabian over a Leicester montage than Brimful of Asha, the most overplayed song on radio of the last two decades.
46 min: Arsenal mean business as the second half starts. Giroud plays a delicate backheel to set Ozil up 12 yards from goal. He cocks his right foot but Drinkwater makes an incredibly important block to deny him, sliding across like his life depends on it. Ramsey picks up the loose ball and fires wide. That’s got the miffed Arsenal fans up out of their seats.
45 min: Peep! Some bad news for Arsenal. Koscielny is injured and has been replaced by Chambers.
Kanté has been an immense presence for Leicester in that first half. He’s winning the Duracell Bunny race with Sanchez by a long distance …
Ngolo Kante's first half heat map. He's bloody everywhere. #AFCvLCFC pic.twitter.com/SryS7BNhVf
— Dale Johnson (@dalejohnsonESPN) February 14, 2016
Two opposing views on the penalty decision:
Here’s perspective’s David Brazil: “The trouble with incidents like that is that people are too quick to view it from the perspective of what the attacking player did, essentially looking for a dive instead of looking for a foul. Look at that incident from the perspective of what Monreal did: Vardy’s touch was too fast for him and so he clumsily stuck his foot a yard ahead of him, long after the ball was gone away. Hard to sympathise with that.”
And here’s anger’s Gerome Lian: “Man, that was harsh. Before that the challenge on Ozil already deserved a foul, totally play should have stopped by then … absolutely underserved by Leicester, totally against the run of play.”
Half-time: Arsenal 0-1 Leicester
Boos rain down from the home fans as the whistle goes. They’re directed at Atkinson, not the Arsenal team who have played some good football at times. But Leicester have done what Leicester do. They’ve soaked up the pressure and been ruthless when they’ve had half a sniff. The Vardy penalty was definitely a case of the striker falling over Monreal’s leg, though Monreal did leave his leg dangling and there was always the danger of him giving a penalty away by being so loose. That was an intriguing half of football. What can Arsenal offer in the second half? We’ll see.
6 - Jamie Vardy has won six penalties in the Premier League this season, twice as many as any other player. Pest.
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) February 14, 2016
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45 min: In the leadup to that goal, Morgan was deemed to have not fouled Ozil when he appeared to be leaning all over the back of the Arsenal playmaker. The Arsenal fans have got a right old funk on over that. Koscielny was also booked for a foul in the buildup and then Ramsey’s name entered Atkinson’s book in a breathless finish to the half. It should also be noted that Kante’s fierce determination to beat Koscielny to the ball when Leicester broke led to the opportunity for Vardy to pick up possession and burst into the box.
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Goal! Arsenal 0-1 Leicester (Vardy 45 pen)
Utterly confident. Vardy thumps his 19th goal of the season to Cech’s left, as the keeper goes the other way. Oh Leicester!
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Penalty to Leicester!
44 min: Vardy knocks the ball past Monreal in the box and, in my opinion runs into the Arsenal defender, and then goes down. Atkinson points to the spot! I can see why he did. It looked a penalty even if gamesmanship was involved.
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40 min: Wes Morgan has read the game ever so well so far. The ball seems to be attracted to him – that’s a defensive skill, not luck.
38 min: Kante almost catches Cech out with a cross/shot from the corner of the penalty area that I don’t think even Kante knew what he was doing with. It curls dangerously towards Cech’s far corner but the big keeper paws it away for a corner. A corner that comes to nothing. Like two boxers who have realised that they both possess a decent dig, the game’s calmed down a bit now, neither side looks keen to get floored before half-time.
35 min: Arsenal break in a lovely, clean, sweeping move after Leicester didn’t make the most of decent opportunity to whip in a free-kick from the right. Sanchez and Ramsey combine to work the ball out to Oxlade-Chamberlain on the right. His cross hits the first man (of course it does) and it goes out for a corner. Giroud gets his head to it but it’s a weak header and is cleared for another corner. That one is lofted in and causes far too much trouble than it should do. I haven’t been that impressed by Leicester’s marking on corners today.
33 min: Lee Madden has learnt three things from this game so that I don’t have to.
“1) There are DEFINITELY goals in this game. Leicester’s defence looks suspect playing a high line and Vardy looks a real threat as allways.
2) What a difference two quality goalkeepers make to sides. Compare the assurance and confidence that Cech/Schmeichel give to defenders with not just great shot stopping, but also decision making and handling with Mignolet for instance.
3) Oh Giroud – he looks like a great reserve rather than a leading striker for a team challenging for European and domestic titles. He is the sort of player Man City, Chelsea or even Leicester would bring on to change a game, rather than win it from the outset.” Agree about the keepers Lee. Schmeichel has developed brilliantly over the past five years.
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31 min: Giroud scores! But it won’t count. Ozil lofted a perfect pitching-wedge style pass over Leicester’s defence from 25 yards to pick out the head of Giroud. He glances the ball past Schmeichel but the striker was half a yard offside. It’s intriguing this game. When Arsenal attack I just feel it’s more likely that Leicester will score.
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28 min: Leicester enjoy their most sustained spell of possession in the game. Mahrez is growing in influence and Kanté is starting to win the ball back with his usual terrier-like regularity. He nicks it off Giroud in the Arsenal half with ridiculous ease. Leicester haven’t created a clean chance in the last few minutes but they’ve got Arsenal on the back foot.
25 min: Morgan makes an important block, hurling his hulking frame in the way of a Giroud shot from 15 yards that the Frenchman didn’t connect brilliantly with. It’s acorner. A decent one too. Giroud gets his head to it but it bounces off the top of his noggin and goes over.
23 min: Arsenal are pass, pass, passing their way to the edge of the Leicester box but it is there that they can’t find the space in behind to bother Huth and Morgan. Ozil finally plays a cross into the box but the Leicester defence is able to deal with it comfortably and break. Kante squirts the ball out low and goes haring forwards to try to finish the move off … but his shot from 25 yards makes it clear why he’s lauded for his tackling ability and not his striking of the ball. It’s not pretty.
20 min: Fuchs, who is a confident footballer, shows a little too much faith in his own ability as he gets caught in possession by Oxlade-Chamberlain on the Leicester left. The stocky little winger bursts clear and rinses Fuchs for pace but his low cross is easily cut out. It’s been said before but yes, he still needs to work on that final ball.
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18 min: “Checking in from The Stags Head on New Cavendish St where about 30 Leicester fans have gathered – Nige the landlord is a Leicester fan. In answer to your question, yes, we believe. In fact, I was more worried last week. I think Arsenal are weaker at the back than Man City and are predictable in attack. We’ll be alright.” Leicester fan Sean’s pint is half full, it seems.
15 min: The match fair roars into life! First Schmeichel comes haring out of his box all of 30 yards to make a successful sliding tackle on Ramsey after the Welshman was sent clean through … and then Cech saves on the line after Albrighton drifted a cross beautifully to Vardy, who headed down from 10 yards and forced a fine stop from the Arsenal keeper. That was a lovely ball from Albrighton. Perfect weight.
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13 min: Leicester have their first real attack. Fuchs whips a ball into the box from the left that Koscielny stoops to clear before Vardy can get a sniff, and then Fuchs drops a lovely little sidefooted pass over the defence for Okazaki to race on to. His shot is blocked by Cech and the flag was up in any case. Leicester showed accuracy in their passing when it mattered there, though. Promising from the league leaders.
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11 min: Corner for Arsenal. Mertesacker gallops up to make his presence felt in the box. It’s a short corner that achieves absolutely nothing and must make Mertesacker wonder why he just put 100 yards of running into his legs for sod all.
10 min: Arsenal are completely bossing this. Leicester haven’t had one foray forwards of any note in 10 minutes. But isn’t that when they’re most dangerous?
8 min: There’s a handball appeal against Kanté, who is having a busy few minutes. Oxlade-Chamberlain tries to poke the ball past Kanté but it strikes the midfielder’s left arm. It wasn’t intentional. Would have been harsh to give that in my humble one.
6 min: Kante moves through the gears and wins back possession for Leicester and enables his team a bit of breathing room. Simpson makes himself known to Oxlad-Chamberlain with a boot to the heel. Leicester are making things a little more uncomfortable for Arsenal now, showing their physical side as Arsenal try to find space between Leicester’s midfield and defence.
3 min: Arsenal are the dominant force early on. Fuchs is put under pressure and gives the ball away and the home side gain possession and knock it around with bags of confidence. Big match? Arsenal look cool, collected, ready for this. Drinkwater fouls Sanchez and it’s a good chance for Arsenal to whip the ball in from the left. Ozil delivers, but it’s too low and doesn’t clear the first man. Leicester clear.
Peep! We're off!
1 min: Arsenal, in red and white, are shooting from left to right on my telly. Leicester, in their black away kit, are going the other way, of course. Arsenal make a fast start. Sanchez sends Oxlade-Chamberlain scampering downn the right wing, he gets clear of Fuchs and squares towards Giroud but Huth clears behind for a corner. Sanchez then leaps highest – yes, little Sanchez – to meet the corner but the ball comes off his shoulder and goes a foot wide. Sprightly opening this. More please.
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The teams are on their way out at the Emirates! It’s sounds pretty quiet. I suppose it is stupidly early. And perhaps the protest has had an affect. Anyway, are you ready? We may find out a thing or two about the title race today.
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There’s a Leicester montage playing. Unfortunately Kasabian are accompanying it. There’ve got to be some better Leicester bands. Are there? Anyone? Showaddywaddy? Ah.
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Arsène Wenger speaks. Here’s why he has made the changes he has made: “Coquelin is back to full fitness and it’s important to stop the counterattacking. Gabriel is injured. That was not even a decision.” He’s asked how Arsenal will stop Vardy: “For us to have the ball, that’s the way to do it and to stop the long balls getting through to Vardy. It’s important for the central defenders to read the game.”
I’m quite looking forward to seeing Sanchez v Kante today. The battle of the batteries. I can’t think of any other Premier League players who come close to being as busy as these two – they’re all motion, legs scampering, heads bobbing, non-stop pests. Who will be the last Bunny standing?
Of course, it’s 14 February, so here’s a love letter, from Raymond Reardon: “The folly of Saint Valentines Day began with the tradition of celebrating the death of Saint Valentine on this day in 270 AD. Others to have lost interest in life and love on this day were Richard II King of England, Captain James Cook king of explorers, and Dolly the Sheep the queen of clones. Let’s hope that, if Leicester lose today, we do not lose the interest and love that they have given us this season.” I don’t think we will Raymond. That’d be heartless in the extreme.
Leicester fans, do you believe yet?
So Gabriel misses out for Arsenal due to a slight hamstring strain. And Coquelin comes in for Flamini. Per Mertesacker v Leicester on the break could be interesting. That said, Mertesacker did play in Arsenal’s defeat of Leicester at the King Power Stadium, though they did still concede two goals there. When Southampton gave Arsenal a shoeing on Boxing Day it was Shane Long’s pace that horribly exposed Mertesacker. Arsenal will have to treat the ball like a fragile friend today to avoid those deadly Leicester bursts.
As for Leicester, they’re unchanged. Of course they are.
6 - Leicester have named an unchanged starting XI for the 6th Premier League game in a row; the longest run in the PL this season. Familiar.
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) February 14, 2016
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Today's teams
Arsenal: Cech; Bellerin, Mertesacker, Koscielny, Monreal; Coquelin, Ramsey; Oxlade-Chamberlain, Ozil, Sanchez; Giroud. Subs: Ospina, Walcott, Flamini, Chambers, Welbeck, Campbell, El-Nenny.
Leicester: Schmeichel; Simpson, Morgan, Huth, Fuchs; Mahrez, Drinkwater, Kante, Albrighton; Okazaki, Vardy. Subs: King, Gray, Ulloa, Dyer, Wasilewski, Chilwell, Schwarzer.
Referee: Martin Atkinson (W Yorkshire)
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Hello. Well, this is a bit early for what promises to be a humdinger of a match. Noon? On a Sunday? Well done Premier League. Well done TV. Well done everyone. If, as has been mooted, some fans turn up after kick-off, the ridiculous rescheduling of this match from 3pm on Saturday to midday on Sunday is the probable reason. For these are the days of protest, big match or none, and despite enjoying a season unlike any other they can remember, the Leicester supporters’ group, Union FS, plans to enter the ground only after five minutes have elapsed due to them being massively inconvenienced by the suits up top who make these preposterous decisions. Some Arsenal fans may join in too.
Anyway, on the subject of today’s football, what a day we have in store (TV fixture-meddling notwithstanding). Yes, it’s Arsenal v Leicester and then Manchester City v New Spurs today. Mettle, and which teams have it, will be revealed by the end of play. Starting right here, in north London, Arsène Wenger sounds like he knows what to expect from Leicester, in terms of style, but it’s one thing knowing what’s coming and it’s another dealing with it. “There is an evolution in their game, they’re more cautious at the moment. They play a lot in their final third and they come out very quickly. Look at the number of direct balls from their half into the opponents’ – it’s higher than anyone else’s because they have [Jamie] Vardy on his way straightaway when they win it,” proffed Wenger. “They suck you in and they go very quickly into the opponents’ half.” They do indeed. The temptation against Leicester is for teams to put their defenders, who are not as comfortable on the ball, under pressure and try to nick it in an area where you think they can’t hurt you. Ah, but they can. And do. A tackle (Kanté). A soft-shoed shuffle and a pinged pass (Mahrez). Wallop (Vardy). Goal!
But are Leicester finally going to crack under pressure? After last weekend’s stunning victory over Manchester City, the praise and expectation that has been placed on them has been overwhelming. The performance at the Etihad felt like such a statement of title intent that they are now – probably for the first time this season – being seen as the real deal. Wenger reckons that the heat will perhaps burn Claudio Ranieri’s side, who aren’t used to it. But is the onus on Leicester to perform today? I don’t think it is. They’re five points clear having already taken six points from their last two matches – two matches that many thought would result in them tumbling over in the Laurel and Hardy style. They haven’t. They can draw or lose, no problem. Arsenal are the only team to properly turn them over this season (Liverpool’s win was slim). So it’s Wenger’s team who may feel the pressure more keenly. And it also feels like we have more to learn about the home side this afternoon than Leicester. Can they match the intensity of the visitors? Is their defence up to the challenge of stopping such devastating counterattacks? Can they raise their game? They’ll need to.
My prediction: Arsenal 2-2 Leicester City
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