Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Cup runs are an Art form
MIKEL HAS EYES ON MORE SILVERWARE
MIKEL ARTETA appears to have developed a real taste for the EFL Cup during his stay at Manchester City.
The Gunners boss was part of
Pep Guardiola’s set-up who won it back-to-back while he was there from 2016-2019.
The Spaniard’s own side also meant business at the King Power Stadium, where Brendan Rodgers’ gamble to make 11 changes backfired.
It left the Foxes out-gunned by the Gunners, for whom there was still no squad place for either Mesut Ozil or Matteo Guendouzi.
Arteta’s men, who progressed after Christian Fuch’s own goal and a late Eddie Nketiah strike, now face the winners of tonight’s tie between Lincoln and Liverpool in the fourth round next week.
It throws up the possibility of successive games against the champions, who they visit on Monday night in the Premier League.
Leicester will have no repeat of their run to the semi-finals last term but at least they got 71 minutes from England ace James Maddison in his first start since missing the end of last season with a hip injury.
Maddison hit the post in the first half but there was no denying Arsenal’s supremacy as their impressive start to the season continues.
Arteta made seven changes, yet it was two of the names who did not make the squad which really spoke volumes.
The visitors started with intent as Reiss Nelson launched a superb run and shot which forced goalkeeper Danny Ward to tip his effort just over.
In a frantic opening Kelechi Iheanacho also tested Bernd Leno at the other end with a low shot.
But the visitors started to take a stranglehold on the game ame as Joe Willo ck’s cle ver pass released Nicolas Pepe, whose drag back was superbly blocked by Fuchs.
The resulting corner wasn’t fully cleared and Sead Kolasinac hit a left-foot effort just over.
Leicester were guilty of not moving the ball fast enough, unlike the Gunners.
Left wing-back Bukayo Saka was a huge threat rampaging down the flank, where he was matched up against Marc Albrighton.
Saka thought he should have had a penalty when he went down under a
Lincoln/liverpool Arsenal Burnley
Man City/bournemouth Brentford Fulham
Everton West Ham
Bristol City/a Villa Stoke L Orient/spurs Chelsea Newport Newcastle Brighton Manchester Utd challenge from Daniel Amartey, and the hosts breathed another sigh of relief when Nelson put a right-foot shot wide from a corner.
Some Maddison magic nearly broke the deadlock in the 39th minute with a right-foot curler from outside the box which came back off the post into the grateful arms of Leno.
After the break Arsenal really turned the screw, with home goalkeeper Ward even gifting the ball straight to Nketiah, who just wasn’t alive to the chance and blew it.
But Arsenal deservedly took the lead in the 57th minute thanks to a huge element of luck.
Pepe had a shot saved by Ward and he then hit the post with his follow-up before the ball rebounded on to Fuchs and ended up in the back of the net.
Arsenal could have doubled their lead but Wes Morgan cleared Nketiah’s lob off the line. Yet there was still time in stoppage time for Nketiah to bag his second of the season from close-range. LEICESTER: Ward 5, Amartey 5,
Morgan 6, Fuchs 6, Albrighton 6, Choudhury 6, Dewsbury-hall 6 (Perez 76, 6), Thomas 6, Gray 6, Maddison 7 (Praet 72, 6), Iheanacho 6
ARSENAL: Leno 7, Holding 7, Luiz 7, Kolasinac 7, Maitland-niles 6, Elneny 6, Willock 7 (Ceballos 78, 6), Saka 8, Pepe 7, Nketiah 8, Nelson 7 (Willian 72, 6)