Bellerin full of belief as Arsenal score a perfect 10 under Emery
ARSENAL full-back Hector Bellerin believes the Gunners earned the right to win as they secured their 10 successive win.
The Spaniard, who produced two assists after his first-half own goal, acknowledged it had been a difficult game at the Emirates Stadium but said his team had stood up to the challenge.
He said: “They’ve put us in some trouble, but we stood up,” he said.
“In the second half when the football started flowing we were finding a bit more space.
“Leicester are a team who press on the front foot and have a lot of pace in the final third. It’s very hard to defend and we knew we were going to have those problems to deal with.”
After a shaky start from the Gunners, Leicester took the lead through a Hector Bellerin own goal but an inspired Mesut Ozil turned home an equaliser on the stroke of half-time.
He was then heavily involved in two goals for substitute Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
While Arsenal were flatfooted from the off, the visitors started brightly with Kelechi Iheanacho twice threatening in the opening exchanges.
Rob Holding, so impressive in the Arsenal defence in recent games, was struggling to contain the Nigeria international and was cautioned for pulling him back on the halfway line.
Leicester were incensed from the resulting free-kick as referee Chris Kavanagh missed the ball clearly hit Holding on the hand as he cleared away from in front of Wilfried Ndidi.
Bernd Leno made a superb stop to keep out Harry Maguire’s header as Claude Puel’s side continued to dominate, before Jamie Vardy came within inches of heading in Ricardo Pereira’s cross.
The constant pressure soon paid off as Leicester took the lead, as Ndidi fed Ben Chilwell and his pass deflected in off Bellerin, wrong-footing Leno in the process. Granit Xhaka’s free-kick was then tipped over by Leicester skipper Kasper Schmeichel as Arsenal looked to respond immediately.
The visitors were unable to hold out until the interval as Arsenal’s head of steam saw them draw level courtesy of Ozil, who steered Bellerin’s low cross past Schmeichel with aplomb in the last minute of the half.
Leicester came within inches of retaking the lead as Leno charged off his line but got nowhere near James Maddison’s corner, which Ndini thundered against the crossbar.
Emery looked to change things around by introducing both Matteo Guendouzi and Aubameyang from the bench with an hour gone as