CANNON FODDER
Keown lays into Arsenal after abject surrender
AT one point during this third defeat in eight days for Arsenal, unai Emery began frantically flapping his wrists to imitate paddling.
he was suggesting Marc Albrighton had dived to win a free-kick. It was also an apt representation of his team right now. Arsenal are being submerged and gasping for air.
They were battered from start to finish by a brilliant Leicester, and ended up conceding three goals in consecutive top-flight matches for the first time since 1966. hardly ideal form to take into Thursday’s Europa League semi-final against Valencia.
Jamie Vardy scored with the final touch — an easy tap-in after Ricardo Pereira had burst through yet more mannequin defending to cross — to give the scoreline a just reflection of the gulf between the teams. Ainsley Maitland-Niles’ 36th-minute dismissal was only modest mitigation.
A brace takes Vardy to 18 in the Premier League, behind just four others, as Youri Tielemans enhanced his influence with a terrific header.
hamza choudhury, on his first start under Brendan Rodgers, produced a terrific display of high- energy
tackling that highlighted the absence of such a force in Arsenal’s ranks. It says much that Bernd Leno was by far their best player. At this rate, they have no hope of a top-four finish.
Arsenal were at their most animated when reacting to the red card. Emery threw off his puffer jacket, while on the bench Matteo Guendouzi got into a row with Leicester goalkeeping coach Mike Stowell.
Their grievances with Michael Oliver’s decision were perhaps
understandable, even if they were undermined by an anaemic display. Statistics at the interval told the story. Leicester had enjoyed 73 per cent of possession, also outweighing Arsenal with 12 shots to four, and six corners to one.
So the rage that echoed around Maitland-Niles’ early walk down the tunnel felt hollow. Had they shown as much pugnaciousness on the pitch the Arsenal right back would not have been forced into committing the fouls that Oliver deemed worthy of a red.
The first was a shoulder charge to stop Ben Chilwell, the second a lunge on James Maddison having lost the ball. Contact was minimal, but it was not an unreasonable judgement from Oliver.
Afterwards Emery said he disagreed with the first and the second. But he also said Arsenal performed well and expressed pride in his players, so his grasp of reality seemed a little loose. Just as against Crystal Palace and Wolves, Arsenal were dishevelled.
By contrast, Leicester were at their fluent, intense best. Before the half-hour Leno saved from Jonny Evans, Maddison and Wilfred Ndidi, the latter a superb claw to stop a header. Vardy then lifted over the bar and was thwarted by another fine save.
Arsenal’s chances were fleeting. Alexandre Lacazette skewed wide and in a swift counter PierreEmerick Aubameyang put Alex Iwobi clear. But Kasper Schmeichel saved Arsenal’s only shot on target smartly with his legs.
Leicester finally broke through on hour. Albrighton fed Maddison, who saw Tielemans making a sprint into the box, totally missed by Granit Xhaka. Tielemans did justice to the cross by burying a bullet header. Once more Leicester fans implored the club to ‘ sign up’ the on- loan Monaco midfielder.
Tielemans hit a curler just wide, then Leno made a triple save, the first two superb. It was all too much for Emery, who was blowing his lid at the fourth official and received a ticking-off from Oliver.
Leicester put the gloss on the result in the final five minutes. Schmeichel drilled a free-kick to Vardy, who lobbed Leno, hit the bar but followed up to head in. Leno then saved well from Harvey Barnes as he raced clear, before Vardy confirmed the battering.
‘We didn’t waste any time today,’ said Rodgers. ‘We were really aggressive in our pressing and really connected as a team.’
Everything Arsenal were not. LEICESTER (4-1-4-1): Schmeichel 8; Ricardo 8, Evans 8.5, Maguire 8, Chilwell 8; Ndidi 7 (Barnes 46, 7); Albrighton 8 (Gray 86), Tielemans 8.5, Choudhury 8 (Mendy 78), Maddison 8; VARDY 9. Subs not used: Ward, Fuchs, Soyuncu, Iheanacho. Scorers: Tielemans 59, Vardy 86, 90+5. Booked: Ndidi, Ricardo, Chilwell.
Manager: Brendan Rodgers 9. ARSENAL (4-4-2): Leno 8; Maitland-Niles 3, Mustafi 3, Sokratis 3, Kolasinac 4; Mkhitaryan 4 (Guendouzi 73, 4), Torreira 5, Xhaka 3, Iwobi 5 (Koscielny 46, 4); Lacazette 5 (Nketiah 78), Aubameyang 5.
Subs not used: Cech, Mavropanos, Elneny, Willock. Booked: Sokratis Sent off: Maitland-Niles Manager: Unai Emery 4. Referee: Michael Oliver 7.5. Attendance: 32,037.