Tame Foxes shot down by impressive Gunners
GARETH HITS BEST FORM SINCE RETURN ON LOAN TO INSPIRE TOTTENHAM
3 ARSENAL
Luiz 39, Lacazette 45 (pen), Pepe 52
ARSENAL continued to breathe fresh life into their season with an impressive win at Leicester.
David Luiz, Alexandre Lacazette and Nicolas Pepe netted as the mid-table Gunners came from behind for a deserved victory.
Youri Tielemans’ strike had put the Foxes ahead but the hosts suffered a major blow when Harvey Barnes was carried off in the second half with a knee injury, which Brendan Rodgers later confirmed will require surgery.
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta had the luxury of resting Bukayo Saka as the Gunners built on their Europa League win over Benfica.
Yet the selection gamble – which also saw him name Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang on the bench – looked misguided when the Gun
ners gifted Tielemans an early goal. Kelechi Iheanacho and Tielemans combined on the right for the Belgium midfielder to burst away and fire past Bernd Leno.
Tielemans almost turned villain five minutes later when Arsenal were initially awarded a penalty. Pepe went down under Tielemans’ challenge but it was overturned by VAR because Wilfred Ndidi had made contact with the winger outside of the box first. Rather
than hurt them, it lifted the visitors and they found their stride, equalising when Luiz pulled away from Timothy Castagne to power a header into the bottom corner from Willian’s free-kick.
It was a deserved leveller and Arsenal completed the turnaround in first-half stoppage time. Pepe’s shot struck Ndidi’s outstretched arm and, while referee Paul Tierney initially missed it, he gave the penalty after checking
the monitor and Lacazette found the corner from 12 yards.
Leicester’s day continued to get worse when Barnes was carried off after injuring his knee stretching for the ball.
Two minutes later the Foxes crumbled when Arsenal hit them on the break to grab a third. Pepe and substitute Martin Odegaard combined before Willian squeezed the ball past Kasper Schmeichel for Pepe to tap into an empty net.
GARETH BALE appeared back to his best, producing a devastating display that included two goals and an assist as Tottenham emerged from their Premier League rut.
The Wales international has enjoyed a resurgence in the last few weeks after a miserable start to his Spurs homecoming and delivered his most telling impact yet in a comfortable win against Burnley.
After opening the scoring after just 67 seconds when he ran on to a cross from Heung-min Son to poke in a low finish, the on-loan Real Madrid forward set up Harry Kane and was involved in Lucas Moura’s third as Jose Mourinho’s men ran riot in the first half.
Bale then added a brilliant second after the break to complete a fine afternoon’s work to help Spurs to a 4-0 victory which was just their second topflight triumph in seven games.
It may have taken the 31-year-old the best part of five months to find his groove but he could not have timed it better with Spurs heading into a crucial part of the season, with the latter stages of the Europa League and a Carabao Cup final looming.
Burnley will not be fussed about returning to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium any time soon as they followed last season’s 5-0 thumping here with another heavy defeat that could have been even worse but for England goalkeeper Nick Pope.
It was an electric opening by Spurs and Bale set Kane clear with a brilliant 50-yard pass in the 15th minute before the England captain fired in his 14th league goal of the season.
He then found former Real teammate Sergio Reguilon in space in the 33rd minute and the Spaniard’s cross fell to Moura, who converted his second league goal in as many games.
Bale wrapped up victory ten minutes after the restart with his fourth goal in four games when he collected Son’s pass and whipped a left-foot shot past Pope into the far bottom corner.
CHELSEA missed the chance to climb back into the Premier League’s top four after grinding out a dour draw with Manchester United at Stamford Bridge.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s United added to goalless draws at Liverpool and Arsenal since the turn of the year with another unambitious performance that suggests they have given up hope of catching leaders Manchester City.
Despite all the attacking personnel at his disposal, the Blues also seemed content to preserve Thomas Tuchel’s unbeaten start since replacing Frank Lampard as manager last month rather than try to force the three points.
For all the possession and territory the hosts enjoyed, the game’s big talking point came at the other end with referee Stuart Attwell sent to the video monitor to check whether Callum Hudson-Odoi should be penalised for a 14th-minute handball in the box. After brushing the young England winger’s fingers, the ball went on to strike the arm of United’s Mason Greenwood.
Having checked the replays, Attwell quickly decided not to award the spotkick to the chagrin of United skipper Harry Maguire, with Solskjaer continuing the complaints at half-time.
Hudson-Odoi carved out the best opening of the first half with a delightful cross but in-form striker Olivier Giroud just failed to add the finishing touch with a diving header.
Tuchel had substituted Hudson-Odoi 31 minutes after bringing him on in last weekend’s 1-1 draw at Southampton but this time the fact he only lasted 45 minutes was down to a thigh injury. He watched the second half with strapping and ice on his right leg.
It was a period which started with David De Gea making a good stop from Hakim Ziyech but the hosts rarely looked like making a breakthrough, even after Tuchel threw Christian Pulisic and Timo Werner into the fray as the half wore on.
At the other end, Edouard Mendy saved Scott McTominay’s firm shot and punched away from Bruno Fernandes late on, while Fred hit a long-range effort narrowly off target.
This stalemate means United have failed to score in each of their last five meetings with ‘Big Six’ opposition and now trail City by 12 points at the top of the Premier League. The sides meet at the Etihad Stadium next Sunday.
Meanwhile, Chelsea have not lost in nine games in all competitions since Tuchel took charge but there was precious little to get excited about here.