Brendan Rodgers fielded a team with a few surprises. Would have thought that Harvey Barnes would start instead of Demarai Gray, but both were dropped to the bench. Sensible to chose a more defensive team, playing Hamza Choudhury as a third midfielder, wide.
The surprise of Hamza Choudhury returning to the first team worked brilliantly and despite being out in the dark for such a long time, he was on from start alongside Youri Tielemans and Wilfred Ndidi, taking full control in the engine room.
Leicester started with 100% commitment and were close to score after the first five minutes putting great pressure on Arsenal, who looked a bit “shaky” and that would continue as the foxes looked very confident.
Arsenal were reduced to 10 men, after Ainsley Maitland-Niles was send off with two yellow cards. This was of course a new great power injection for Leicester, who just kept the pressure up until the end of first half.
Most chances from City, either were stopped by the Arsenal defense or just that clinical last pass inside the penalty box failed, not really seeing players at Leicester being clinical enough in the last phase.
Both Leicester and Arsenal made changes in front of second half, Arsenal strengthening the defense by bringing on Koschelny, while Leicester sacrificed the defensive skills of Wilfred Ndidi and gave Harvey Barnes a chance ot again shine.
After great pressure, James Maddison managed to find a whole in the Arsenal defensive wall with a clinical pass to Youri Tielemans who just scored from a fantastic and great header in front of goal.
Bernd Leno, the best Arsenal player on the field, made a number of crucial saves earlier in the game, but this time it was no possibility to catch the ball. Leicester were 1-0 up and they just continued to put more pressure on Arsenal.
As the game went into it’s finals, Kasper Schmeichel found Jamie Vardy with a great pass, the shot from Vardy hit the crossbar but he managed to get the ball back and scored with a fine header. Just brilliant to see a Leicester City team so full of energy.
As we all had thought the game was over, Ricardo Pereira had other ideas and started a great raid towards the Arsenal goal and while passing most players, he found Jamie Vardy totally clear in front of goal, unselfishly passing it in and it was just for Vardy to tap in his 18th goal of the season and the 12th in 2019, most goals in PL this year.
- Positives:
- Maddison is top in Europe setting up his team mates for chances
- Tielemans performing, scoring and looks just fantastic
- Maguire back at his best, saving Leicester in crucial defensive situations
- Evans playing better and better together with Maguire
- Chilwell, Barnes and Choudhury showing that academies are important
- Vardy, two goals and working fantastic, 18 so far this season, 12 this year
- Choudhury coming in and just playing his role perfectly
- Pereira, what a right back, what a player
- Scoring 3, letting in 0
- Negatives:
- Players can be even more clinical in front of goal
- That final pass must be better, then this looks fantastic
- Can be even more forward orientated
- Player Ratings: Schmeichel 7. Pereira 8, Chilwell 6, Evans 7, Maguire 8, Ndidi 6, Tielemans 7, Albrighton 6, Vardy 9, Maddison 8, Choudhury 7, Subs: Barnes 6, Mendy, Gray
Match Stats: H/A
- Possession: 62 / 38
- Corners: 8 / 6
- Shots on target: 13 / 1
- Shots wide: 4 / 1
- Fouls: 13 / 13
- Offsides: 2 / 3
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