Arsenal Vs Leicester City.

The Gunners Vs The Foxes

As the race for the top 4 gets tighter, it has become more challenging for the teams who are fighting for next season's Champions League. Before the lockdown, I expected a very tough horse race between 6 clubs to claim a spot in the top 4. Surprisingly, Sheffield United, Spurs, Arsenal, and Leceister City dropped points after the campaign was resumed. The Foxes have lost their momentum since the league resumed. It is very surprising as Brendan Rodger's men looked to finish in the top 4 very comfortably. Meanwhile, The Gunners lost points in their first 2 fixtures after the season returned. But, they have bounced back very well after winning their next 3 games to keep their chances of playing in Europe next season.

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The game is expected to be intense as both sides are hoping to play European football next season.  The momentum is with Arsenal as their winning streak continued after a comfortable win against Wolves. The Foxes claimed 3 points against the Eagles which was their first win since the league returned with more positivity as their star striker Jamie Vardy scored a brace to maintain his lead in the race for the golden boot. Arsenal's last visit to King Power Stadium ended in a disappointment as the Foxes won 2-0. With both teams looking to play in next season's European competition, it will be interesting to see who wins this crucial fixture. 

Key Points: 

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1. Gunners break the deadlock after having a good start: 

The game initially began a bit slow until Arsenal slowly began to have more of the ball. The Foxes, on the other hand, were sitting back and looked to counter. The Foxes did have an early opportunity when Iheanacho received a ball from Perez and struck a shot that was saved by Martinez. The Gunners reacted when they won a corner which was cleared by the Foxes and Tierney struck a powerful shot which was straight as Schmeichel saved it comfortably. 

Finally, Arsenal was rewarded when Ceballos helped Saka and Aubameyang to combine well and set-up the first goal. The former Dortmund man gave his side the lead to increase his tally to 20 goals in the Premier League for the second successive season. This did not stop Arsenal to attack as they began to look more threatening. Arteta's men were close to extending their lead when Saka received a ball from Lacazette who attempted to score only to be denied. Lacazette was denied when Saka combined with him to set-up which was saved by Schmeichel. Bellerin attempted to score after he sprinted inside the box and shot the ball only to be denied by the Danish shot-stopper. It would have been a big advantage for the London outfit to have a comfortable lead before the second-half.

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2. Gunners down to 10 men:

Towards the 74th minute mark, there was a moment where VAR intervened in the game. An incident involved Nkeitah lunged on the ball in the center circle which caught Justin in the shin. It didn't seem to be intentional but a horrible one. Initially, the ref gave a yellow card but it had to be reviewed by VAR and the incident was replayed several times before the final decision was given to the ref to decide the ultimatum. The ref was given the final decision who looked onto the screen by himself and after checking, reversed his decision and showed the red card. Unfortunately, the young striker's well intentional tackle proved to be costly was sent off moments after coming on the field.

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3. The Foxes equalize in the closing minutes: 

Brendan Rodger's men did have a better start in the second half and looked to equalize. They did have a good chance when Ndidi passed the ball to Vardy as he delivered a good cross to spot Iheanacho. The former Man City man struck a decent effort which was saved by Martinez. Leicester did bring on Harvey Barnes and Christian Fuchs to provide pace and good deliveries. 

The 2015/16 champions did have a good opportunity again when Justin made a good run down the right and crossed the ball towards Barnes. The header was less powerful which was comfortably saved by Martinez. All seemed well for Gunners until they were reduced to 10 men. Leceister took advantage when Gray passed the ball inside the box to find Vardy. The League's top scorer found the net from close range which was reviewed by VAR who suspected that Perez made initial contact that led up to the goal. Fortunately for the visitors, the goal was given and Vardy increased his tally 22 goals of the season. 

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In the end, the points were shared by both sides. Aubameyang gave the lead for his side after well combining with Bukayo Saka to increase his tally to 20 goals in this season. Leceister's goal was denied after Iheanacho was caught offside. The Gunners could have put the game to bed when Sake, Lacazette, and Bellerin had chances to increase the lead to 4-0.  But, Kasper Schmeichel kept his ground and made spectacular saves to deny the hosts. I felt that Arsenal could have won the match considering their chances. The second half began with Leceister City attempting to threaten the visitors who were sitting back and waiting to counter. 

Rodger's men did have a good opportunity when Iheanacho's volley and Barnes's header was saved by Martinez. The game changed when Nketiah was sent off after the VAR found his challenge on Justin harsh and reduced Arsenal to 10 men. The Foxes made use of this opportunity and scored the equalizer thanks to Jamie Vardy. VAR was brought in again to check whether Ayoze Perez made contact with the ball before Vardy scored. The decision went and Leceister's favor and the goal was given and the final whistle blew with the score 1-1. Aubameyang and Vardy added their name to the scoresheet with both the players in leading contenders for the golden boot this season. The interesting question is "who will end the season as the top scorer". ? 

Author,

Zaid