Category: Match Reports

Following a disappointing draw in the Europa League, Arsenal are staring down the barrel of yet another season without European football. That coupled with injuries to key players Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Emile Smith Rowe, David Luiz, Kieran Tierney and Martin Ødegaard, Arsenal fans could be excused for thinking that luck is very much against them at the moment.

However, a trip to Sheffield United was a good chance to right the wrongs of Thursday night and to get back to winning ways, given Sheffield United’s position and being on course for one of the worst finishes ever seen in a Premier League relegation scrap.

Arsenal started the game at a thunderous pace. The selection of Gabriel Martinelli seemed to pay dividends early on as Arsenal began to attack with real gusto, the Brazilian coming close on a number of occasions.

The freedom of Bukayo Saka in the middle of the park seemed to really open up Arsenal creatively, who were able to expand the play to the flanks with relative ease.

It was totally unsurprising (which is in itself surprising) to see Arsenal take the lead early on. Excellent work from Saka in the middle of the park, saw him link up well with Thomas Partey and Dani Ceballos, who’s backheeled pass found its way into Alexandre Lacazette’s path, who promptly curled the ball into the far corner to give Arsenal the lead.

It was a goal with class written all over it and with the sort of creative flair that Arsène Wenger would have been proud of.

It was therefore surprising to see half-time beckon with Arsenal only a goal to the good. Arsenal had been putting Sheffield to the sword all half and were perhaps unlucky not to be two or three up.

The second-half saw a more improved performance from Sheffield United, who began to start creating chances, but they were still far behind Arsenal, who stepped things up a gear.

Before long, Arsenal found themselves two-up, when Nicolas Pépé’s effort was palmed out by Aaron Ramsdale into the path of Gabriel Martinelli, who promptly dispatched a deserved goal for both club and player.

Martinelli had been playing so well all game that to grab a goal was a worthy return for the youngster.

Finally, Arsenal wrapped things up in style. A terrific turn on the halfway line from Thomas Partey and a slide-rule pass saw him dispatch Lacazette once more. Whatever doubts Arsenal fans had about the Frenchman following his disappointing miss against Slavia Prague in midweek were quickly assuaged as the former Lyon man buried the ball in the near corner, sending Ramsdale the wrong way and grabbing his 50th Premier League goal in Arsenal colours.

From there, Arsenal were able to take their foot off the proverbial gas and cruise until the final-whistle.

It was an outstanding performance, as unique in its quality as it was typical in its frustration from fans who will no doubt be wondering why Arsenal are so incapable of producing performances akin to this every week.

Mikel Arteta rolled the dice a little with his tactical selections. Given the absence of Kieran Tierney, Arsenal decided to play Granit Xhaka at left-back. Though Xhaka is no stranger to the position, having featured there a few times under Unai Emery, it was a little surprising to see that Bukayo Saka, who deputised in the role for most of last season, was given the chance in the middle of the park instead.

Though Xhaka’s performance was likely helped by Sheffield United’s total unwillingness to attack, the Swiss international should be commended for a composed and assured performance as Arsenal managed to keep their first clean sheet in fourteen games.

The performance of Gabriel Martinelli was also hugely encouraging. In recent months, Arsenal have been perhaps a little goal-shy and scared to take on the shot whenever the situation calls for it, however, Martinelli faced no such qualms, testing keeper Aaron Ramsdale at every opportunity he could and his goal was a worthy return for such a brilliant performance.

Elsewhere, Alexandre Lacazette’s performance in midweek seemed to serve as the catalyst for the striker’s performance in front of goal. His composure, link-up play and dogged determination were essential to Arsenal’s victory and he showed Mikel Arteta that there is still a player here willing to fight, not just for his place, but for the good of the team.

The biggest game of Arsenal’s season so far beckons on Thursday night, with Arsenal in dire need of an away goal or else face elimination, but with a performance like this, Arsenal can go in confident, if nothing else.

Arsenal team:
  1.) Bernd Leno
21.) Calum Chambers
16.) Rob Holding
22.) Pablo Marí
34.) Granit Xhaka
18.) Thomas Partey
  8.) Dani Ceballos
19.) Nicolas Pépé
  7.) Bukayo Saka (Willian 69’)
35.) Gabriel Martinelli (Elneny 83’)
  9.) Alexandre Lacazete (c) (Nketiah 89’)

Arsenal subs:
33.) Maty Ryan
  6.) Gabriel Magalhães
17.) Cédric Soares
  2.) Héctor Bellerín
25.) Mohamed Elneny
66.) Miguel Azeez
12.) Willian
24.) Reiss Nelson
30.) Eddie Nketiah

Sheffield United team:
  1.) Aaron Ramsdale
22.) Ethan Ampadu
12.) John Egan
  3.) Enda Stevens
  2.) George Baldock
  7.) John Lundstram
16.) Ollie Norwood (c)
  4.) John Fleck
23.) Ben Osborn
14.) Ollie Burke (Brewster 64’)
17.) David McGoldrick (McBurnie 64’) (Mousset 83’)

Sheffield United subs:
18.) Wes Foderingham
15.) Phil Jagielka
20.) Jayden Bogle
13.) Max Lowe
29.) Kean Bryan
34.) Iliman Ndiaye
11.) Lys Mousset
  9.) Oli McBurnie
24.) Rhian Brewster

Arsenal’s record against Liverpool after Mikel Arteta’s appointment have been remarkably enviable. Though the team failed to win at Anfield earlier in the season, the form of the erstwhile champions would have likely given Mikel Arteta and his side renewed vigour for Saturday’s match.

The absences of David Luiz, Granit Xhaka, Bukayo Saka and Emile Smith Rowe were unlikely to aid Arsenal though, especially as this required some rather more fringe players to step into the breach.

The first half of the match pretty much dictated the way the game went throughout. Arsenal were utterly woeful in pretty much all areas of the pitch. But for a brief three minute spell when they seemed to display some encouraging attacking football, the rest of the match was played totally at Liverpool’s ease.

Though Liverpool didn’t score in the first-half, it was more of an insult to the visitors than a compliment to the hosts. Arsenal’s press was practically non-existent and the desire to win the ball back wasn’t even present.

To add insult to injury (literally), Kieran Tierney hobbled off at the close of the first-half with a suspected muscle injury, meaning that Cédric Soares was asked to fill in at left-back.

The second-half picked up where the first left off, with Arsenal only marginally better than they had been in the first-half. The visitors kept plugging and plugging and soon enough they found their opening as Diogo Jota leaped highest out of himself, Calum Chambers and Rob Holding to head home the game’s opener.

Liverpool did not stop there as they continued to put Arsenal to the sword and soon enough the mesmeric Mohamed Salah squeezed in Liverpool’s second at the near-post, with Diogo Jota once again adding to the misery with the team’s third soon after.

It would be fair to say that it was possibly the worst performance Arsenal have given under Mikel Arteta and possibly the worst of the past three years, including the Europa League final in Baku.

While Arteta may have soothed some troubled waters with his post-match apology to the fans, it seems as though Arsenal are staring down the barrel of no European football at all next season.

The team seemed totally at odds with what Arteta wanted and what he had planned. Dani Ceballos was the main culprit in midfield and barring a remarkably small, single-figure price-tag in the summer, it’s tough to see Arsenal keeping the Spaniard given his recent performances.

While players like David Luiz and Granit Xhaka have long been the players that Arsenal fans love to hate, both players’ absences were felt throughout the team. While it likely would not have made too much of a difference to the overall result, David Luiz would likely have handled Jota’s opener better than Holding and Chambers and Xhaka would surely have performed better than Ceballos, who looked totally lost in midfield.

The absences of Bukayo Saka and Emile Smith Rowe were both felt and worrying. A teamthat is relying on two players barely a year out of the Hale End Academy, while boasting one of the most expensive forward lines in Europe is worrying. Though the absences should not be seen as excuses for Arsenal’s abysmal performance, it should at least give fans a perspective of the mountain there is still to climb.

Arsenal’s next match is a Europa League quarter-final against Slavia Prague and if their performance on Saturday is anything to go by, then the Gunners will have their work cut out for them. They will need to improve if they want to progress and given that a potential semi-final against former coach and Europa League specialist Unai Emery awaits them if they progress, Arsenal really do not look confident of securing another European spot.

Arsenal team: 
  1.) Bernd Leno
21.) Calum Chambers
16.) Rob Holding
  6.) Gabriel Magalhães
  3.) Kieran Tierney (Cédric Soares 46’)
18.) Thomas Partey
  8.) Dani Ceballos (Elneny 58’)
19.) Nicolas Pépé
11.) Martin Ødegaard
14.) Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (c) (Martinelli 77’)
  9.) Alexandre Lacazette

Arsenal subs:
33.) Maty Ryan
22.) Pablo Marí
  2.) Héctor Bellerín
17.) Cédric Soares
25.) Mohamed Elneny
12.) Willian
24.) Reiss Nelson
35.) Gabriel Martinelli
30.) Eddie Nketiah

Liverpool team:
  1.) Alisson 
66.) Trent Alexander-Arnold
47.) Nathaniel Phillips
19.) Ozan Kabak (Williams 84’)
36.) Andy Robertson (Jota 61’)
  3.) Fabinho
  6.) Thiago Alcântara
  7.) James Milner (c)
11.) Mohamed Salah
  9.) Roberto Firmino (Wijnaldum 78’)
10.) Sadio Mané

Liverpool subs:
13.) Adrián
46.) Rhys Williams
21.) Konstantinos Tsimikas
17.) Curtis Jones
  5.) Georginio Wijnaldum
15.) Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain
  8.) Naby Keïta
23.) Xherdan Shaqiri
20.) Diogo Jota

Arsenal’s record on Sundays following a Thursday night Europa League excursion isn’t exactly the most enviable of all records, though this didn’t stop Arsenal celebrating a win in the recent North London Derby.

But while their shock home loss to Olympiacos will have certainly knocked the wind from their sails, Arsenal can be happy with their lot so far. Quarter-finals of the Europa League and a decent bit of league form brewing, Arsenal headed into yet another London derby with optimism.

A few changes in the lineup saw Calum Chambers start, Pablo Marí brought back in and both Bukayo Saka and Alexandre Lacazette restored to the team.

However, whatever optimism Arsenal entered Sunday’s match quickly dissipated. West Ham were comfortably on the front foot for most of the first-half. Arsenal were sloppy in possession and looked tired and lethargic, so it came as no surprise to see West Ham take the lead in the fifteenth minute.

Michail Antonio’s quick work down the left-hand side saw him able to play the ball into Jesse Lingard, who controlled the ball and fired an absolute rocket past Bernd Leno.

But the worst was yet to come from Arsenal. Barely even a minute later, Arsenal were caught napping on a free-kick, which allowed Lingard to take the set-piece quickly, releasing Jarrod Bowen, who walked into the Arsenal penalty area totally unmarked and fire in from close-range. Questions will undoubtedly be asked of Bernd Leno and how he allowed the shot to creep in at the near-post, but there are further questions for Arsenal’s defence.

But the humiliation was not yet complete, soon West Ham saw themselves 3-0 up when Michail Antonio’s header deflected off teammate Tomáš Souček to utterly crush Arsenal hopes.

Some dignity was soon restored, however. Quick work from the in-form Martin Ødegaard allowed the Norwegian playmaker to feed Calum Chambers, whose cross found Alexandre Lacazette, who turned and fired a ferocious effort past former-Gunner Łukasz Fabiański, although replays did show a fairly wicked deflection off Tomáš Souček.

Arsenal could have had a second just before half-time when Lacazette’s ball through the middle was latched onto by Bukayo Saka, but the talented youngster barely tested Fabiański.

It was inarguably one of the worst halves of football that Arsenal have ever produced under Mikel Arteta. Arsenal looked absolutely destroyed before West Ham scored and didn’t look too pleased when half-time rolled around.

However, the change in the second-half was staggering. Arsenal looked like a team with a new lease on life as they began to attack with real gusto.

Martin Ødegaard, so often at the heart of everything was virtually unplayable for West Ham, as was Lacazette, who was unfortunate enough to have his looped effort kept off the goal line.

It didn’t take long for Arsenal to have a second though. Calum Chambers’ whipped ball into the box caused West Ham all sorts of problems and was fired home by the unfortunate Craig Dawson. The ball across was too good and better players than Dawson would have struggled to do any more.

West Ham came close to finishing the game off completely however when Michail Antonio somehow managed to miss from a yard out from Saïd Benrahma’s cross.

However, the introduction of Nicolas Pépé really seemed to turn the game around for Arsenal. The Ivorian linked up well with Chambers and Ødegaard and soon the £72m man had whipped in a cross with his weaker right foot to the back-post for Lacazette who made no mistake and completed an extraordinary comeback for Arsenal.

Arsenal will be disappointed that they did not grab a fourth, but for all intents and purposes, Arsenal were lucky to get anything at all from the game.

It was pretty much Arsenal in a nutshell. Poor defending and a lack of concentration at the back one half and then scintillating attacking football of the highest order in the second, it simply wasn’t good enough.

The performance of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was a very real concern for Arsenal fans. Though Arteta’s tactic of switching him to the right hardly helped matters, Aubameyang’s presence was barely even noticeable and the captain looked like someone who had been off the boil for a while now and his substitution for Gabriel Martinelli was surprising only in that it hadn’t happened sooner.

Elsewhere, there were only two or three players who could really hold their heads high. Alexandre Lacazette turned in one of his best Arsenal performances and showed exactly why the Frenchman is so important to this Arsenal side and just what he can potentially bring to the team. He was a constant threat and his smart inter-play was exactly what made the team tick.

It was also a good performance from Calum Chambers. Though he struggled a bit defensively, the England man was brilliant in attacking areas and was unlucky to not be credited with an assist on the day. It was no wonder that Arsenal were channeling the majority of their attacks through his side.

And last, but by no means least, Martin Ødegaard. The Real Madrid man looks like someone who has been playing at Arsenal all his life. Ødegaard was simply unplayable for West Ham, who couldn’t get near him. The Norwegian’s dribbles and passes utterly bamboozled the West Ham defence and was perhaps more deserving of the Man of the Match award on Sky Sports than Jamie Carragher let on.

It was an unacceptable overall performance from Arsenal and they will need to be much better once they return from the international break and have to contend with Jürgen Klopp’s Liverpool and a Europa League quarter-final against Slavia Praha.

Arsenal team:
  1.) Bernd Leno
21.) Calum Chambers
23.) David Luiz
22.) Pablo Marí
  3.) Kieran Tierney
18.) Thomas Partey
34.) Granit Xhaka (Smith Rowe 74’)
14.) Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (c) (Martinelli 81’)
11.) Martin Ødegaard
  7.) Bukayo Saka (Pépé 74’)
  9.) Alexandre Lacazette

Arsenal subs:
33.) Maty Ryan
16.) Rob Holding
  6.) Gabriel Magalhães
17.) Cédric Soares
25.) Mohamed Elneny
  8.) Dani Ceballos
32.) Emile Smith Rowe
19.) Nicolas Pépé
35.) Gabriel Martinelli

West Ham United team:
  1.) Łukasz Fabiański
  5.) Vladimír Coufal
15.) Craig Dawson
23.) Issa Diop
  3.) Aaron Cresswell
28.) Tomáš Souček
41.) Declan Rice
20.) Jarrod Bowen (Noble 74’)
11.) Jesse Lingard
  9.) Saïd Benrahma (Fredericks 79’)
30.) Michail Antonio

West Ham United subs:
25.) David Martin
34.) Nathan Trott
14.) Frederik Alves
  4.) Fabián Balbuena
24.) Ryan Fredericks
31.) Ben Johnson
16.) Mark Noble
10.) Manuel Lanzini
45.) Mipo Odubeko

Arsenal’s record against José Mourinho is pretty abysmal even at the best of times. The Gunners have only managed two wins against the former Chelsea and Manchester United manager, one of which was a Community Shield match and have failed to win against the Portuguese maestro since Arsène Wenger departed.

Given the historic loathing of Mourinho from Arsenal fans and Mourinho’s general antipathy towards Arsenal, his being the manager of Tottenham certainly adds a certain spice to a fixture already bursting with flavour.

Though while the Arsenal/Tottenham rivalry is a “no additional flavours or preservatives” kind of recipe, Arsenal already entered the match with an extra bit of spice, by deciding to leave captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang on the bench. The Gabonese forward was left out of the starting eleven owing to “disciplinary issues” which seemed to hand the advantage to the visitors already.

However, nothing could have been further from the truth. Right from the off, Arsenal attacked relentlessly and Tottenhams imply couldn’t contain them. Youngster Emile Smith Rowe had the game’s best chance up to that point with a shot which cannoned off the crossbar, Arsenal were getting close.

However, as is often par-for-the-course when playing a José Mourinho side, Arsenal dominated possession, however, it was Tottenham who took the lead. A cross from Gareth Bale over to former-Real Madrid teammate Sergio Reguilón allowed Tottenham to finally get the ball into the Arsenal penalty area. Squeezed into Lucas Moura, the Brazilian was able to thread the ball over to Érik Lamela, who’s cheeky rabona found its way into the back of the net.

It has to be said, however begrudgingly, that it was easily one of the best goals ever scored in a North London Derby, the sheer cheek and impudence of the finish was worthy of any lead.

However, Arsenal were not going to take that lying down and continued to create chances, Cédric Soares even rattling the post not long after.

Then, just before the stroke of half-time, Emile Smith Rowe found himself free as a bird down the Tottenham right-hand channel and was able to cross the ball to Martin Ødegaard, fresh off his spectacular finish against Olympiacos on Thursday, who’s deflected shot bounced into the net and drew Arsenal level. No more, no less than they merited.

Half-time was a chance for everyone to recharge their batteries and to tweak the strategy a little bit; this led to Bukayo Saka being replaced by Nicolas Pépé and the change made the difference Arsenal needed.

Though Pépé’s early involvements were fairly minimal, the Ivorian soon pounced on a loose ball from Hugo Lloris and threaded through an inch-perfect ball to Alexandre Lacazette, who controlled the ball perfectly, wildly missed his kick and was brought down by Davinson Sánchez for a penalty.

For many, the penalty seemed harsh, especially since the ball had already gone, however, Sánchez had clattered Lacazette in the most clumsy manner possible and VAR rightly did not overturn the decision.

Lacazette stepped up and calmly slotted the ball to give Arsenal a well-deserved lead, showing that he can so often be counted on as a player for the big occasions.

But the controversy was far from over. Goalscorer Érik Lamela, already on a yellow card, brought his arm up when running and hit Kieran Tierney in the face, which gave Michael Oliver no choice but to dismiss the Argentine.

The game shifted from this point on. Despite Tottenham having Lamela dismissed, it was Arsenal who looked that they had the man disadvantage and they struggled to contain Tottenham further. Harry Kane, so often the thorn in the side of Arsenal, had the ball in the back of the net following an unnecessary free-kick, however, the Tottenham captain was offside. Kane popped up later with a superb free-kick which rattled the post, which prompted Gabriel Magalhães to spectacularly head out Davinson Sánchez’ scuffed shot.

The final-whistle blew and Arsenal seemed to be the more grateful of the two sides, given how tough Tottenham had made the final fifteen minutes.

It was a fantastic performance from Arsenal nevertheless. Though Mourinho’s tactics did little to help Tottenham and seemed to give Arsenal a lot more time and space than was necessary, Arsenal still dominated very well.

Arsenal’s left-hand side was utterly unstoppable on the day. Gareth Bale’s reticence to track back, coupled with Matt Doherty’s seeming ill-fit for a back-four, granted Kieran Tierney and Emile Smith Rowe free reign to cause havoc.

Tierney in particular had a spectacular game, keeping Bale out of the match at all times and stopping Doherty from getting too close either. Smith Rowe seemed to benefit from Tierney’s defensive and attacking resilience and was given the chance to create easily.

It was yet another great performance from Martin Ødegaard as well. The Norwegian showed his quality with the number of chances he created and the space he opened up, however, it was his workrate that impressed most. There was not a single ball on the pitch that Ødegaard was not running for and if he missed it, he would simply chase the next one. His performance was truly the catalyst Arsenal needed.

It was another good performance from Gabriel Magalhães as well. The Brazilian struggled in Arsenal’s early season defeat to Tottenham in December, but seemed to recover well today, especially with his goal-line clearance.

The absence of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is sure to grab the headlines, but Arteta will feel vindicated in his decision to drop the striker. No player is above the club and Arteta knew that a win would only strengthen his stock that it was the correct call. No doubt Aubameyang will feel aggrieved at missing such a crucial match and will likely be back in the starting eleven for the next match, but Arteta seemed to be the one in the right on the day.

Arsenal now face a return leg fixture against Olympiacos before a trip to the London Stadium to face-off against West Ham, but a win over Tottenham in the North London Derby and a win over José Mourinho will have made it a much nicer prospect.

Arsenal team:
  1.) Bernd Leno
17.) Cédric Soares
23.) David Luiz
  6.) Gabriel Magalhães
  3.) Kieran Tierney
34.) Granit Xhaka
18.) Thomas Partey
  7.) Bukayo Saka (Pépé 45’)
11.) Martin Ødegaard
32.) Emile Smith Rowe (Willian 77’)
  9.) Alexandre Lacazette (c) (Elneny 88’)

Arsenal subs:
33.) Maty Ryan
16.) Rob Holding
21.) Calum Chambers
  2.) Héctor Bellerín
25.) Mohamed Elneny
  8.) Dani Ceballos
12.) Willian
19.) Nicolas Pépé
14.) Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang

Tottenham Hotspur team:
  1.) Hugo Lloris
  2.) Matt Doherty
  6.) Davinson Sánchez
  4.) Toby Alderweireld
  3.) Sergio Reguillón
  5.) Pierre-Emile Højberg
28.) Tanguy Ndombele (Alli 62’)
27.) Lucas Moura
  9.) Gareth Bale (Sissoko 57’)
  7.) Heung-Min Son (Lamela 19’ 🔴)
10.) Harry Kane (c)

Tottenham Hotspur subs:
12.) Joe Hart
15.) Eric Dier
24.) Serge Aurier
33.) Ben Davies
17.) Moussa Sissoko
  8.) Harry Winks
20.) Dele Alli
11.) Érik Lamela
45.) Carlos Vinícius

Following their remarkable 1-3 victory over Leicester City a week ago, Arsenal fans have likely resigned themselves to a reverse of the recent seasons. In previous years, Arsenal have been unbeatable at home and timid away from home, but like most teams in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the home advantage has since been lost.

With an important Round of 32 tie with Olympiacos and the daunting visit of José Mourinho’s Tottenham Hotspur in the North London Derby, it was a little surprising to see the strength of the team that Mikel Arteta fielded against Burnley.

However, Arteta’s selection seemed to be vindicated as Arsenal took an early lead at Turf Moor. Some quick play in midfield between Thomas Partey and Granit Xhaka meant that they were able to quickly release Willian, who fed Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who jinked and swerved through the Burnley defence and squeezed a possibly lucky effort past Nick Pope to give Arsenal a deserved lead.

From there, Arsenal continued to dictate play. Though Burnley continued to defend fairly well, they struggled to contain Arsenal’s main attacking threats, as was shown when Bukayo Saka’s effort fizzed millimetres wide.

However, in recent weeks, Arsenal have since been the orchestrators of their own downfall and Saturday afternoon did not disappoint in that regard.

Arsenal’s insistence of playing out from the back, something that has been a constant source of terrified squeal from Arsenal fans around the world since the final days of Unai Emery, reared its ugly head once more.

Bernd Leno sold Xhaka short on a pass as the Swiss international was being pressed by an attacker, however, the midfielder committed that most unforgivable sin of passing the ball across his own penalty area, which cannoned off Chris Wood and into the open net. It was the easiest goal he’ll score in his entire life and Arsenal inexplicably found themselves level.

The second half was one way traffic for Arsenal. With a renewed desire to grab all three points, Arsenal began to attack with gusto, however, things did not become too clear cut until the introduction of Nicolas Pépé.

The former Lille man, who has been so important to Arsenal of late, was again at the heart of everything that was impressive about Arsenal as they continued to attack Burnley, although he likely won’t be forgiven for his mis-hit of Kieran Tierney’s cross, which would have won the game.

He was however, at the heart of two controversial VAR decisions. The first was a blatant handball from Burnley substitute Erick Pieters. The defender’s hand was raised, in an unnatrual position and Pépé’s flick upwards smashed off the defender’s wrist in a blatant handball that was infuriatingly dismissed by VAR.

The second was his late effort cannoning off the bar from Erick Pieters’ block. Andre Marriner incorrectly dismissed the Burnley defender for a handball, though replays showed that the ball had brushed his shoulder and was therefore not a penalty. VAR again coming to Pieters’ rescue.

But the drama still wasn’t over. Following a scramble in the penalty area, the ball fell to Dani Ceballos, whose shot thudded off the post and ended the game not five seconds later.

It couldn’t have been a more frustrating afternoon if Arsenal had tried. Try as they might, they seemed unable to score a second and VAR controversy and individual errors cost them dearly.

Granit Xhaka’s error in the first-half was perhaps the midfielder’s only misstep all game, but it was a costly one. The basic, almost Sunday League adage of “never go across your own area” seemed to go out the window. On another day, the ball goes out for a goal-kick or misses Chris Wood altogether, however, it’s difficult to play the unlikely game when you see it roll into the net, powerless to keep it out.

As for VAR, Arsenal saw the good and the bad mixed with the ugly. The overturning of the red card was a correct decision and Pieters would have felt hard done by had Andre Marriner sent him off for such a small indiscretion, whereas his blatant handball from Pépé’s initial flick is truly baffling. Not only is Pieters’ arm in an unnatrual position, the ball clearly cannons off his wrist and is about as blatant a handball as you will find.

A frustrating day in Burnley is not what Arsenal needed heading into their European excursions, but they must keep the focus and put Saturday’s frustrations behind them.

Arsenal team:
  1.) Bernd Leno
21.) Calum Chambers
23.) David Luiz
22.) Pablo Marí
  3.) Kieran Tierney
34.) Granit Xhaka
18.) Thomas Partey (Ceballos 80’)
  7.) Bukayo Saka
11.) Martin Ødegaard (Lacazette 63’)
12.) Willian (Pépé 69’)
14.) Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (c)

Arsenal subs:
33.) Maty Ryan
16.) Rob Holding
  6.) Gabriel Magalhães
  2.) Héctor Bellerín
25.) Mohamed Elneny
  8.) Dani Ceballos
35.) Gabriel Martinelli
19.) Nicolas Pépé
  9.) Alexandre Lacazette

Burnley team:
  1.) Nick Pope
  2.) Matthew Lowton
  5.) James Tarkowski
  6.) Ben Mee
  3.) Charlie Taylor (Pieters 63’)
  7.) Jóhann Guðmundsson (Brady 68’)
18.) Ashley Westwood
  8.) Josh Brownhill
11.) Dwight McNeil
27.) Matěj Vydra (Rodriguez 86’)
  9.) Chris Wood

Burnley subs:
15.) Bailey Peacock-Farrell
23.) Erik Pieters
34.) Jimmy Dunne
28.) Kevin Long
26.) Phil Bardsley
41.) Josh Benson
16.) Dale Stephens
12.) Robbie Brady
19.) James Rodriguez

Following their narrow escape against Benfica in mid-week, Arsenal entered Sunday’s match with Leicester with a mixture of apprehension and tiredness.

Given the close proximity to Thursday’s match, Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta was forced to make changes to his side, which saw a drastic and somewhat controversial lineup change.

Cédric Soares came in for the out-of-form Héctor Bellerín, Pablo Marí came in for an absent Gabriel Magalhães, Mohamed Elneny replaced the hapless Dani Ceballos, Willian took the place of Martin Ødegaard, Bukayo Saka was switched out in favour of Nicolas Pépé and captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was switched out for Alexandre Lacazette.

Given Arsenal’s poor run of results in the Premier League whenever they follow up a European excursion, Arsenal fans were noticeably apprehensive, but the early signs showed that Arsenal looked to be more in control of the game than Leicester, who had had European exploits of their own to contend with.

However, despite Arsenal’s overall dominance in the early minutes, it was, predictably, Leicester who took the lead. A misunderstanding on the halfway line between Granit Xhaka and Willian allowed exciting Belgian midfielder Youri Tielemans to grab the ball. The midfielder began to run unimpeded towards the goal. While Pablo Marí tracked back to cover Jamie Vardy, Mohamed Elneny did the same, leaving Tielemans’ path clear, who fired home a difficult shot which gave the home side the lead.

It was the same kind of lackadaisical defending that Arsenal fans have come to expect down the years and it would have served as no surprise to see Leicester wheeling away in celebration.

Arsenal’s fortunes looked as though they may take a swift upsurge after Tielemans was deemed to have brought Nicolas Pépé down in the penalty area, though a VAR check soon ended hopes of an upsurge as the decision was overturned for a free-kick instead.

Despite the VAR overturning the decision, it was a warning sign to Leicester that Arsenal were going to continue to oppose them and sure enough, Arsenal found themselves back on level terms after Willian’s delightful free-kick found the head of former Chelsea teaate David Luiz who headed home the equaliser.

From there, Arsenal began to really dictate play and it was just before half-time that Pépé’s somewhat hopeful shot smashed into the hand of Wilfried Ndidi. There could be no mistake this time and not even the harshest of VAR assistants could have denied Arsenal a penalty here. The decision was upheld and captain-for-the-day Alexandre Lacazette promptly dispatched it into the left-hand corner, sending Kasper Schmeichel the wrong way.

Half-time was a welcome affair for Leicester and also gave Arsenal time to fully prepare Martin Ødegaard who replaced Emile Smith Rowe just before the break.

The second-half was pretty much more of the same from Arsenal, who really began to take the game to Leicester City. Jamie Vardy, so often the torn in Arsenal’s side and so usually active, was regularly beaten to the punch by Pablo Marí, which gave Arsenal heart.

A Leicester corner led to a swift and devastating Arsenal counter-attack. Granit Xhaka fed Pépé who raced forward and picked out Martin Ødegaard, the Norwegian played through Willian who was able to squeeze a pass through for Pépé who tapped home the final go of the game to deal a hammer-blow to Leicester.

The ret of the match passed without incident except for substitute Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s shot glancing centimetres wide at the end.

The final whistle blew on a glorious afternoon for Arsenal. It was safe to say that they were far from the favourites before the match and given the hapless way that they had fallen behind so early on, it was a remarkable performance from the team to turn things around.

One of the many bright sparks of the team today was Willian. So often the man who endures groans from the fans watching at home and so very rarely turning in a particularly enjoyable performance, Sunday’s performance was a glimpse of the undoubted quality he still posses. He was quick to every pass, eager to win it back, sharp to notice his teammates and his two assists were a great return for a great performance.

Nicolas Pépé shpuld also be commended for his performance. Though it had looked early on that youngster Luke Thomas had potentially pocketed the Ivory Coast winger, Pépé soon began to grow in confidence and his positive play was enough to win Arsenal the initial but eventually overturned penalty. His goal was a an indictment on the performance he turned in, with the intelligence to pick out Ødegaard and then be in the right place at the right time to receive Willian’s pass.

The whole team can be happy with their performance. It can be tough to keep up such a high press, especially after a near calamity in mid-week, but Arsenal stepped up. The team’s high press and their tendency to “hunt in packs” forced Leicester into some costly errors and often gave Arsenal a glimmer of yet more chances.

Mikel Arteta and his side can enjoy a brief break before their next game, an away trip to Burnley, but they will take comfort from their first win at the King Power Stadium since 2015.

Arsenal team:
  1.) Bernd Leno
17.) Cédric Soares
23.) David Luiz
22.) Pablo Marí
  3.) Kieran Tierney
34.) Granit Xhaka
25.) Mohamed Elneny (Partey 66’)
12.) Willian
32.) Emile Smith Rowe (Ødegaard 42’)
19.) Nicolas Pépé
  9.) Alexandre Lacazette (c) (Aubameyang 84’)

Arsenal subs: 
33.) Maty Ryan
16.) Rob Holding
  2.) Héctor Bellerín
18.) Thomas Partey
  8.) Dani Ceballos
11.) Martin Ødegaard
35.) Gabriel Martinelli
  7.) Bukayo Saka
14.) Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang

Leicester City team:
  1.) Kasper Schmeichel (c)
27.) Timothy Castagne
  6.) Jonny Evans (Amartey 69’)
  4.) Çağlar Söyüncü
33.) Luke Thomas (Albrighton 45’)
21.) Ricardo Pereira
25.) Wilfried Ndidi
  8.) Youri Tielemans
15.) Ashley Barnes (Ünder 51’)
14.) Kelechi Iheanacho
  9.) Jamie Vardy

Leicester City subs:
12.) Danny Ward
18.) Daniel Amartey
46.) Vontae Daley-Campbell
28.) Christian Fuchs
24.) Nampalys Mendy
20.) Hamza Choudhury
50.) Sidnei Tavares
11.) Marc Albrighton
19.) Cengiz Ünder