Let’s take a look at the Premier League Player Ratings from the match between Leicester City and Arsenal at the King Power Stadium.
Arsenal made it back-to-back victories for the first time in over a month by claiming an impressive 3-1 triumph over Leicester City.
A shaky start, however, left the visitors on the verge of a fourth consecutive defeat at the King Power. An unmarked Youri Tielemans dribbled into the box and drilled home a low shot to hand Leicester a sixth-minute lead. It was the Belgian’s sixth goal of the season – the same amount he managed in 2018/19 and 2019/20 combined – and his first at home since October 2019.
6 – Youri Tielemans has scored six goals for Leicester in the Premier League this season, as many as he had in his first two seasons at the club combined (3 in 2018-19 and 2019-20). Unlocked. pic.twitter.com/JNCGm96Qe9
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) February 28, 2021
That early setback left the visitors shaken and almost invited another Jamie Vardy goal after the Foxes striker blocked Bernd Leno’s pass.
To their credit, though, Arsenal pulled themselves together and began pressuring Leicester for an equalizer. They enjoyed more possession and almost got awarded a penalty when Tielemans tripped Nicolas Pepe on the edge of the box.
But two goals towards the end of the first half turned the match in Gunners’ favor.
David Luiz escaped his marker in the box to head Willian’s free-kick into the bottom left corner for the equalizer in the 39th-minute. Then, only five minutes later, Wilfred Ndidi handled Nicolas Pepe’s shot to hand Arsenal a penalty.
5 – Alexandre Lacazette has converted all five of his penalties for Arsenal across all competitions, while only Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (13) has netted more goals for the Gunners than Lacazette (11) this term. Restored. pic.twitter.com/LDmxhadeqq
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) February 28, 2021
Alexandre Lacazette stepped up to smash home the spot-kick to end a five-match goalless run. His strike put Mikel Arteta’s men into a deserved half-time lead.
Pepe gets his goal
The second-half began on a similar note to how the first ended. Things only got worse for Leicester, as Harvey Barnes had to be stretchered off with a knee problem just four minutes past the break.
4 – Nicolas Pépé has scored four goals in his last seven Premier League starts for Arsenal, as many as in his previous 21 starts in the competition combined. Influence. pic.twitter.com/phBRxjzocD
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) February 28, 2021
Pepe then doubled the Foxes’ misery only minutes later with a deserved goal to put the visitors 3-1 up. The Ivorian combined with Martin Odegaard in a quick counter-attacking move. Willian then unselfishly set the ball past Kasper Schmeichel for him to tap in.
It was the 25-year-old’s fourth goal in his last seven Premier League starts, sealing Arsenal a crucial three points in the process.
The London side proceeded to contain Leicester, with the likes of Vardy notably kept silent throughout the game, to bag back-to-back wins for the first time since January and moved back into the top 10 spots in the Premier League table.
Player ratings
Leicester: Schmeichel (5); Castagne (5), Evans (5), Soyuncu (6), Thomas (6); Pereira (6), Ndidi (7), Tielemans (7), Barnes (6); Iheanacho (6), Vardy (6).
Bench: Albrighton (7), Under (5), Amartey (5).
Arsenal: Leno (6); Cedric (6), Luiz (8), Mari (7), Tierney (7); Elneny (6), Xhaka (7); Pepe (8), Smith-Rowe (6), Willian (8); Lacazette (8).
Bench: Odegaard (7), Partey (6), Aubameyang (6).
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