Arsenal 3-1 Leicester City: 3 things we learned

After a slow start, Arsenal dominated Leicester at the Emirates on Monday. Here’s what we learned from the match.

Arsenal vs. Leicester promised to be a crackerjack Monday night, and it didn’t fail to deliver. Leicester started well, could have had a penalty early on for a Rob Holding handball and eventually took the lead, only for a Mesut Ozil masterclass to turn the game on its head. Here’s what we learned.

Arsenal are contenders for the top four this season

Even the most optimistic of Arsenal fans wouldn’t have expected this remarkable run of form their team are currently going through. After years of stop-start progress and toxic cynicism, the turnaround under Unai Emery has been impressive.

Arsenal came into this match full of confidence after scoring five in their last game against Fulham, but were pegged back immediately by an attacking and aggressive Leicester side.

For the first 40 minutes, they looked bereft of ideas, and didn’t look like they had anything in the tank. Would this incredible run of wins be brought to a screeching halt?

The answer was an emphatic no.

Arsenal were sparked into life after the Leicester goal, and while Leicester did allow them to take control by sitting back after scoring, Arsenal were fluid, slick and creative in attack, and took hold of the game at the right time.

After being pegged back in his own penalty area for the first 30 minutes, Hector Bellerin suddenly found himself camped outside the Leicester penalty box, constantly making dangerous runs inside. It was only a matter of time before he was picked out, and it was his assist that led to the first goal.

Led by Mesut Ozil — who looks completely rejuvenated under Emery — Arsenal finished the first half in a flurry, and picked up right where they left off at the start of the second half.

Attacking from the moment the second half whistle blew, Arsenal scored two goals in quick succession courtesy of Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang, but it was Ozil’s influence that was truly stunning.

Ozil looked world class. Against Leicester, he was at his graceful best, and Arsenal fans will be frothing at the mouth at the prospect of where Ozil can lead this team. Consistency has always been Ozil’s problem, but seeing him play with a smile on his face probably means that there’s lots more to come from him.

Should they continue to play like this, Arsenal will easily make the top four, and their rivals will be looking over at them, wary of just how far they can go this season.

Leicester start strong, but fade away yet again

Claude Puel is a tactically astute manager. Time and time again he has shown himself to be clever when facing up against bigger teams, setting his team up to counter brilliantly and making life difficult for more talented rivals.

But his innate conservatism is often his undoing, a cause of major frustration for Leicester fans.

Given the manner in which Leicester started the game, it looked like Arsenal’s winning run would be brought to a whimpering end.

They attacked aggressively, pushed Arsenal’s most influential players back in their own half and took a very well deserved lead via Ben Chilwell’s deflected cross.

But almost immediately after, they dropped off. They didn’t press Arsenal in the same manner they had before, and they were content to sit back and allow Arsenal to attack.

This was never going to be sustainable; players like Ozil just needed time on the ball to unlock Leicester’s defensive door. Inevitably, that’s what happened.

Just like against Manchester United, Leicester didn’t push hard enough for the full 90 minutes. Despite being the better team for the majority of the first half, they handed the initiative to Arsenal and it never seemed like they would get anything from the game after that.

Leicester have quality throughout their side. They have a good balance of youth and experience, quality and grit, and should challenge for a Europa League spot.

But Puel has polarized Leicester fans with his team selection and set up, and if he doesn’t start letting go of his conservative makeup soon, he could find himself out of a job.

Emery has well and truly stamped his authority on Arsenal

Emery’s teams are known for a certain brand of soccer. High energy, high tempo, aggressive off the ball, slick on it.

With Sevilla, Emery won three straight Europa League titles, took them to the Champions League and truly brought the club to the world’s attention.

At PSG, despite having his authority constantly undermined by Neymar, Emery led PSG to their greatest victory in the Champions League, beating Barcelona 4-0 in Paris in the Champions League. Yes, they ultimately fell short, but who knows what would have happened had he truly been allowed to assert all of his ideas?

Having been dealt a tough start to his Premier League career, Emery suffered two straight defeats in his opening two fixtures. There were glimpses, however, of what was to come.

Suddenly, Emery has led Arsenal to 10 straight victories in all competitions, and propelled them up to fourth place in the Premier League.

His influence and authority can be seen in the performances of the players; there’s a new desire to players like Ozil, Alexandre Lacazette and Granit Xhaka. There’s energy, drive and intensity to their play that stems from an emphasis on improved fitness, and clear ideas.

There’s a philosophy to how Arsenal play soccer again, and that’s all thanks to Emery.

Emery may not have been the man all Arsenal fans wanted, but what he’s slowly but surely bringing everyone on board.

They could go very far this season under the Basque manager.