Jamie Vardy scored his 11th goal in 11 Premier League matches against Arsenal to seal a 1-0 win for Leicester City on Sunday evening.
Super Eagles forward Kelechi Iheanacho, who scored on Thursday in the Europa League, was an unused substitute for Leicester.
Sunday’s win was the first time ever that Leicester have beaten Arsenal away from home in their Premier League history.
It is the Foxes first win in their last 24 League trips to Arsenal, since 1973.
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Arsenal started the match on the front foot – and had the ball in the back of the net with just three minutes on the clock through Alex Lacazette’s glancing header.
But it was quickly ruled out for Granit Xhaka being adjudged to have impeded Kaspar Schmeichel.
Arsenal continued to press and had the visitors pinned back in their own half for much of the first half.
But for all their dominance, they struggled to fashion any clear-cut chances until midway through the half when Kieran Tierney sent an inviting ball in from the left that Lacazette could not make contact with.
After the restart, Arsenal continued to apply the pressure, although the Foxes showed more attacking intent – and were soon bolstered by the arrival of Vardy off the bench.
Chances remained at a premium, but the Gunners created their best chance of the match when Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang dug out a deep cross from the left byeline, and Bellerin met it on the volley only for Schmeichel to palm it away.
But it was Vardy who was to score the only goal of the night on 80 minutes, heading home after a swift counter to seal a disappointing night for Mikel Arteta’s men.
8 Comments
Rodgers has to be kidding. I agree that vardy has quality but to bench your man of the match of last game? iheanacho really needs to leave Leicester. not even a single minute!
Iheanacho suppose to go to another club to brush his game, thats why i like Brazilians players, if you cant grantee me playing time, i will move unless the club is a big club where i can learn from big players not lescister city. iheanacho need to brush his game too, atleast go to spainish club or italy, iheanacha can easily markout in a big game, his not a stubborn striker like vardy
They ahev their styles. No two players are the same. There have situations when they marked out vardy. It happens to even ronaldo and Messi.
I believe he should move but he must be careful where he lives to too. I also believe he didn’t get a single minute to play against arsenal because Rogers decided to keep the slim win. He can’t bring in a striker at the late end of the match.
It just hurt to see Nacho on the bench. But I will never blame Rodger. He is the Gaffer and knows his kinda player. I put the blame on whoever is managing Nacho. There are three options, 1)Continue to be a fringe player, 2) Go on loan to other clubs where there is guarantee of regular game time,3) Move completely away from Leicester. Sticking with the first option elucidates either lack of ambition on the part of Nacho or selfishness by his football agent. Nacho should borrow a leaf from Ademola Lookman, who’s now the talk of the town.
U don get am @Glory. Nobody can blame Rodgers for putting Nacho on the bench so far Vardy remains as consistent as he has been in the last 5 seasons and still counting. We are talking about a striker who can guarantee you 20 goals every season (bar injuries), last season’s top scorer and the leading goal scorer this season despite being in his mid thirties. Immediately I saw the line up last night, I knew what was already on Rodgers mind….play a false 9 to keep the midfield and defense of Arsenal busy and weakened and then bring Vardy on to finish them off with pace…….and that exactly was what happened. Unfortunately Iheanacho is not the type of player that would have been able to do any of the 2…..he doesn’t have the mobility and motility to keep a defense busy or outwit them with pace.
As long as Vardy continues to guarantee a dozen and a half plus goals every season, LCFC will continue to play for him and build their style of play around him. Nacho offers something different to vardy and that is always only a plan B for LCFC when plan A is not working or unavailable.
For the umpteenth time Nacho should seek regular football away from LCFC. He is approaching his peak now…he needs it now more than ever. This Vardy I am seeing still looks like one that will play 2 more solid seasons (if not more). You cant keep playing 2nd fiddle for that long if you are serious with your career.
I think Nacho is comfortable playing as a squad member unfortunately.It’s rather frustrating for his fans than it is for Nacho.I think he is just okay playing little football all season so the earlier we get used to it that way the better because I do not see anything changing unless Leicester decides to offload him.
Very well said @ Drey. Just read what the legend Van Basten had to say about Van de Beek’s move to Man utd. This little things do matter in a footballer’s career. Money is good but must never relegate the importance of regular football. Regular football gets a player into a rhythm of fully expressing that unique talent the player possesses, thus bringing them forward as top player. Debruyne was kinda declared as an average player in Chelsea but going to Germany, where he played regularly for schalker, the top managers ala Pep Guadiola started noticing his very huge talent and had to come for him, wherein he Debruyne, was then able to lay his conditions down before sanctioning any move, same with Mo Salah. To be honest, everytime, I see Nacho sitting comfortably on the bench, I, personally, get so angry n frustrated to a point of wanting to hit the top of his head with a frying pan if only that will wake him up
Subtly put…practice makes perfection, the more hours you spend on something, the better you become at it. Experience is a cumulation of all one has acquired in the process of spending more and more hours on becoming better at something. I will forever go for regular playing time over big club bench role. Ighalo cannot tell me he is living his childhood dream sitting on the bench of Man U currently. There is nothing more frustrating and depressing than watching your colleagues running around while you are just glued to the seat. How it has become a pastime for Iheanacho beats my imagination….it smirks of a player who in his own eyes has reached his eldorado. Unlike Debruyne and Salah, I dont see Iheanacho rising above the level he is now ever again. He has wasted his developmental years playing 2nd and 3rd fiddle and growing a pot belly. Its so sad.