Arsenal Leicester : 1-0

By Walter Broeckx

Starting team: Cech, Gabriel, Koscielny, Monreal, Bellerin, Coquelin, Xhaka, Gibbs, Özil, Walcott, Alexis

On the beach: Martinez, Elneny, Ramsey, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Iwobi, Welbeck, Giroud

After a free kick for Leicester Arsenal lose the ball after a back heel from Alexis just in front of the own penalty area but Vardy his shot went in the side net.  Arsenal with most of the ball in the opening minutes but the crosses couldn’t find an Arsenal teammate. Gibbs with a few good runs but nobody at the end of his crosses. Coquelin with a shot from distance and Schmeichel has to concede a corner. Monreal with a backheel after the corner but a Leicester defender can clear. 0-0 after 15 minutes.

Arsenal continue to press but again the big Leicester defenders can clear the crosses and then Xhaka fires a shot over from distance. Leicester with a Stoke throw in that ends up in front of Mahrez who takes a shot but excellent save from Cech. Alexis having some trouble with his first touch at times but he is surrounded by lots of  Leicester defenders most of the time. Walcott picks up a loose ball in the penalty area but his shot is saved by the keeper at the expense of a corner. Another corner soon follows but Gabriels header can’t find a team mate at the far post. Arsenal pressing hard but still 0-0 after 30 minutes.

The assistant then raising his flag too soon when an Arsenal player was not taking part in the game so another attack ends. Arsenal trying to pass their way through a packed 10 man defence with some short passing but not really creating much danger. Alexis got a push in the back but he was also offside so no penalty but a free kick to Leicester. Simpson gets a yellow card for stopping an Arsenal attack when he fouled Bellerin off the ball. Mahrez with a dribble but his shot ends up outside the Arsenal goal. Okazaki with an arm in the face of Gabriel but no card but at least the foul was given.  A first half with not many goalchances. In the final seconds Alexis with a dipping shot that rattles the crossbar. Unlucky.  Arsenal attacking all of the time but maybe a player like Giroud or Welbeck will be needed to get at the end of the crosses. 0-0 after 45 minutes.

No real change in the opening minutes of the second half with Arsenal trying to attack and Leicester defending. Fuchs getting a yellow card for a late challenge on Walcott in his back. A good fluent attack finds Bellerin who passes the ball to Alexis but Huth with a foot just when he wanted to shoot from a promising position. The ref allowing Huth all sorts of actions in our and their penalty area but an Arsenal player punished for trying to do the same.  A shot from Xhaka is deflected by a defender but Schmeichel with a brilliant stop.  Still 0-0 after 60 minutes.

Koscielny with a free header after a short taken corner but straight at Schmeichel. Alexis then with a shot after another corner but again too easy for the keeper. After 67 minutes Welbeck comes on for Gibbs. Welbeck with a low cross but a defender can clear for a corner. Özil with the corner but two Arsenal players miss the ball. After 74 minutes Ramsey and Giroud come on for Coquelin and Walcott. Still 0-0.

The ref inventing a foul from Xhaka to stop Arsenal keeping up the attack.  Koscielny then grabs his knee after landing badly after a header. That looks bad…. And with all the subs gone…. Leicester trying to capatalise on the injury but lucky Monreal could block the shot. But Kos tries to play on after some treatment.  Bealouane then just puts his studs in the back of Giroud…. and only a yellow card is given…. oh well… The ref now giving every contact in favour of Leicester. Xhaka not happy with it and gets a yellow card for letting the ref know. Another foul given against an Arsenal attacker…. when Huth does all that the ref didn’t see it.  Leicester under pressure only half clear the ball that falls to Monrael who from the edge of the penalty area takes a shot that touches Huth and ends up in the net. GOAL!!!! 1-0 to The Arsenal after 86 minutes.

Suddenly Leicester can go forward but Arsenal score at the other end but offside given couldn’t check the decision as my stream stopped for a few seconds. A shot from Giroud went well wide. Fuchs deliberately throwing the ball against Alexis and that should be a yellow card against Alexis who gets the yellow card for not taking the distance of 2 meters. And an indirect free kick for Leicester.

A mass mess up in the Arsenal penalty area folllows when the ball is not cleared after that free kick, but some pushing seen by the ref on an Arsenal defender and Arsenal get the free kick? Huth then clashes with Alexis and the ref has lost his cards again when it comes to punishing Leicester players…. amazing really.  The ref has lost it completely now.  Arsenal supporters throw things on the field…. that is not right boys.

But Arsenal survive the last pressure from Leicester and take the fully deserved 3 points against a team refusing to play for 86 minutes.

 

66 Replies to “Arsenal Leicester : 1-0”

  1. That Bealouane! Total scoundrel! Just thankful we grabbed our 3 points. Onward, upwards! COYG!

  2. A hard fought win against a team with, at times, 12 on the field.

    With a changed line up we were not quite as fluent going forward, although the deliberate negative disruptive play by Leicester contributed.

    But, overall a deserved win and an excellent application.

  3. Three good points from a very scruffy game. Well done lads and thanks for the clarification on the Alexis yellow card. He was certainly a lot closer than 2 metres.

  4. Leicester almost spoil the party for us if they had succeeded to hold us as they thought they had with 4 minutes to regulation time. The game was hypertensive for me as the Gunners couldn’t convert any of the numerous chances they created in the game until the sucker punch effort by Monreal that resulted in a winner for Arsenal. His 2nd efforts that resulted into a goal for Arsenal within 3 days. It does not really matters if Robert Huth deflected Monreal’s huge effort into his goal to score an own goal. What really mattered at the end is Arsenal have all the 3 points in the bag.

    Now, Arsenal MUST put a halt at the Lane on Sunday to Tottenham Hotspur excesses at challenging for the title this season by beating them before their title hopeful partisan home supporters to kickstart their annual collapse to finish behind Arsene Wenger’s Arsenal in the table for the 21 seasons running.

  5. When playing Arsenal the Leicester players always give the impression that they know ahead of the game that whatever they do, irrespective of what it is, they won’t suffer sanction.

  6. Didn’t know about that 2 metres rule. I thought a player could stand anywhere on the pitch that they wished as long as they didn’t interfere with an opponent. Good rule.

  7. Sorry Walter didn’t read your report correctly. Booked for the offence not the simulation

  8. Thought we looked a bit leggy for the start of the game, not surprising for those whose heroics won the day in the semi.
    Up against a highly organised, and rather large team, who were fouling off the ball and holding at set pieces, often with impunity. And of course, a bit of time wasting , especially from master schmeichel.
    The crowd were slow to rise to the occasion, but got behind the team in the second half
    The ref was poor, a lot going on and he didn’t have control, not sure if he could see the assault on girouds back, if he did, the ref should be suspended for a few weeks.
    Sanchez did have the ball thrown at him, and did simulate, will leave that to the refs on here.
    But ultimately, we were not at our best….maybe understandable, but for their sheer cynicism, hoofball, time wasting, off the ball fouling, we deserved what we got.
    Left the ground with the feeling that only in this league can a team like that win the league, and that is not meant as a compliment. They came as champions, but played like Stoke, Watford, west broom…yes, such teams have done us this and other seasons, but not today. Poetic justice on the Huth front.
    May this resilience last , whether it’s a back three, or whatever.

  9. What a cheating swine Jones is. The red card for the studs on Giroud cannot be reviewed because he gave a yellow. The 2 meter rule was observerd as Alexis was 2 meters from the player throwing the ball. The player ran towards him forcing Alexis to move back but there is no foul in standing your ground. The official is wrong to card Alexis as he was 2 meters away from the player with the ball until the run up. The throw of the ball at Alexis is a straight red. There is no ifs & buts. Walter you have to admit that the red card must have been missing in Jones’s pocket.

    There were several incidents where Leicester players climbed on Arsenal players and most were ignored…..but Giroud only had to touch a Leicester player & a foul was given. The excessive force used by Drinkwater consistently was not punished. He kept barging Arsenal players off the ball. It is a foul to make contact with an opponent before making contact with the ball. Either the Laws stand or they should be changed to suit PGMOL. Arsenal cannot be expected to play with freshly manufactured Laws in each game.

    The rule of standing in front of the goalkeeper is not being applied as Arsenals keepers are consistently fouled. I’m amazed that we don’t reciprocate.

  10. Congratulations to the team, good win even though the performance was poor. If they played like this I can’t see them winning at WHL so they will need to lift themselves as Spurs are playing very good football and will be hard to beat. Come on Arsenal keep the winning momentum going.

  11. Great victory against a team that as Walter says didn’t play for 86 minutes. We did well especially in view of their persistent fouling allowed by the ref. If we can keep up this level of resilience till the end of the season I will be well pleased. Interested to see Arsene Wenger’s changes of tactics during the game.

  12. Polo, Spurs look to be visibly tiring, but be aware, we will be up against 12 at WHL, for any number of reasons.
    If we take the lead,they will get a dodgy pen, ….again…or we will get a dodgy red. The football establishment, like the media clearly quite like Tottenham, it will also look good on the league if it goes to the wire, a now self sustaining team against an oiler…..sadly, this season, we don’t come into the equation.
    Our players will have to be very careful in that game

  13. Pat
    27/04/2017 at 12:10 am
    Interested to see Arsene Wenger’s changes of tactics during the game.

    he played all systems today. i blame the players. 3 at the back with 1 striker and 4 333 and 451..everything… because they are little shits and struggle to get things done and impose themselves on the opponents.

    then again..how can we expect walcott for example to impose himself on anyone…i think his wife wears the trousers at home…fuckin 10 years Mr Wenger been paying that little shit..he is almost 30!!

    im not well. i wonder how Mt Wenger hasnt had heart attack already. he deserves better than walcott.

  14. and fans…ffs you bastards…kick off is 19:45 and the stadium is half empty..

    you want the team to have knife on their teeth and kill opponents and youre out still driniking beer or cahtting on iphone….fans? we have no fans… …

    Roll one quickly , need to relax.

  15. Just thank you Nacho Monreal. Has stepped up better than anyone in last 3 games and not because of his goals. His general attitude and application befits the standards Mr Wenger looks for.

  16. The crowd kept encouraging .SHOOT….but that is one of the more packed defences I have seen, Theo, and others kept running into brick walls.
    But credit to the boys, they had to keep attacking, but Leicester were setting traps all over the place, they are a decent counter attacking side….Mahrez….Vardy..our players had to be careful, and seemed mindful of this.
    Leicester also had a few more days off than our players…..understatement.
    Win ugly…..

  17. I quite enjoyed the 3 at the back formation. It gives us defensive solidity. When we changed to the back 4, Leicester started to create chances.

  18. WOO HOO , HOO ! Sounds like a very hard fought but well deserved victory . Well done boys.
    Up the Gunners !

  19. Is this the same HUNTER13 who accused me of undermining the team yesterday?
    Run along Bunter, I’ve got you sussed. You’re just a school kid acting big. This is probably the only opportunity you get to actually swear at adults & get away with it.

  20. Well played the defense. Now the attack was not as good as the defense even though some of the same players played both. Figure that out!

    The ref was terrible in his decisions.

    Alexis needs to stop falling too easily and fight to get away with the ball more, else he is going to get the rep of “playing for the fouls” even though that is seemingly allowed.

    Xhaka needs to temper his temper a little. (See what i did there? Maaan!)

    I think we were playing slow because of game 3 days ago and spuds game in 4 days. This is Arsenal in that situation and sometimes it works, like last night.

  21. I do not understand why Alexis could not have stood there for the throw in.

    Normally there are three or more Arsenal and 3 or more opposition in that same area where Alexis was(where the ball was to be thrown in from). And they all try to get the thrown in ball, so what was different?

    So why was it not allowed? It was not a free kick which required 10 paces distance, so why?

  22. Arsenal gives a few of it’s youth many starts in the early and in the middle of the season, depending on how they perform, to get them motivated in breaking into the team.

    At the rear end, like now, it is usually up to the already established players to carry the torch and regain any ground that may have been loss.

    This allows the youth to know what they are fighting for, and to know what they have to work for.

  23. who/where undermined the team Leon? i talked about theo..the ref… the fans ..and monreal.. you can sit down now.

  24. Para
    Walter says there is a rule which states that a player has to be two metres from the player throwing the ball in. I’m not sure at this moment if that means from where the throw should be taken i.e. the touch line or from where he decides to actually take the throw from. In this instance Sanchez positioned himself so close to the line that he forced the thrower back. The Mail shows a series of pictures of the sequence and at the point of release the throwers arms/ hands are less than two metres from Sanchez.
    Having said all that it looked like a deliberate attempt to hit Sanchez with the ball.

  25. Hunter
    Your ramblings around midnight remind me of your aggressive friend Menace.You two go well together.Too many shandys i think..

  26. Bunter
    You were highly critical of the team in last nights game at 12.13 & 12.17.
    Car washing duties for you my lad

  27. Oh look the fakeer is up early. Bunked school again? Oh its mid term. And your mate the peon is awake too.

  28. Hunter13 the fans were late in their seats & I honestly thought the stadium was going to be half full. I think the security checks also has a delaying factor.

    The team were good in most part but too many passes to the opposition. Too many flicks without looking where the team was. Ramsey does it so often that he thinks he is Messi but end up being messy. Alexis seems to have lost some edge & passes to the opponent more often than most. He then fights to get the ball back which is good. The error does not go away if you get the ball back.

  29. According to Big Sam, the Spu*s got away with murder again last night. Wanyama should have had a red card for filthy tackles. Moss though. like most PGMOL staff, is weak and just had a chat.

    So, he’ll be playing against us on Sunday, fouling at will without punishment, whilst our players get booked for petty offences.

    You don’t even need a crystal ball 😉

  30. hey menace they are just casual and only there to be ‘entertained’…and if they dont see 5-0 thrashings they walk out 10 minutes before the end… i hate our fans…

    Leon i cant stop you looking for things that arent there but for the sake of these tribunal proceedings my 12.13 has a go at ref and walcott and my 12.17 i commiserate with poor arsene and all that poorness he had to witness and how he had to change the system about 3-4 times

    you need to try harder buddy

  31. Bunter
    You recently trolled me aggressively by suggesting that I was undermining the team for saying that I couldn’t remember the last time we played attractive football, yet seem a bit pissed when I point out that what you are posting (last night) is much worse. I don’t care one bit what your opinion of the team or their wives is, but don’t act so innocent when I respond in kind.
    A lesser person than me might call you a hypocrite, but I’ll just defer to your youth.

  32. but i didnt object that we dont play attractive lately…so i still fail to see your point really

    that i had a go at theo? i have a go at players from time to time off course. what happens on the pitch is their responsibility. i will also compare and contrast the application of say a monreal vs the application of say a walcott. certainly. monreal also has to deal with dodgy refs and pressure but he responds. theo does not. thus far.

  33. and im not pissed at all at anything youre trying to point out, in fact im curious to see your angle. i welcome it in fact. but i cant let you distort what i said in your imaginary quest

  34. Bunter
    You miss my point completely. I have no issues with your opinions of the players, their wives or the fans.
    What I’m saying is that if you consider my comments about the team not playing attractive football was harmful (and you did say that in two long abusive posts), then your own criticisms earlier were far more damaging (and more sweary)

  35. I’m glad Arsene Wenger pointed out in the post match press conference that Leicester had no match at the weekend while we had a demanding match that went into extra time.

    He also said we lacked a bit of cutting edge. That said, it is hard to have a cutting edge when your opponent is defending like Leicester did and also getting away with fouls. The bitesize highlights show how many attempts we had. Alexis’s strike that came off the bar nearly did it too.

    Apparently Alexis was bleeding in the mouth from a foul by Huth at the end so I’m even more glad that our goal came from his own goal. But when asked Arsene said this will not have affected Alexis. He will be the same tomorrow and the day after that. Made of steel I reckon.

    Credit to the team for trying and trying till the bitter end. I’m so glad we got our reward.

  36. And as Arsene Wenger also said, throwing on attacking players late on as he did carried a risk because Leicester have players that can hit you on the break. A manager working in the conditions he has to (referee bias etc) is always working on the edge. We are very lucky he is so experienced and creative.

  37. Menace

    Walter has a very good point regarding Fuchs being booked not because he threw it at the player for within the rules the player is allowed to do that but as we saw the force of the grow was such as it probably was excessive.
    In the lead up to the throw the referee warned Sanchez twice to retreat indeed on the first occasion he blew his whistle and gestured at Sanchez
    As for being 2 meters when the ball hit Sanchez he was around a foot from the touch line

  38. Mike T
    Do you think the 2 metres is from the touchline or from where the player actually releases the ball? I’d go for the touchline option myself as it’s a defined point.

  39. Leon

    The rule is 2 m from the thrower as long as the player remains on the pitch.
    The trouble in this instance was Fuchs ran at the throw in , a lot of players stand with their feet planted so it’s easy to work out where 2 m was but having said that I would doubt anyone , or at least any fair minded person, would argue that Fuchs would have released the ball further back.

  40. @Norman14

    Spuds have been without a red card in the league for 74 matches now. Poor ol’ Vlad Chiriches has been biting his nails for two years waiting for another Tottenham player to get sent off.

    Speaking of Wanyama, he was sent off three times at Southampton last season. He made a move to Tottenham last summer and – boom! Suddenly, his fouls don’t merit a red card. If I were six, I would think it’s just a coincidence. 🙂

  41. @ Norman, @ Josif

    “According to Big Sam, Spurs got away with murder….”. According to Big Sam. Well, he would say that, wouldn’t he? Pochettino might just as well have said it about Crystal Palace but he chose to remain silent.

    IMO, both of Wanyama’s supposed bookable offences fall into the category of “seen ’em given” but both could equally have been deemed just warning worthy. Moss chose one from each. Could Wanyama reasonably have been sent off for two yellow cards? Undoubtedly. But was it an outrage and injustice that he wasn’t? Undoubtedly not.

  42. JimB
    You are right to a degree.
    The thing is that Wanyama’s ‘seen em given’ type fouls time after time aren’t carded.
    Compare that to Xhaka who’s ‘seen em given’ type fouls time after time are carded.

  43. The position of Sanchez was judged by the position of the ball for the free kick. Was that a foot away from the line as per Mike T or was it more?

  44. The law state that a player can stand 2 yards from the point where the ball went out of play & therefore the point of the throw in. In my biased opinion Sanchez was 2 yards away from that point, though Fuchs was ‘robbing’ a few feet to get his throw to reach. Sanchez was booked, which is probably fair but the kick should have been on the line not 2 yards in from the line. More important is that Fuchs like the other Leicester moron should have had a red card.

    The official, like his organisation is infamous for picking on Arsenal, and clearly ignored the Laws as per FIFA but worked within the PGMOL Laws for Arsenal. His issuing of a yellow card says he saw the stud first kick in Girouds back. He should therefore be sent to specsavers to have his eyes tested after 6 months retraining in the dark arts of PGMOL officiating.

  45. MickHazel

    Exactly.

    A perfect example of pitch tilting.

    I have said before, and been laughed at, that the ref doesn’t even have to be wrong on any one single occasion to still be cheating.

    My point is, if there where say 50 of those ‘I’ve seen ’em given’ or 50/50 type decisions in a season, and all 50 went in the favour of one team or player, surely that would be a bit suspicious wouldn’t it? Some might even call it cheating, I know I do.

    That is similar to what Josif says.

    Isn’t it a bit suspicious that Wanyamas 50/50’s went against him, lets say 50% of the time, when he was at Southampton, but now he’s at Spurs, his 50/50’s hardly ever go against him.

    Conversely, I would argue Xhakas 50/50’s, or those ‘I’ve seen ’em given’ decisions go against him 80% of the time.

    That’s pitch tilting. That’s cheating, without actually appearing to cheat.

  46. Menace. Read the laws again for the law doesn’t say the player can stand 2 m from where the ball goes out. It says from where the throw in is taken. I would agree that the throw in should be taken from where the ball went out but as we all know that is rarely the case in any game.
    One thing that does intrigue me is was the free kick given for not retreating 2 m ( should the throw in not have been retaken in the same way as a free kick would be retaken from the same spot and not advanced to the position of the defending player if the player didn’t retreated 10 m?) or did Sanchez get booked and penalised for simulation?
    I agree Fiuchs should have been booked and possibly it could be argued given a straight red but you could possibly argue that after Sanchez was booked he went on to dispute the descion and in strict accordance with the laws should he have got a second booking?a

  47. MickHazel, Nitram

    You make it sound as though Wanyama is getting away with multiple booking offences a game; week in, week out. Truth is, he really isn’t. In fact, I’m struggling to think of any game this season prior to last night when he might justifiably have been sent off but wasn’t. Xhaka may well be getting a raw deal from refs but taking out your frustration with a fallacious analogy to another player is not the way to go. Xhaka has lived on the edge with some of his challenges. Perhaps he has been unlucky with the referee getting it wrong on occasion but, too often, he has given the referee a reason to think that a bad foul might have been committed. Wanyama, on the other hand, has tended not to dive in and give the referee such an excuse.

    By the way, it’s also fallacious to draw a direct analogy between Wanyama of last season and Wanyama this season without any deeper analysis of how he is playing or how the rest of his team is playing.

  48. JimB

    For an Arsenal fan you seem dead keen on sanctifying Wanyama, whilst similarly keen on demonising Xhaka.

  49. Nitram

    That’s because I’m not an Arsenal fan! When an Arsenal fan site so often references Tottenham, you have to expect that it will attract interested observers from the other end of the Seven Sisters Road. 😉

    And I have to point out that, yet again, you are resorting to logical fallacy. I have neither attempted to sanctify Wanyama nor demonise Xhaka.

  50. The photos show that Fuchs ran towards Alexis while Alexis stood 2 yards from the point the ball exited the field of play. It was Fuchs that wanted to attack Alexis while Alexis wanted to deter Fuchs from a clear sight of his target. The throwing of the ball at an opponent in anger is a straight red. There is no argument.

  51. While the dropkick on Girouds back got a yellow, Fuchs throw at Sanchez was not punished so can be taken to a panel for judgement. The chances are not great because the PGMOL hide their mistakes with silence.

  52. Menace. As Ipointed out standing 2m from where the ball went out is not in itself relevant but to continue to argue that Sanchez was even close to 2m from where the throw in was taken would be churlish.
    I didn’t need to look twice at the Giroud incident to agree Leicester player should have been given a straight red and whilst I agree that Fuchs possibly could have been given a red there is no way that the panel will be asked to look again at the incident because if the referee or indeed at least one of the officials to say they didn’t have a clear view would be strange if for no other reason they talked through the incident before taking action

  53. JimB, Wanyama twice elbowed an Arsenal player against the head in the NLD this season… Just to freshen up your memory…

  54. I have no disagreement over Fuchs intent, or the distance between the two players (probably 2 metres) when the ball was released by Fuchs. In fact it was fortunate that the ball hit Sanchez’ shoulder first.
    My point is that Sanchez was a foot at the most from the touchline at the instant the throw was made. This seems to be an issue in the discussion. The photos show this clearly.
    I don’t think the ‘point the ball exited the field of play’ is relevant to this action. It’s all about when the ball was returned to the field of play.

  55. Leon

    First off I doubt that Sanchez was 2 m from Fuchs when he realised the ball but my understanding is that if say he , Fuchs, had been 2m back toward the spectators and took the throw from that position then Sanchez could not have been penalised even if he stood on the touch line .

  56. If the positioning of the players at throw ins is arbitrary, then the rule requires tweaking a little to ensure that the distance between them is more defined. A slight modification could ensure that the on field player remains two metres from the touch line thus preventing the farce we witnessed at that match.

  57. Walter. I only remember the Walcott incident. One word………….Accidental.

    Please do “freshen up” my memory. What was the other elbow? I’ll be happy to concede the point if you can show a deliberate and or dangerously reckless use of the elbow on Wanyama’s part. Even so, it won’t prove the point that Nitram was trying to make that Wanyama has routinely got away with yellow or even red card offences this season. It will only prove that he got away with it this one time.

  58. Leon

    Sounds a good idea but just like many proposed yours I am afraid isn’t workable
    Yes it would solve the problem in a similar situation to that transpired on Wednesday but what about when the thrower wants to throw the ball down the line say 10m to one of his own players who is only 1m in from the touchline?
    In truth I am not too sure you will be able to tweak the rule that much and again it’s not often you see anyone pulled up for not retreating I guess most know the rule and to a degree the strange thing for me was that AW in an interview with the BBC stated words to the effect that Sanchez didn’t know the rule.

  59. MikeT
    Overlooked here is that the resulting free kick could (almost) have led to a goal for Leicester. Sanchez’ shit really would have stunk then

  60. Leon

    I doub it for had Leicester scored then I suspect it would have been the refs fault!

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