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Leicester City moved up to second in the Premier League as second-half goals from Jamie Vardy and James Maddison secured victory against Arsenal to put more pressure on Gunners boss Unai Emery.
The Foxes had looked set to be frustrated as they missed several chances in the first half while Wilfred Ndidi struck the bar early in the second period.
But Vardy finally broke the deadlock as he finished off an excellent team move, firing in his 11th goal of the season after Harvey Barnes and Youri Tielemans cut open the Arsenal defence.
Maddison then made sure there was no way back for Arsenal with a low strike through Héctor Bellerin’s legs and into the back of the net.
Victory means Leicester move up to second with 26 points from 12 games, five behind leaders Liverpool.
Arsenal, meanwhile, are now eight points off the top four and are without a win in the Premier League since beating Bournemouth 1-0 on 6 October.
Free-scoring Foxes always find a way
Eighteen months ago, former Arsenal chief executive Ivan Gazidis hailed the arrival of Emery as a coach that “plays an exciting, progressive style of football that fits Arsenal perfectly”.
That description was certainly accurate about one of the teams on the pitch at King Power Stadium on Saturday, but it was not Emery’s side.
The Foxes possess a clear identity and a togetherness that appears to be absent from this current Gunners side who, apart from occasional flashes, rarely troubled their opponents.
Leicester dominated possession from the outset and even though they missed a number of decent chances – Ayoze Pérez firing just over after capitalising on a defensive error and Maddison putting a free-kick on the roof of the net – there was always the sense that the Foxes would find a way through.
So it proved in the second half as they scored the sort of goal that Arsenal teams of the past did with regularity – Barnes picked out Tielemans with a clever backheel and the midfielder immediately found Vardy at the far post where the in-form striker made no mistake.
From then there was only going to be one outcome as Leicester eased to a fourth successive Premier League win.
Brendan Rodgers has been linked with replacing Emery at Arsenal, but given where the two clubs are in the table and in terms of form, it is hard to see why he would consider a move to Emirates Stadium.
What next?
A trip to Brighton is next for Leicester with the sides meeting at Amex Stadium on Saturday, 23 November (15:00 GMT), while Arsenal host Southampton at the same time.
More to follow
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