Arsenal secured their seventh successive Premier League win as Ozil runs the show against Leicester City to dump the former Champions in a 3-1 win at the Emirates.
Unai Emery will be a happy man after his Arsenal side secured their tenth win in a row in all competitions after securing a deserved 3-1 win over Leicester City at the Emirates. Mesut Ozil was the star Arsenal relied upon for the win as the playmaker scored and assisted in the game, and Aubameyang, who came off the bench to score twice to secure a top-four place for the Gunners.
Leicester were the better side in the first period and deservedly took the lead through a Ben Chilwell shot which deflected off Bellerin for an own goal. Arsenal remained calm and looked out of ideas till Mesut Ozil came to life.
The German made a darting run with the ball, passing it to Bellerin, who made the cut back for Ozil to score with a first time shot and surpass Jurgen Klinsmann as the Premier League’s most prolific German of all time. Emery stuck to his team and made a double substitution for Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Matteo Guendouzi to come in for the ineffective Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Stephan Lichtsteiner.
Those substitutions turned out to be the game changers as Arsenal then controlled the game well and scored two goals in the space of four minutes. Again the orchestrator was Ozil for both the goals, as he sent in a brilliant pass for the second to Bellerin who squared off Aubameyang, then himself providing the assist for the third after a brilliant team move for Aubameyang to score his second on the night.
Overall, Arsenal showed the class when it most mattered, and the performance also confirms the Gunners’ status as a second-half team, having only scored 6 goals of their 22 so far this season in the first half. Unai Emery will be delighted and now will look forward to securing an 11th straight win when they take on Sporting Lisbon during midweek.
Here are the player ratings for the Arsenal players for the night:
Bernd Leno: 7.5/10
Leno could not do much about Leicester’s opening goal but was a steady presence between the sticks. Made a good save off an Iheanacho shot in the first period, but since then was the quieter of the two keepers on the pitch. It looks like Emery will stick with the German even after Cech returns to full fitness.
Hector Bellerin: 8.5/10
Not many might have been happy at the own goal he conceded in the first period, but in his defence, he had no support whatsoever from Mkhitaryan on his side, and Chilwell’s shot was well taken. On the other side of the pitch, Bellerin more than redeemed himself with a top class attacking performance, which saw him play a key role in all three Arsenal goals, and getting two assists on the night.
Shkodran Mustafi: 7/10
A composed performance from Mustafi against Leicester. Defended well and contained most of Leicester’s attack with his expertise. He was the better than Holding on the night, and he also contributed with some role in attack for Arsenal. Performances like these show that the German is finally making himself a key part of Arsenal’s defence.
Rob Holding: 6/10
Not a bad performance from Holding, but he could count himself lucky to play the entire match. Was booked in the first half and a minute later handled the ball, but to his luck the referee ignored Leicester’s calls for a penalty. In the first period was a little shaky and troubled by Leicester’s pacey attackers, but did well in the second period.
Stephan Lichtsteiner: 6/10
Not a bad game for the Swiss considering how many have been talking about his lack of pace. Not a left-back by trade, Lichsteiner could be a valuable asset in situations when no player in the position is available.
Lucas Torreira: 7/10
Torreira is making himself at home very nicely and added another composed performance to his bag since joining Arsenal. Controlled the midfield well and made the highest number of passes on the night. Completed tackles, made interceptions and was as active as one would expect of him.
Granit Xhaka: 6/10
After struggling in the first half and unable to control his area due to the performing James Maddison, Xhaka grew into the game, especially since moving to the left-back role. Still, he was not as decisive as he has been in the past few games this season, but still an error-free performance from the midfielder.
Alex Iwobi: 8/10
Is Iwobi in the form of his life? Rightly so, the Nigerian continued his electric displays for Arsenal and justified Unai Emery’s decision to start him ahead of Aubameyang. He was direct, intentional, confident and assertive in his gameplay, providing consistent displays in both halves. Was named Man of the Match.
Henrikh Mkhitaryan: 5.5/10
Not a good game for Mkhitaryan. Was ineffective all throughout his time on the field. Did not support Bellerin on the right flank which led to Leicester’s first goal and putting too much pressure on Bellerin. Missed two good chances to score, but overall a frustrating night for the Armenian.
Mesut Ozil: 9.5/10
Ozil was at his best as he controlled the tempo of the game with his incisiveness and perfect play. He was unstoppable in the second half after a quiet first. Scored Arsenal’s equaliser with a brilliant run and a cut back from Bellerin.
For the second it was his defence-splitting pass that Bellerin squared for Aubameyang. As for the third, Ozil started a great team move which ended in Aubameyang scoring and the German providing the assist, completing a total performance, his best of this season so far.
Alexandre Lacazette: 6.5/10
After Arsenal were comfortable, everyone was hoping Lacazette too could get on the scoresheet and he tried his best to do so. Had a few chances, but could not convert them. However, he was on hand to play a vital role in Arsenal’s third and marked a good overall performance again.
Substitutes
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang: 8.5/10
Top display from Aubameyang to secure all three points for Arsenal. The Gunners are more of a goal threat when him and Lacazette are together on the pitch. It was Lacazette who dropped back to let the Gabonese get into positions, and tightly so scored twice in the space of three minutes to kill Leicester. That makes it six goals for the season already for him in the Premier League.
Matteo Guendouzi: 6.5/10
Was sent on to control the midfield and tempo of the game and instantly brought in the energy required to do so.
Aaron Ramsey: 6/10
Was on the pitch for 13 minutes or so, but the game was already won and Arsenal did not attack too much during that period.
