Arsenal Player Ratings vs Leicester City: Ozil, Lacazette poor as pressure mounts on Unai Emery

Arsenal’s torrid run of form continued as they were beaten 2-0 by Leicester City at the King Power Stadium in the Premier League on Saturday evening.

Alexandre Lacazette missed a couple of great opportunities for Arsenal in the first period, while Leicester City too had a few chances, but failed to capitalise as the first half ended goalless. The game burst into life after the break as Wilfred Ndidi struck the crossbar for the Foxes while Arsenal captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang had a goal chalked off for offside.

Eventually, Leicester took the lead in the 68th minute as Jamie Vardy put the finishing touches on a fine team move before James Maddison drilled one past Bernd Leno to make it 2-0 and condemn Arsenal to another away defeat. Pressure continues to mount on Unai Emery after yet another disappointing result and here’s how we rated the performances of the Arsenal stars on the evening.

Bernd Leno: 5.5/10

The German shot-stopper could not get across in time to stop Vardy’s opener. Made a good save to deny the Englishman his second of the game soon after, but had no chance for Maddison’s strike. Could have been better with his distribution from the back.

Calum Chambers: 6/10

Easily the best of the back three for Arsenal on the evening, Chambers defended solidly for most parts having started as a centre-back for the first time since the opening day of the season, while being neat and tidy in possession. His last-ditch challenge to take the ball from Vardy’s toes in the first half was a standout moment. Did leave the Englishman unmarked for the opener, though.

David Luiz: 5/10

Starting at the centre of Arsenal’s three-man backline, the Brazilian did not do much wrong defensively, although he could have gotten tighter to Youri Tielemans in the buildup to Leicester’s opening goal. But, his distribution from the back was a major letdown, as he constantly gave away the ball in the first half and showed little improvement after the break.

Rob Holding: 4/10

Marking his return to Premier League football, the 24-year-old had a day to forget on the field. Looked off pace and lacking sharpness as Leicester enjoyed a lot of joy on his side. Had problems every time Ayoze Perez charged at him at speed and was indecisive in possession on a lot of occasions. Sacrificed for Nicolas Pepe after the Foxes’ second goal.

Hector Bellerin: 5.5/10

Making his first Premier League start of the season, the Spaniard offered a decent outlet down the right-hand side, but was often let down by his end product. Created an opportunity for Lacazette in the first half, while he himself came close with a long-range strike in the second. Defensively not as solid as he would have liked as he showed signs of rust.

Lucas Torreira: 4/10

Overrun and overpowered in the middle of the park by the hosts on a consistent basis as he looked well off pace on the evening. Lacked composure in general and gave away free-kicks. Was pretty much a passenger on the field when he was taken off late on for Willock. Missed a great chance to nail down his place in the side in Granit Xhaka’s absence.

Matteo Guendouzi: 5/10

Showed more energy and drive than his midfield partner, but wasn’t able to stamp his authority on the game. Did try to get Arsenal moving swiftly on the counter after the break, but to little avail. Lucky not to have given away a penalty after pulling down Caglar Soyuncu in the first half.

Sead Kolasinac: 5.5/10

Had his task cut out against the overlapping runs of Ricardo Pereira and the Bosnian did well for most of the first half to keep things tight on his side. Wasn’t unable to get forward much though due to Leicester’s pressing, but did create the chance for Aubameyang’s offside goal.

Mesut Ozil: 4/10

Back into the team after being rested for the midweek clash, the German playmaker failed to make any sort of impact on the proceedings. There were some moments of neat interplay helping Arsenal launch counter-attacks, but those came few and far in between. Faded as the game wore on.

Alexandre Lacazette: 4/10

Guilty of missing three gilt-edged chances in the first period, which would have put Arsenal in control had he taken them. Worked hard, though, and showed some nice link-up play up top on occasions, but needed to do much better when the chances came his way. Petered off as the game wore on.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang: 5/10

Much like Lacazette, the Arsenal captain was sharp in his link-up play in the final third and worked hard off the ball. But, ultimately Aubameyang was deprived of any sort of service, which limited his impact in and around the Leicester penalty box. Did put the ball into the back of the net in the second half, but the goal was chalked off for offside.

Substitutes

Nicolas Pepe: N/A

Introduced in place of Holding after Leicester’s second goal. Did little to change the course of the game as Arsenal gave in.

Joe Willock: N/A

Thrown on for the final ten minutes in place of Torreira. No impact whatsoever.