Leicester vs Arsenal: Five things we learned as Gunners suffer third successive defeat

Leicester outclassed ten-man Arsenal from the opening whistle

Arsenal’s hopes of a top-four finish continued to unravel as Leicester outclassed Unai Emery’s side from the opening whistle, cruising to a comfortable 3-0 victory.

It’s a third successive league defeat for Arsenal, who struggled to even get ahold of the ball in a disjointed performance worsened by Ainsley Maitland-Niles first-half red card.

Youri Tielemans finally broke the deadlock after 59 minutes, heading in at the near post.

Jamie Vardy then sealed the win with a deft lob, after another mindless lapse of defending from Arsenal, before then tapping in Leicester’s third in the game’s last seconds to condemn the Gunners to another listless and lacking defeat.

Here are five things we learned from the game.

Arsenal’s lack of confidence

If the miserable back-to-back defeats against Crystal Palace and Wolves had sparked a wave of nerves amongst Arsenal’s squad, they certainly showed in a lopsided, error-strewn opening 15 minutes. Leicester looked to take advantage of that stung pride, starting with aggression and at a breathless pace.

James Maddison drifted in the pockets of space, unpicked early pockets of space for Jamie Vardy to charge into and Ben Chilwell enjoyed the early beating of Ainsley Maitland-Niles. The disjointed first act for a troupe last booed off stage.

Ainsley Maitland-Niles inexperience takes hold

Forced into a lesser-preferred position as a conventional right-back in a 4-4-2, and provided with little cover by Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Maitland-Niles struggled with the frenetic and fairly constant nature of Leicester’s attacks.

The early yellow card came after just eight minutes after a cynical use of the shoulder prevented the clearly quicker Maddison from breaking beyond him. A decision that could only be deemed harsh for being so early in the game.

But from thereon, Maitland-Niles appeared uncomfortable and ill-prepared to deal with the pace of Leicester’s overlapping attacks. Chilwell charged forwards, carrying the ball all the way from the halfway line to the byline, and beat Maitland-Niles with ease in a one-on-one. From the subsequent corner, Wilfred Ndidi’s header forced Bernd Leno into a fantastic reflex save.

The second yellow was a matter of sheer inexperience, and naïve stupidity. Having lost the ball on the halfway line with a bumbling touch, Maitland-Niles then lunged in on Maddison as he attempted to recover the loose ball. Maddison’s screaming fall hardly helped his case. Many would claim it was harsh, but it was an error of his own making, and a fallout that could have easily been avoided

Ainsley Maitland-Niles receives a red card (Getty) (Leicester City via Getty Images)

Emery’s tinkering brings record breaking lows

125 passes. The lowest recorded in a half by Emery’s Arsenal. Twenty-seven per cent possession. Also sitting at rock bottom.

Today, the manager’s tinkering appeared to leave his own players in a puzzle. Set up in a 4-4-2, inviting Leicester to take possession and attack, the Foxes gratefully accepted. The Gunners’ sluggish defending allowing the pace of Vardy, Maddison, Albrighton and co. to continually threaten, running into acres of space beyond the high line, never allowing Arsenal to settle and find a rhythm. A theme that was amplified after Maitland-Niles’ dismissal. Even after the half-time interval, the trend continued unabated in a performance that lacked confidence, desire, and was ultimately utterly listless.

Tielemans scored the opener (Leicester City via Getty Images) (Getty)

Leicester’s dominance finally reward

A hint of frustration had started to creep in as Leicester dominated the game, but failed to break the deadlock. Rodgers had even thrown on Harvey Barnes at half-time in place of Ndidi, so confident was the manager that a wilted Arsenal were ready for the taking.

But finally, as Arsenal’s defenders laboured on the edge of the box and allowed Maddison what seemed like an age to pick out the perfect ball, Leicester’s efforts were vindicated. Tielemans ran at the front post untracked, his header barrelled into the bottom corner and left Leno with no chance. It was only thanks to the German keeper’s further efforts that Leicester were not away and clear before Vardy's 86th-minute strike sealed the win.

Arsenal’s hopes of a top-four finish continue to sustain damage (Action Images via Reuters)

Arsenal’s top-four hopes unravel

After such a brilliant run of form earlier this season, success in Europe reaching the semi-finals of the Europa League, a positive first season for Emery in the post-Wenger era has threatened to unravel.

A hat-trick of defeats to devastate hopes of a top-four finish that was comfortably in their hands, and an ugly cratering that leaves a sour taste. Today, they were outmatched in desire, outclassed in every aspect, and desperately need to be rejuvenated before facing Valencia on Thursday.