football.london takes a look back on the talking points from Arsenal’s 4-2 win over Leicester, including Mikel Arteta’s dressing room message to his team
It was late, very late indeed, but Arsenal got the job done against Leicester City on Saturday afternoon. In all fairness, the Gunners should have had the points wrapped up long before the two goals in injury-time sealed the deal.
A deflected Leandro Trossard effort and a Kai Havertz goal ended Leicester’s resilience to secure a wholly deserved three points for Arsenal, to move them level on points with Manchester City.
Here football.london takes a look at the big talking points from the match at the Emirates Stadium as Arteta looked to draw a line under any argument he may have with Pep Guardiola.
Arsenal find a way to win
As Leandro Trossard poked home on the stroke of half-time, it seemed as though it was job done for Arsenal. Mikel Arteta had joked about flip flops in the build up to this game and you could have forgiven him for donning a pair as he strolled out into the autumn sun for the second half at Emirates Stadium.
It did not take long for Leicester to rain on his parade. James Justin had headed home from a free-kick in side the first minute after the break. The game resumed normal service, with Arsenal dominating; but 15 minutes later, the visitors were level courtesy of a superb volleyed strike from Justin.
Arsenal, though, stuck to their task diligently. The Gunners created chance after chance as the game ticked into stoppage time. In fact, by the end of the match they had registered a whopping 6.18 expected goals (xG) according to Understat.
It could hardly be said that it was undeserved then when Trossard’s goalbound poke deflected in off Wilfred Ndidi. Kai Havertz grabbing the fourth and final goal was even more fortunate, but Arsenal had earned their luck.
As much as the elation of the result will have sent Arteta’s spirits soaring, it’s the way his side were undeterred in their efforts that pleased him most.
“So happy,” Arteta said of his side’s ability to find a way to win. “That’s what I told them (that they had to win under any context). It got nasty, it got difficult, it was emotionally difficult to accept with the amount of situations that we created and the amount of goals that we should have scored.
“But we didn’t. So now what? You take ownership of yourself, you start to take more risks. I brought on Ethan and the guy, at 17-years-old, his first action is to go past two, three people and take a shot. I just love it. If you want to be here and play at that level, you need to have that courage. I really value that from the team today.”
It may only be September, but these are the kind of results you look back on in May. If Arsenal do win the league, it’ll be afternoons like this that are most important.
Set piece again ole ole
It may have taken a while, but Arsenal finally got their customary set piece goal. It wasn’t like it hadn’t been coming.
Prior to Trossard’s late winner, Gabriel had had two headers superbly saved by Mads Hermansen. Riccardo Calafiori also went close, as each corner seemed to invite a game of penalty-box pinball.
Much has been spoken about the routine and movement that goes into Arsenal’s corners, but it feels like we must make time to praise the deliveries. Bukayo Saka in particular has been sublime this season, consistently putting the ball on the money to create chances.
“That’s a game changer,” Arteta said of his winger’s ability. “That’s what he needs to do consistently at this level. The others they have to do other stuff.
“I think we generated 17 corners today. We should have scored from others. We need every possible tool to be a threat all the time.”
There are so many players capable of putting in great crosses from open play, but when it comes to dead balls there are more who can’t hack it. Arsenal have some superb set piece takers and they are a real weapon to damage the opposition defence.
Arteta responds to Pep
The war of words between Arteta and Pep Guardiola had been rumbling on all week. It hopefully came to an end with the post-match press conference.
The Arsenal manager had said that he had “all the information” about City after spending four years at the club as an assistant when asked about comments from Manuel Akanji and Bernardo Silva criticising the Gunners approach in the second half of their 2-2 draw at the Etihad last Sunday. This prompted a tetchy response from Guardiola who insisted that his former protege would have to be more careful with his words in the future.
“Next time he has to be more clear exactly what does it mean,” the former Barcelona boss said. “He said he was here four years and we know exactly what happened here, because it can be related in all the process now with 155 charges, maybe it’s about that, he knows information about that maybe. Or maybe he had something like, I don’t know, because really, next time I have to see more clearly exactly what happened.
“Next time, like a good relation I have with him, hopefully this question has been asked. He can answer exactly what does it mean when he said he was here and I know what’s happening here, and instead of [speculation hanging] in the clouds to be more precise.”
It was quite the response from Guardiola, who, despite his reputation for being all about the good football on the pitch, is a master of mind games himself. His rivalry with Klopp may have been respectful, but Pep knows how to manipulate a press conference as well as anyone.
Arteta, it seems, has no interest in arguing off the pitch. He instead wants to preserve his relationship with his former mentor, and looked to clarify what he meant.
“I can repeat it very clear, I love Pep, I’ve admired him since I was 10-years-old,” Arteta said. “I respect him profoundly, I am so grateful for everything he did for me and continues to do for me and I consider him a friend. I love and respect all of the staff there because I worked with them for four years and when I said that I know them, I meant I know how hard they work.
“I haven’t seen a human being work as hard as Pep and the coaches and everybody in that football club is consistently winning and the reason they are there is because they continue to maintain that hunger. This is exactly what I’ve learned and what I mean so it cannot be anymore clear than that.
“If you want to, I can repeat it but if someone wants to damage the relationship that’s not in my hands. But that feeling is profound, he knows it, the staff knows it because I still maintain with them today, with the board, with the ownership, with everyone. In sport there has to be a will to win, they have it and I have it.
“We have it for sure because we haven’t won it but they have it even if they have won it more than anybody else here. We have to learn and it has to be inspiring for us and it is for me, this is what I mean. It’s remarkable what they have achieved because they have that willing mentality, hopefully that is clear.”
The matter seems well and truly put to bed now. The rivalry between Arsenal and City though, remains hotter than it has ever been.