Arsenal had it in their power to match Manchester City, who were tied against Newcastle shortly after, in the table, and they achieved it in painful fashion despite the fact that Hermansen did everything possible for Leicester to get a score (4-2) .
The newly promoted player had almost no chance in the previous round and, after the first half, even less. His approach was a small team and went further, because he did not give news in the place of David Raya. He backed himself with eleven players on the edge of the area, told Arsenal ‘it’s yours’, and prayed that the minutes would pass quickly.
With a prominent eleven, although Ben White was out injured, Arteta’s men settled into possession, looking to find spaces with patience. It took a lot to open holes. Lots of fame from Martinelli, who after missing a very clear broke his bad streak (he hasn’t scored since March), directing a low cross from Timber (20′). And he had another immediately extended, as Leicester did not change their approach and only the minutes counted for the next one to come.
It took its toll. Lots of ball movement from side to side, crossing from outside off, but too many ‘foxes’ legs blocking. Arsenal also had no luck in strategy despite being expert, but they found peace of mind when Martinelli found Trossard to score the second before the break (45′).
The Gunners are happy that they were promised, they have already found themselves on par with City, and perhaps they paid for the rush to finish the game or that conformism. Out of nowhere, without doing any credit, Justin finishes a hanging free kick unmarked and surprises Raya (47′). Dead silence at the Emirates, although the footballers tried to fix it. Then began the ‘show’ of Hermansen, who became Arsenal’s nightmare and Manchester City’s greatest ally. The Leicester goalkeeper seemed to wear Courtois’ shirt, and he stopped everything, starting with a header from Gabriel in one of the many corners Arsenal won. And when it did not come, the post arrived, leading Trossard.
To make matters worse, Justin, coming up, was done by Vardy. In another isolated Leicester attack on the counter, he hit the ball unceremoniously as it came down with a volley and expertly latched onto it to hit the woodwork (63′), raising the nerves of an Arsenal side that went out right But found a common denominator: Hermansen. Repeatedly, using hands of all colors. Up, down and even remedying his own loss when taking the ball. With Leicester hanging on, Arteta’s team got them there, obsessed with City leveling on points. And desperate, with a discount and with luck, he achieved it. Of course a corner kick to the far post that Trossard finishes and Ndidi deflects so it goes in (94′). And to make things easier, Havertz even scored the fourth, first disallowed for a non-existent offside corrected by VAR (99′). The Premier League is getting tighter.
match lineup
22
12
33
5
2
6
7
41
19
29
11
30
2
16
8
3
5
40
22
9
6
10
Emirates Stadium
Mads Hermansen30
James Justin2
46′
62′
48′
Victor Kristiansen16
84′
Harry Winks8
45′
Wout Faes3
Caleb Okoli5
97′
Facundo Buonanotte40
69′
84′
Oliver Skipp22
49′
90′
45′
97′
Jamie Vardy9
19′
98′
Wilfred Ndidi6
30′
93′
97′
19′
73′
Stephy Mavididi10
90′
Replacements
Danny Ward1
Conor Coady4
Ricardo Pereira21
Bilal El Khanouss11
90′
Hamza Choudhury17
Abdul Fatawu7
97′
84′
Bobby De Cordova-Reid14
90′
97′
Jordan Ayew18
84′
73′
Odsonne Edouard29
97′
coach
Mikel Arteta
Steve Cooper
Source: La Verdad
I’m Rose Herman and I work as an author for Today Times Live. My expertise lies in writing about sports, a passion of mine that has been with me since childhood. As part of my job, I provide comprehensive coverage on everything from football to tennis to golf.
