A first half header from Thomas Partey and a second half penalty from Alexandre Lacazette helped Arsenal to three points against Leicester City at the Emirates this afternoon.
The visitors had their moments in the first period, with Ben White and Aaron Ramsdale’s staunch defending keeping Brendan Rodgers’ side at bay, but the Gunners controlled second half ensured we took the maximum and moved back into the top four.
Thomas Partey was excellent in midfield, but Martin Odegaard put in a special performance as he bossed it on home turf.
Here’s how the players rated this afternoon.
Read the Arsenal 2-0 Leicester report and see the goals here
Arsenal 2-0 Leicester – Player Ratings
The ratings are hidden by default until you vote, but if you just want to view the ratings and the comments, flick the switch at the top above Aaron Ramsdale. Also, please give the ratings a few seconds to load.
Øde is such a baller. Also insane work rate. We have made so many great signings this year and I absolutely love watching this team at the moment.
It’s frightening to think of this team improving by just 15% over the next few years… surely a CL squad!
CL first team for sure. Can see us getting out of the group and giving the big guns a run for their money in knock outs, like we did with City and hopefully will on Wednesday. The squad though.. definitely need another good summer window to maintain this standard for 2 games a week. It does seem like Arteta has made full use of the extra time out of Europe and the cups to effectively drill this young team. The improvement is huge. So we have the foundations and with the right signings and a bit of luck the CL… Read more »
I’m so in love with Arsenal right now.
Agree totally with what you are saying on Odegaard, he is fantastic.
Only problem is with the word ‘baller’ (is it American?). It means nothing, all the players touch the ball, in comparison to ‘he’s a great player’, ‘he’s got great touch/awareness/chance creation’ etc etc.
Anyone else feel the same?
Nah
I wish I was little bit taller
I wish I was a baller
I wish I had a girl who looked good
I would call her
I wish I had a rabbit in a hat with a bat
And a six four Impala
I think it’s a progressive distillation of ‘great footballer/proper footballer’ into just “he’s a footballer, he’s a baller”. I.e., now THAT’S a footballer etc. Comes from american basketball for sure and extends to non sporting descriptions of confidence or boldness.
Its just a byword.
I completely agree with you, both regarding Odegaard and the “baller” expression. I have no clue why you have so many dislikes to your comment. People must really love that expression, lol.
Or we have a lot of US supporters, given ‘baller’ is a basketball word. Though they struggle with ‘football’, preferring to use it for a game that the ball rarely touches the foot.
It sounds like ‘bawler’ ie someone who cries.
I’ll never use it and will also regret that people can’t use words that we have always used for footballers rather than a US word.
You don’t like the word baller. Noted
Phew – we got there, in the end.
Haha, baller just means “extremely good or impressive; excellent.”
It does stem from the US though but it’s quite commonly used between my friends and I. I’ll rephrase my comment!
Øde is extremely impressive and excellent.
How do we get Odegaards Wikipedia profile updated so he’s in an arsenal shirt and no longer in that awful real Madrid shirt?
You can literally edit it yourself. That is how Wikipedia works!
Baller?!!!
I love this team more than I love the missus
You need couples therapy mate. I love Arsenal but at the end of the day it’s football vs real life. Poor lass.
Swedish Erotica
The morality and loyalty is commendable from the negatives, even in a comment section. What a classy club. Still, this team is an irresistible mistress at the moment. Up the Arse, no pun intended.
ur not alone buddy, i like football and arsenal way more better than the gf ive had.
I bet you’ve been in the pub all day? I have but I still got a roast dinner when I got in.
When i got with my wife in 2005 Arsenal were brilliant. We have been crap for the 17 years we have been together (Bar the FA cup wins). We have just separated and Arsenal are brilliant again. You can thank me later 😀
Thank you?! You ruined the last 17 years!
🤣😂🤣😂🤣
It’s a fucking joke lads. Chill.
Some less fortunate Gooners love Tottenham more than they love their missus
Looking at the table, what stands out between us and top 3 is there’s a huge goal difference difference. Considering where we are with points behind last year’s champions league winners, there’s a huge potential for this team to explode if we find that striker. That’s not even considering that we’ll upgrade other areas of squad and gain maturity and experience through CL games.
Interestingly, Lukaku is the only player above us who is a classic No 9. It would be generous to say that he has been a dud this season.
I’m not sure if I care tbh
He has been bad this year. Much worse than base line. It crossed my mind that he could be the kind of ‘broken egg’ Tim Stillman referenced in his column the other day. I imagine that he could do the job Laca is being asked to do quite well.
I guess the thumbs will tell me if anyone shares this opinion
Wages might be huge and he might not be willing to do the selfless stuff that Laca does. Anyway it’s moot as Chelsea can’t sell anyone.
True. I fully expect them to be sorted before the summer. Sale of the club will be pushed through
Will be interesting to see who gets to keep the sale proceeds?
Lukaku isn’t good with his back to goal. Despite him being built like a heavyweight boxer he isn’t a good hold-up man. Conte improved him by getting him facing goal (it helped having another striker alongside him). He’s much better as an out-and-out goalscorer.
The 4-2-3-1 system seems to work ok.. in a way. But with all the offensive, technical players behind him, the top man has a very limited role. Maybe just play 4-3-3? Then we already have the players we need.
We already are playing 4-3-3, unless you’ve not been paying attention recently.
Maybe I haven’t:)
Great all-round performance. Suspect we’ll see the same XI start against Liverpool.
I suspect you’re right!
Cracking result. We’re playing some exceptional football right now. And as crazy as it sounds there is still so much room for improvement (Martinelli, Saka, ESR, Gabriel, White, Rammers – they’re all only going to get better and better).
Play our best available team again, surely not.
Thing is, all the players that could be rotated are the ones that probably don’t need the rest.
It would be nice to rest Lacazette, but would you want to play Nketiah up front? It would also be nice to rest Cedric, but Tomiyasu doesn’t appear to be near fitness.
I’d like Saka to start, but if he is in need of some rest then I can see this being a good game to start Pepe. Against Liverpool’s intense press he could be a good target for going long, then we could unleash Saka on them in the second half.
Good point. I like it. I feel like Martinelli could potentially do with a rest as well, to be fair.
I thought 6.5 was a bit hard on Cedric who is filling in very well. I would have given MOM to Partey and scoring was great for him and especially Laca.
Partey would of been MOTM if it wasn’t for Ode’s absolute masterclass. Rewatch the game and focus on him. Don’t think he made a single mistake all game.
Odegaard’s heel is as magical as his toes!
Outrageous skill.
Odegaard turns in a phone booth and still no one ever contacts him. His vision and and spatial awareness are on a par with greats in other sports like Wayne Gretzsky and Dan Marino
Now there are two references sure to impress the kids!
What’s a phone booth? 🤔😂
A little match box in which Ødegaard turns 360 degrees with the ball on the tip of his toes while dialing his parents’ number in Norway, enjoying a tuna sandwich and making a checky no-look pass to Saka, and yet nobody can contact him.
Dan Marino never won a Super Bowl, yet Trent Dilfer and Joe Flacco did. What a travesty.
I noticed one off pass he made, and thought: my god, he’s human.
Cedric is doing his job quietly and he should get credit for his work as well. He was a 7 tonight at least.
He is an entertainer.
I see what you did there.
I refrain from comparisons but Odegaard is like having Tomas Rosicky and Ozil in one player. He’s a joy to watch
Ozil with a defensive work rate and puts in actual tackles.
That’s a great combo comparison. Combarison.
Embarrassing comment. Commbarrassing.
[It’s not, just playing along…]
I’m combing my pubic hair. Cubing.
That was an explainabrag
Humble Brag = HumRag
Surely a humbrag?
I thought on it, but HumRag just sounded funnier
You should fo more comparisons. You’re spot on.
He has found the comparison emManual.
…sorry guys.
This began well but is all going horrong*
*horribly wrong
I was thinking Fabregas and Flamini
That would make him Flabregas 😉
Only in his later years….
Massive result, well done lads. Anything we can get from the Liverpool game will be the cherry on the cake. And I fancy that we can get something.
Martin Odegaard is an absolute joy. And Partey looked every part a £50m player and then some today. I let out an audible “fucking hell” at that dragback turn in the second half
Now imagine if the booboys (who were telling us Partey was a ‘dud’ and MO a wunderkind gone bad) could just get off Pepe’s back and rather get behind him… just imagine him hitting the potential he obviously has!
That would mean he needed some minutes, and based on the way that top four had been playing, with our top scorer next in line, it won’t happen.
Football’s a funny old game mate – plenty minutes left in the season. Mik has largely gotten it right thus far… just hope he does have a rejuvenation plan for Nik.
I’d put Partey very very slightly ahead of the Viking. He doesn’t do flashy things but was a real boss of the midfield today. And you forgot to note that he also scored and won the penalty
Excellent all over the pitch. Great team performance.
Only disappointed we didn’t wear our traditional green shorts
Wow!
(said Brendan Rodgers after that Ramsdale save)
Partey MOTM if you ask me, bossed that midfield
That was a 10/10 perfomance from Odegaard. One of those perfomances that 5 years down the road we’ll say “Remember that game Odegaard played against Leceister?”….He was still pressing in the 90th minute and also had a few tackles…Scary thing is players like him only get better with age…Remember Zidane wasn’t really known until 24..
And it here comes again….
Next great captain… next Arse legend.
Wtf, this Benjamin White dude is freakishly good at blocking shots. Cedric Soares had a lot of defending to do, and stuck to the task. What a spell he’s having.
And 10/10 to Arteta for the way he reset the team at half-time. I find it hard to read tactical switches in-game but whatever it was worked
I had my reservations because if his small frame, but Ben really knows how and where to position himself. He is really intelligent on and off the ball.
I thought that too when we signed him (he’s only listed at 1.82m) but he’s got to be taller than that surely, he doesn’t look 3 inches shorter than gabriel (listed 1.91m).
Yes whoscored says 1.82, but transfermarkt says 1.86 which is probably correct, that’s taller than everyone bar Gabriel, Holding, Ramsdale and Tomiyasu
Insane the progress (both style of play and results) since Auba was dropped. One of the best strikers in the world and we don’t miss him.
Who?
5 goals in 6 games for Barcelona who can still actually win something apart from ‘fourth’ (albeit it’s only the Europa League)
Happy for him – would never wish the bloke ill. Clearly something had gone wrong at the Emirates and he needed the move.
Would love to see some sort of condense highlights reel to see the difference back to back.
SAKA AND EMILE SMITH-ROWEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
Ødegaard or Partey for MOTM.
Quite a dominant display from the team all round.
Top 4 is begin to loom on the horizon like a church steeple out of a mountain range.
3 points on Wednesday and we are almost unstoppable.
COYG!
3 points would be great, but offer me one right now and you’ll be wondering why there’s so much air where your hands used to be.
SSH!
Subtle shithousery.
😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
Let’s give credit to Mikel Arteta where’s due. He’s had his critics. But whatever the outcome this season, the improvement on and off the pitch, has been simply remarkable. Arteta is a very young manager and he’s learning his trade with this group of players. Sometimes, I get a feeling of him being hard headed and arrogant, but in all honesty, his bigger decisions he’s taken has only benefitted the team. Well done Mikel – from a Maltese Gooner… BTW Andrew and James… well done for the Arsecasts. They follow me everywhered these days… COYG
The only thing people seem to debate about is who was better, Partey or Ödegaard. The rest was good but they were immense.
Also great to know that when Saka isn’t at his sharpest, we can still score goals.
https://c.tenor.com/OSIlQCzN-vEAAAAC/semi-pro-forth-place.gif
This team is showing that the incoming signings will have a huge impact on if we can get onto the next level.
Many good performances but more impressed by the calmness and maturity in the team.
Back in the day, when anyone dared criticise Arsenal players I would defend them to the hilt. Over the last 5-6 years it became hard to defend players like Mustafi, Luiz, Willian etc. But I will go all William Wallace for my boys Emile, Bakayo, Ben(jamin) and so and so on. I love these guys!
Well. Emile, Bakayo and Benjamin arnt those players that almost any club would take in an instant? 😀
Apparently he prefers to be called Jamin, he said on arsenalTV that he doesn’t like bring called Ben or Benjamin.
Well, he was certainly Jammin’ today!
Picking up the earlier word-crushing thread…
We could call him Whitamin… or even, after yesterday’s double-footed, split-action tackle, Multi-Whitamin!
I’m falling in love with Arsenal again 💓
Please don’t go breaking my heart like the 07/08 team
The main difference for me as an overseas fan is that I see all my Arsenal mates in the pub being happy and confident with the team. And for a good reason!
This team is destined for greatness! COYG!!!
Off topice but watching Arsene on TV referring to Arsenal as “we” brought a tear to my eye.
Any link to that?
https://mobile.twitter.com/beINSPORTS_EN/status/1502997964347871237
Odegaard, Ramsdale, Thomas were absolutely brilliant today. More importantly, they’ve started to entertain and create chances as a team, so credit to them & the manager.
P.S. I’d like to see Laca stay as a squad player next season.
I thought Tierney was very good today. Probably 7.5 I guess — a notch higher than Blogs has him. He was aggressive, worked hard all game, and looked to make things happen. I liked that time in the second half where he faked outside and stepped inside and drove into the box. I wonder if Mikel urged him to do things like that — be a little less predictable?
Defs looked like he was getting some of his old fire back.
100% I also felt today we played a slightly balanced game, used both wings which saw Martinelli working some of his magic. I prefer this kind of setup with both wings given enough focus it gives us the chance to be unpredictable and keep both opposite team’s wingbacks honest. Which we will need to do with Liverpool as their source for goals is from their wing backs, pressure on them limits their threat
Odegaard and saka are building a special relationship! Love it.
And my man TP5! What a performance thats was. He bossed the midfield. Scored a goal. Assisted the penalty.
Need a mancity performance again against the scousers.
Or even the 10 man scouse perfomance against the Scousers!
Great day
Team fills me with so much Joy. I still think an upgrade to Xhaxa takes this team to another leveI BUT nothing at the moment puts more of a smile on my face whenever i see Xhaxa high up the pitch.
We must go in for Declan Rice – just watched the Villa game highlights… he’s proper!
And he’s already got a legendary surname.
He was destined for Chelsea in the summer but with the current sanctions situation and sale of the club….who knows?
Never mind him going there, we’ll end up stealing Kante in the fire-sale!
My only frustration is I think we needed to rest some players once we were at 2-0 so we are ready and rested for Wednesday. Not to mention I find it frustrating that ESR leads us in scoring but gets garbage-time minutes, I can only imagine he’s becoming frustrated and it may become a problem at some point. Same with Pepe, he has shown great perseverance and his reward is what, 6 minutes? Especially when the result was secure, I think they both should have had more time.
Watching this match got me thinking, I was watching the utd spurs match yesterday to see the result and it occurred that there’s not one utd player I would swap for from the 2 sides starting 11s. Ronaldo scores more than laca but sends his sides haywire tactically with his refusal to press. Same from spurs, Son and Kane (reluctantly) are the only players I concede are better than our positions, and martinelli and saka have so much potential I wouldn’t shift them for any money anyway.
I’d have Cavani, Ronaldo, Varane, De Gea and Sancho in a heartbeat.
I’d take cavani but he doesn’t always start so I didn’t list him. I wouldn’t take any of the others.
If you asked me beforehand to pick two players to get goals to really restore confidence and push on through the end of the season, I would have picked Laca and Partey. I think not just the win but the goals scored today will have a bigger impact on the rest of our season than we yet realize.
The feeling that Lacazette would never score again and the feeling that Arsenal would never be given another penalty could only cancel each other out by Lacazette scoring a penalty. Mission accomplished!
True – it’s that Fate-bending, double-whammy, Lady-Luck-squared-to-the-power-of-6 thing!
The feeling that Lacazette would never score again and the feeling that Arsenal would never be given another penalty could only cancel each other out by Lacazette scoring a penalty. Mission accomplished!
Ødegaard was a monster out there today. Good movement, sublime passing and worked his socks off deffensively. A definate 9,5 in my book. Five down, 12 more to go. F’in love this team.
Schmeichel is six feet off his line when Lacas foot strikes the ball for the penalty but he goes on complaining to the ref as if Laca did something wrong. Calm down Kasper. Your team’s toward the bottom and you’re a bit of a twat.
Saka and Martin O again brilliant. What a team we have right now. And credit to Arteta!
Steady on, most keepers are experts at trying to get non calls to go their way. I think calling schmeichel a twat is uncalled for personally, he’s a good keeper and we all cheer plenty loud when Ramsdale wastes 5 minutes for us, myself included.
Yes, Schmeichel was off his line when the kick was taken. No, it was never a pen and Yes, Laca is allowed to pause his run up as long as he doesn’t feint the actual kick
Feels good to be a gunner at the moment. I thought partey had his best game for us. Bravo! But odegaard is turning out to be a bargain for us. Next test now is to stop Liverpool, a draw would be great but a win is super possible too.
Is it me or have you been updating your caricatures one per week? Subtle face shapes, more representative haircuts?
Some superb spans of play today. …we retained the ball really well but also those quick exchange of passes dividend from Arteta needing less to rotate the team since we are out of all other major competitions bar ‘top 4’ 1) Ramsdale – Mentioned we should grab him last season. He’s been a superb addition for us, a vocal interactive player with passion as our last line of defense but one also always looking to play us forward quicker. Superb reaction save to deny Maddison’s header and Brenan Rogers (satisfying enough). Future captain material. 2) Cedric – Getting better with… Read more »
A pleasure to watch and some excellent performances but worried about Cedric and Xhaka against Liverpool, neither, in my opinion, are good enough.
Ode works so hard with a constant positive attitude and that’s the difference with Ozil. The only thing that he should reign in is the tracking down in and around our own box. Gave a penalty against Utd and nearly gave another one away a couple of weeks ago.
Where will esr get a game?Marinelli surely nailed the wide spot,could he play in Granit’s spot he’s got the energy otherwise what?????? the only minus yesterday was the amount of pocession Leicester had some 54% if that happens wednesday we’ll get beat.is 3rd an option yes know 1 game at a time.
I have had trouble opening player ratings for the last two games
Thoroughly merited win but it was never a penalty so ‘tough tittie’ Leicester and their sledging custodian whose almost as irritating as his father. Just sad that I wasn’t able to see Vardy’s sad little ‘shaved whippet’ face at the end. I think we need to turn down the ‘watching Odegaard can increase a mammal’s sperm count’ hyperbole a tad. Yes he was particularly good today and has been a positive for most of the season but it’s f*cking Leicester peeps.
You must be fun at parties