Ninth against tenth in the table, this match would be an excellent barometer of our progress. After three disappointing defeats at the beginning of the season, we had not lost in our subsequent six games but every one of these six games was against a small club that never wins trophies or hasn’t done so for decades. This was a match against another competitor for the top six. A true test of our mettle.

Despite rumours of infection in the Arsenal camp, Mikel Arteta started the same XI that started like a whirlwind against Villa: Ramsdale; Tomiyasu, White, Gabriel, Tavares; Sambi, Partey; Saka, Lacazette, ESR; Aubameyang. 

Before the kick-off, wreaths were laid at the edge of the pitch by both coaches to commemorate the fallen in the world’s wars. The King Power Stadium appeared to be spectacularly bedecked with giant red poppies against a white background as fans held up white, black and red cards whilst a bugler played the last post and falling poppies appeared on the giant screens. A very impressive tribute.

Within a minute Arsenal made a declaration of intent. From a high throw in on the right, won as a result of Aubamyang’s high press on Soyunko near the touchline, Saka ran with the ball into the Lesta box, played a one-two with Laca and played a dangerous ball across the 6-yard box which was accidentally touched towards goal by Amartey but stopped on the line by a desperate Schmeichel. Just a minute or so later, White strode confidently through Lesta’s midfield after the ball broke loose from a coming together between Sambi and Soumaré and laid the ball off to Aubameyang on his left. Auba ran directly towards the box but his cross was blocked for a corner. ESR’s dangerous inswinger was cleared by Vardy for a corner on the other side.

Saka’s corner from the right was met by Gabriel towards the front post and his glancing header flew past Schmeichel, into the far side of the net . 

0-1 Gabriel, 5 mins

Shortly after the restart, Auba ran through on the left but his firm shot towards Schmeichel’s near post was blocked by the keeper. 

Once again, we had a fluid front four with Auba largely playing up the middle, Laca patrolling across the field behind him, showing his strength in possession and linking well with runners on both flanks. ESR was drifting left to combine with Tavares whilst Saka and Tomiyasu probed on the right. When Lesta attacks broke down, we played the ball out of defence confidently evading Lesta’s press with ease and moved the ball swiftly through midfield. The Arsenal fans were in fine voice whilst the home crowd was very quiet, apart from frequent disappointed groans. Quite like the good old days!

In the tenth minute, after a nice run, slip and pull back by Saka, Partey fired a 20 yarder towards goal but it was saved by Schmeichel. At least it was on target. Thomas’ aim is definitely improving.

Lesta’s first threat ony came after ten minutes when Maddison went down under White’s challenge outside our box but he fired the centrally-positioned free kick from 20 yards into the wall and punted the rebound straight to Ramsdale.

Arsenal were moving the ball quickly and confidently through midfield with excellent one touch interplay involving Partey, Sambi, Tomiyasu and Tavares. A very different looking midfield to the lumbering and laborious machine we have had to put up with in recent times.

In this period of the game, when Lesta won possession Arsenal generally regained the ball swiftly. From one such moment, Tavares received the ball inside our half, went on a run past two Lesta players, shaped to shoot on the edge of their box then laid it off to Lacazette on his right. Lacazette’s first touch pass across the box to Aubameyang near the far post was cut out by Evans and turned away for Arsenal’s fourth corner in the first 15 minutes. Arsenal were keeping Lesta penned back and Partey and Sambi were interchanging and recycling the ball smoothly and swiftly. When one Lesta foray broke down, Partey found Saka on the right running into the Lesta half. Saka squared to Lacazette at the edge of the box who moved right to make space for a shot but was tackled. The ball broke fortunately for ESR to fire it into the net from 18 yards. Lesta players looked as shell shocked as Villa’s players did last week.

0-2 ESR, 18 mins

It was only after 20 minutes of total Arsenal control and 60% possession that the Foxes had any prolonged period of possession but they failed to threaten the Arsenal goal. On the other hand, Arsenal’s high press was bothering the Lesta defence and midfield, rendering service to their forwards virtually non-existent much to the locals’ annoyance. However, after the halfway point of the first half, the opposition appeared to win more time and space on the ball and attempted some clever through balls in behind our defenders. However, these were confidently mopped up as a growing understanding between White and Gabriel was repeatedly displayed. 

Worryingly, after 21 minutes after a through ball from Lesta had rolled harmlessly through to Ramsdale, Gabriel went down in our box with no one around him. It appeared to be a right knee problem but happily he managed to carry on after treatment with the 21^st century equivalent of the magic sponge.

Once again Ramsdale’s distribution of the ball from feet was impressive but as a result of a solitary misdirected effort the keeper had to leap at full length to turn a long range shot from Iheanacho round his right post. As Lesta began to be more assertive, Tomiyasu then made a vital interception to a through ball on the edge of our box as Vardy or some other rat faced varmint lurked .

From the half-hour mark Lesta pressed us back but our defensive shape of 4-4-2 worked well to confound them with lively interceptions and firm challenges and blocks protecting our goal and setting up counter attacks whilst Tavares and Tomiyasu were prominent in turning defence into attack and Sambi and Partey moved smothly and swiftly through the gears.

Our back four then sat deep with the midfield four patrolling in front of them and Lacazette and Aubameyang harassing opposition players recycling the ball just inside our half. Arsenal’s defensive organisation ensured that there was no space behind their back four for Vardy to run onto a through ball in his usual manner.

On 41 minutes as Lesta continued to dominate possession and kept up the pressure, Maddison went down on the edge of our D after challenging for a high ball with White. As Maddison lined up the free-kick one could see that the low winter sun was shining straight into Ramsdale’s eyes. The lad could have done with a traditional goalkeeeper’s cap (Christmas present from Bob?). Despite that, Ramsdale pulled off a world-class save, pushing up onto the bar Maddison’s curling shot to the side of the goal furthest from the keeper. Ramsdale then jumped up to block Evans’ close-range strike on the rebound from near his left post. The ball rebounded from the post to strike Ramsdale’s knee and spin along the goal-line to be cleared by Gabriel. Our keeper had earned that slice of luck. Top class goalkeeping! Apparently Peter Schmeichel tweeted that it was one of the best saves he had seen in many years.

The half ended with Lesta desperately pushing for the goal that would get them back into the game.

HT Lesta 0 – 2 Arsenal

A fine first half performance by the Arsenal, once again starting the match like a rocket and taking a deserved 2-0 lead but thanks to two fine saves by Ramsdale avoiding being hauled back to 2-2. Could we build on that first half and take all three points?

Lesta brought on Barnes and Lookman for Amartey and Iheanacho at the beginning of the second half converting to a 4-3-3 pushing Vardy through the middle with the subs on either side and hoping to challenge Arsenal with more pace and more width much as Villa had attempted, not without some success, to change the balance of our game against them last week.

In the early knockings of the second half, a brisk move through our midfield gears forced Lesta into a last-ditch tackle on ESR sprinting into their box suggesting that Arsenal were still prepared to play on the front foot. However, the Foxes then dominated possession and kept probing at our defensive lines and pushing balls through for Vardy. Barnes began to make some dangerous runs down our right flank. Lesta’s Thomas found himself free on the ball inside our box but his low shot flew past Ramsdale’s left post. Seconds later Gabriel had to clear a cut back from Lookman towards Vardy.

At 57 minutes, Lacazette was replaced by Ødegaard. Could the Norwegian match the Frenchman’s exemplary work rate both with and without the ball? Yes, he could.

A backheel from Vardy found Lookman running into the left side of our box but Ramsdale spread himself and blocked the firm drive at his near post when a goal looked on. 

At 59 minutes, your correspondent felt a Lesta goal was coming and promptly thereafter Tielemans’ shot from their right was turned for a corner.  As Ramsdale went up for a high cross, Evans came in and kicked out at the keeper, annoying the Arsenal custodian. Nasty! Promptly thereafter Ramsdale had to dive at the feet of Barnes, rushing into the six-yard box with a chance to score. It was all Lesta as the hour came up.

A period of nice interplay on our right gave our defenders some time to draw breath and seemed an early sign of Arsenal asserting themselves offensively again. It ended in Ødegaard’s heels being clipped but the free kick came to naught.

Yet we were to be treated to a further spell of excellent Arsenal defending and goalkeeping. A Vardy header from a Tielemans cross flashed wide but Arsenal began to assert themselves again. Evans wrestled Aubameyang to the ground as he turned onto a long through ball as the Arsenal defence cleared their lines. Was that a DOGSO? Not according to the VAR team. Then a Saka free kick to Aubameyang wide on the right was directed across the box just over Partey’s head and cleared for a corner. That corner resulted in a goal line clearance from an Aubameyang shot at the far post. Saka then had an attempt deflected wide as it became clear that Arsenal had weathered the Foxes’ storm unscathed. By the 70^th minute, Arsenal had rediscovered their attacking drive but Saka’s attempt to curl the ball into the top corner went well wide.  For a spell Arsenal were camped on the edge of the Lesta box.

In a final attempt to change the course of the game Rogers sent Daka on for Maddison in the 71^st minute. A speculative Tielemans cross was met by Barnes’ head in the centre of our box but though it beat Ramsdale, it drifted wide of the far post. Vardy was then booked for stamping on White as they clashed in the Arsenal box.

With 15 minutes left it seemed likely that the sting had largely been taken out of Lesta’s revival and Arsenal rediscovered their slick ‘pass and move’ style. At 77 minutes the cry of “49, 49 undefeated” rang around the King Power Stadium. Yet some work was still required to secure the victory. Somehow, Barnes got behind Tomiyasu, goal-side in the six-yard box onto a ball from Vardy but Ramsdale blocked his near post shot.

Lesta kept pushing forward, drawing clearances, firm challenges and brave blocks from Arsenal defenders who hunted in packs to close down ball-carriers. Pépé replaced Saka with 6 minutes left and in the game’s dying minutes Arsenal rediscovered their high press as Lesta ‘s momentum faltered. On 89 minutes ESR was replaced by Kolasinac. In Oliver’s 5 added minutes Arsenal saw the game out by playing some lovely passing moves and one touch football around midfield without threatening the Lesta goal or letting Lesta threaten ours. 

“We all follow the Arsenal over land and sea….and Lesta” rang out as the game reached its final minute.

FT: Lesta 0-2 Arsenal

Seven games unbeaten in the PL. Fifth in the table at the final whistle, before the weekend’s other games are played. If the remaining matches provide the correct outcomes, we will still be fifth on Monday evening.

It was great to see Gabriel and Ramsdale bonding with the fans at the end. The keeper spotted a kid, perched on his dad’s shoulders, wearing an Arsenal goalkeeper’s kit. Ramsdale ran over, gave the boy his shirt, gave another boy his boots, gave someone else his gloves and then ran back to the tunnel in his stocking soles. The ungenerous fella kept his shorts on!

That was an outstanding performance by everyone in an Arsenal shirt and a superb result. On one hand, we saw, in possession, a slick, fleet-footed and incisive Arsenal attack and off the ball, playing a high press to stifle Lesta’s offensive options and regain possession swiftly. On the other hand, when Lesta threw everything at us to get back into the game, we saw a well organised, determined and stolid defence with all ten outfield players engaged and working their socks off and a superb keeper in top form. 

Above all we saw exactly why Mikel Arteta wanted the club to buy Aaron Ramsdale. Unquestionably, that victory required a supreme team effort but to my mind, there was one key ingredient. Aaron won us that game today and more than deserved his MotM award.

They all earned their money today, as my old mate Steve T observed.

Onward.

The Gaffer will be justifiably pleased at the result this evening. After making nine changes, the performance was always of secondary concern here. The goal tonight was, very simply, to get through the tie, while taking the least out of potential starters against Leicester this weekend.

Fortunately for the players who played tonight, the disappointment of their likely absence from the Leicester game was somewhat mitigated by the kind gesture of Leeds Utd, who played this evening’s match in Leicester kits. Nice touch.

For Arteta, who is sometimes accused of being too proscriptive in the way he choreographs his team, it must have been a supreme pleasure to see his most audaciously planned tactic yet bear fruition…

After having told the lads to keep it tight for the first half, he waited until ten minutes into the second half and a corner for his team, before giving old-school reggae DJ Ben ‘Jammin’ White the sneaky signal to pull up and feign an injury. This, as planned, meant that Leicester Leeds did not pay much attention to Calum Chambers as he came on to the pitch. Little did they know that, far from being a hasty substitute for a better player, he was the Boss’s secret attacking weapon.

Pepe, meanwhile, had gone to elaborate lengths to trick the opposition into thinking he was not dangerous enough to mark. Barely ten minutes had passed before he lost the ball by tripping over himself, so deeply had he gone into his method. His commitment was supreme, and they totally fell for his performance of ineptitude.

And thus, the stage was set.

ESR played in a good corner. True to form, our entire team treated the ball as though the young man had just smeared it in dogshit, keeping well away from it as it swung invitingly into the box. Pepe, however, pulled away smartly into space at the back post, and the genius of his performance up to that point could not have been clearer, as the Leeds defence summarily ignored him.

The Ivorian headed the ball into exactly the right space for someone to attack it. And, who would be there to finish a deviously scripted move straight from the playbook of our wily Spanish boss than Mr Deadly himself, Calum ’23 seconds’ Chambers? 

Now that’s what I call Artetaball!

Seriously, though, it was a pleasing result that we should not take for granted. But, beyond qualification for a quarter final, we didn’t gain much more, or learn much we did not know from tonight.

What we saw:

Leno is a good shot-stopper but flaps and punches at balls Ramsdale would catch. He is a good keeper but I don’t see him taking his spot back. He made a couple of smart stops tonight – exactly what I would expect from a good goalie, who is no longer the best at our club.

Elneny is a decent, honest pro. He ain’t great, though. AMN is a player with quality, but he doesn’t have the positional discipline to play CM against tougher opposition than we saw tonight. After a decent opening 15 minutes, a midfield of the pair of them struggled to impose itself on a decent Leeds outfit, but not a great one. Kalvin Phillips is a good player, mind – I’d love to see him next to Partey in our midfield, although I’ll not be holding my breath.

Kola is Kola. Nothing more to add, m’Lord.

Cedric whipped in a few excellent corners. And, from one of them, KOLA HEADED THE BALL AT THE GOAL!

It has been ages since we won a header from one of our own corners. We don’t usually even bother challenging for them. We seem to turn into a team of twitchers, binos at the ready as we relish in the sight of a Greater-Crested Inswinger in its natural habitat. It was a rare treat for us fans to see someone actually get their head on one.

Cedric also hit one corner out of play, and generally showed what most of the nine replacements did tonight, namely, that they aren’t pushing for a first team spot.

ESR worked hard and is becoming an on-field leader. He oozes class in everything he does. (Except when he kicks the ball past everyone on his team and off for a throw in. But then he looks so unconcerned and just gets on with it that the class factor seems to be straight back in play. Top lad.)

Pepe was frustrating. And then he got the assist for the breakthrough goal. Typical. A bit dodgy, but very effective. Less of the former, more of the latter, please (said every Gooner for the last three years!)

Eddie Nketiah was very quiet, but he scooped Sky’s MOTM award for scoring our second goal in a passage of play both sublime and ridiculous.

He raced on to a slightly short backwards header and, with a beautiful first touch, he lifted it over the keeper. As the goalie and defence ran back at him, he ran past them all and, with a second touch God would have been proud of, he controlled his lob in such a way that he took it straight towards goal from a tight angle. At that point he seemed to have used up all his quality touches, so he endured a nervous moment when he thought he had missed an absolute sitter after doing all the hard work. Fortunately for us all, despite shinning the ball woefully when it would have been better to, y’know, kick it with his foot, he breathed a sigh of relief as the ball trickled over the line to put the match beyond Leeds.

It was good to see him on the scoresheet, but personally I’d try to give Balogun more game time as I don’t think Eddie has a future at the club. However, he apparently works hard in training and has a good attitude. I respect him for that, and I respect Arteta for sticking to his guns about giving playing time to those that earn it, so I’m glad he took his chance tonight. And it is probably wise to show everyone in the squad very clearly that hard work and a good attitude are rewarded. Fair play to the Boss.

Gabi was a bit rusty, but it is hard to judge him when he had Kola and a quiet Eddie around him to link up with tonight. He showed some flashes of why he is a player that fans are so excited about, although he needs more game time to get back into the form he showed before the injury that kept him out for so long.

Generally speaking, the game was low on quality and not worth too much rehashing. We started well, Leeds came back into ascendancy and probably just about got the better of the first half. In the second half they began to tire, and we made the most of a couple of decent situations to stop the game becoming attritional and, instead, to hold them at arm’s length as we ran out comfortable winners.

One further observation is how the narrative around the club is swinging wildly at the moment, based on not much.

According to the caprices of the media and its inbred ‘social’ cousin: we were shit at the start of the season. Then we got better. Then we were great after the Spurs result. Yet, we were back to square one after Brighton, and worse after Palace.

Jamie Carragher has never been so full of praise for Arsenal as he was when discussing our performance against Villa on Friday. Yet, even then, he said multiple times how he thought that, if we had lost that game, the pressure would have been right back on Arteta after two draws.

Now, we are magically on an ‘eight match unbeaten run’ and everything is rosy again.

Until, inevitably, we get a disappointing result and people start losing their shit. The media narrative around our club is bonkers. It is almost like they don’t believe any of it, and simply string it out to get people to click on the crap they write.

What is great to see is that the people in this bar, and, it appears, the vast, vast majority of matchday fans, are not going in for this constant seesawing of opinion, and are instead settling in to see how this young team develops and grows together. Again tonight, it was possible, even through the telly, to hear the home support giving the team plenty to feed off. We are building more unity between the club and fans, something we have not had enough of in recent years, and the whole club is starting to come together around an exciting project.

However, on a night like tonight, I don’t think we need do more than applaud a committed effort from everyone involved, take the result, and get ready for the next one. Forwards!

Have a good one, holics.