Leicester’s nightmare week continues following 3-1 defeat against Arsenal

After being thrashed by Slavia Prague on their own patch in a two-legged tie, Leicester were well beaten by the Gunners at King Power Stadium on Sunday.

The latest loss would hurt more for the blue army as it comes just after crashing out of the Europa League. Talk of the beginning of a downward trajectory and the comparisons from the last season’s fallout are also emerging again.

Youri Tielemans, opened the scoring for the Foxes, the goal coming with the help of horrific defending by Pablo Mari and a good finish at the far corner. However, apart from that Arsenal dominated the match in the midfield, as well as on the wings. Nicolas Pepe was a continuous threat out wide, beating Luke Thomas numerous times. He succeeded in winning a penalty for a foul by Wilfred Ndidi, which was overturned by VAR due to being judged outside the box. This awarded the North London club a free kick, instead.

Meanwhile, the constant pressure piled upon Brendan Rodger’s men and 39th minute into the game, Arsenal scored through one such free kick, thanks to a David Luiz header. The lead was further shredded into pieces as Alexandre Lacazette rippled the net from the spot; Ndidi’s strangely outstretched arm stopped a shot from Pepe so VAR penalised the Nigerian International in the penalty box on this occasion.

The loss meant more than just the three points being dropped because Harvey Barnes went down in the opposition half at the start of second half holding his knee. The Leicester Mercury reported Brendan Rodgers comments after the frustrating afternoon:

"“It’s not good news. It looks like he [Barnes] will need an operation. He will be out for six weeks minimum.”– Brendan Rodgers"

Jonny Evans too was replaced by Daniel Amartey at centre-back and will be undergoing a scan for his calf problem.

Arsenal scored the third goal just after Barnes was stretchered off and ended Leicester’s hope for any kind of comeback. Later in the match, Leicester struggled to create any clear cut chances except the blatant opportunity which fell to Kelechi Iheanacho – who blazed his shot over the crossbar.

Leicester City never quits

With the injuries mounting including key players struggling with issues, positive vibes surrounding the KPS are scarce. However, the team has before displayed the “never give up” character, and Rodgers is eternally confident of a bounce back.

The next three fixtures comprise of teams who have their own struggles at the wrong end of the table. These clashes are perfect for the east Midlanders to prove that this was just a ‘blip’. The Foxes will be facing Burnley at Turf Moor on the upcoming Wednesday, in their continuous bid for a top four finish.