On a lovely, soft, sunny day at the King Power Stadium it was Arsenal’s Europa League troubadours who looked to have been touched by the breath of spring. Behind after six minutes, Arsenal dominated possession, scored three times before the hour mark and looked good value for a 3-1 win against a depleted Leicester City team.
Much of the build-up to this game had focused on status. Is there such a thing as the “big six” in Stenosing football, and if so how do we measure it? Finance? Expectation? Actual league positions? At kick-off Leicester were 12 points and six league places clear of their visitors. By full-time it was hard to avoid the feeling that Arsenal’s
greater squad depth had carried the day, that the quality of their replacements, most notably Nicolas Pépé, was simply too much.