The loss of a game Leicester had led, against a weakened team with relatively little to play for, was bad enough. The loss of Harvey Barnes, stretchered off after injuring his knee when stretching, combined physical pain with potentially more damaging consequences.
“He needs an operation, probably a minimum of six weeks [out],” said manager Brendan Rodgers. “Unfortunately it is a bad one for him and huge blow for us.”
Barnes will miss games against both Manchester clubs, among others. Leicester will miss him. “He has been outstanding. We are down to the bare bones,” added Rodgers, who also saw Jonny Evans go off with a dead calf.
Barnes had been propelling Leicester’s Champions League charge. Without him, and with James Maddison already sidelined, they risk a sequel to last summer’s end-of-season nosedive out of the top four. If Arsenal can only envy their lofty league position, they nonetheless eviscerated them with their deputies.
“I am proud about the way we have won it,” said Mikel Arteta after Arsenal’s first away win over a side who kicked off in the top three since 2015. If only Arsenal had performed with such vibrancy in their awful autumn. If only, Leicester may think, the game ended after six minutes.
They led then. Granit Xhaka gave the ball away to Youri Tielemans and then laboured in pursuit of him as the Belgian powered forward and angled a shot past Bernd Leno.
But Arsenal responded, even amid reversed decisions. VAR interventions contrived to cancel each other out. Arsenal were first awarded a penalty and then stripped of it, referee Paul Tierney deeming Wilfred Ndidi’s challenge on Nicolas Pepe inside the box and VAR Michael Oliver taking the view it was just outside.
Some half an hour later, Arsenal could savour something of a role reversal. Tierney had not awarded a spot kick when Ndidi handled Pepe’s shot; upon being invited to watch the incident again, he changed his mind. Alexandre Lacazette slotted in the spot kick.
After scarcely creating anything all season, Willian ended up with three assists in four days. “He was really good,” Arteta added.
Willian’s free kick was met by a diving David Luiz, close friends combining for the equaliser. Luke Thomas’ inability to contain Pepe cost Leicester when the teenager conceded the free kick. Pepe’s dominance in their duel was complete when the booked Thomas was replaced at half-time.
Minus the hapless youngster, Pepe had a tap-in after his surging run was followed by a pass from Martin Odegaard, on for the injured Emile Smith Rowe, and Willian’s centre deflected off Tielemans.
It was a third goal in 14 minutes, either side of half-time, and it sealed a sixth home defeat of the season for Leicester.
“It is a disappointment for us,” added Rodgers, whose hold on a top-four place seems less secure now. “The one thing I can promise is we will do our very best.”
