Arsenal 2 - 1 Leicester

So raise your fist
One more assist
Ozil!
(to the tune of "Brazil")

Most of Mesut's corners and free kicks were very well taken, and he deserved that.  The goals came from the unlikeliest of offensive players, two guys who didn't even start, but they sure needed the validation.  Where to start?

Martin Atkinson did his best to make himself the star of this game.  I hate that.  Granted, it was a difficult game to manage.  Both teams were flying into challenges and there were big collisions all over the pitch.  The ball moved rapidly and possession changed very quickly.  Atkinson let almost everything go, including an obvious Leicester handball in the box and Morgan draping himself over Ozil to keep him from receiving a forward pass, starting a move that had Koscielny injuring himself (getting a yellow in the process) and a continuation in which Vardy bought himself a very questionable penalty kick (well taken for 1-0) against Monreal just inside the box.  Apparently, Atkinson decided to call things in the seconds between the foul on Ozil and Kos's failed slide tackle.  He continued in that vein after the half, brandishing his yellow card and quickly sending off Simpson.  His final decision, shortly after taking an obvious corner away from us, was to award the (deserved) free kick that won us the game.  I'm surprised he didn't take a lap around the field afterwards with his arms raised.

Both sets of players were magnificent, I thought.  Leicester is better than they showed the last time we played.  It was a sparkling performance, with chances at both ends, and I wonder what would have happened had Atkinson not involved himself so deeply in the outcome.  We'll never know, and considering the result, that's OK with me.  I thought we were a little better than Leicester for most of the first half.  There was a frantic few seconds in which Schmeichel came way out to deny Ramsey the ball in space, and the rebound got to Vardy who could not beat Cech with a superb header.  Thrilling.  But mostly, the defenses were better than the attackers.  The game obviously changed after the red card, with Leicester trying to hold onto the three points that would have taken them clear top by eight.  But they started flagging under the relentless pressure.  Walcott came in for Coquelin and this paid off soon after, as Giroud (who was excellent on the day) headed to him for a smart finish.  (Frankly, I thought our finishing on the day was pretty bad--Alexis, Walcott, and especially Ramsey blew chance after chance, some of them really good ones.)  It looked like a draw was fated, one that I would not have thought unfair, until the 80th minute substitute Welbeck got the merest touch on Ozil's free kick to send the Emirates into delirium.

Strange game, thanks to Atkinson, but a just result, and it makes for a very interesting race.  The Foxes have no reason to doubt themselves; they were very very good.  But all the others near the top have to feel they can overtake them.  Eight points provides breathing space; two points means one bad result and you're no longer leading the league.  Pressure.

Mark Clattenburg was not about to let Martin Atkinson hog the spotlight.  He awarded Spuds a PK for a clean block of a cross just inside the corner of the box.  Disgraceful.  Replays showed the ball hit a leaping Sterling's back, with perhaps a faint brush of his upper arm.  No way should that ever be a handball.  Harry "Open Mouth" Kane hit it straight up the middle to make Joe Hart look like a dunce.  City fought back and got a nice goal (Clichy assist!) but got sucker-punched on a fine counter as Lamela assisted Erickson.  City had their chances to equalize again but couldn't.

So, Arsenal is in 3rd again on goal difference, just two behind the leaders and four above Man City.  Crucially, we're also ten above fifth-place Manchester United, the most likely chaser to nick a Champion's League spot.  The team has set themselves up nicely.  Alexis is almost 100%, Coquelin is getting there, Welbeck is fit, And Cazorla and Wilshere are just weeks away from playing again.  Gabriel has a hamstring issue and Kos hurt himself today (don't know how seriously), which isn't ideal, but we have lots of cover on defense these days.  Heck, Monreal has played CB and Gibbs needs a run-in.  Chambers did very well today after he replaced Kos.

In other football news of interest to me, Juventus beat Napoli yesterday on a late goal to go first in Serie A.  They had a horrible start to the campaign and have been chasing Napoli all season, passing one team after another in their 14-game win streak, and now look as though they'll win their fifth scudetto in a row.  I support, in order of preference, Juve, Roma (who won Friday in dramatic fashion), and Fiorentina in Italy, and they're currently 1st, 3rd, and 4th.  My goal is to see Arsenal beat Juventus in a Champions' league final.  Could happen this year!

Okay, back to the Gunners.  They'll want to beat Hull in the FA Cup, of course, and should feel good heading into the Barca game.  Let's hope they're on a roll when they resume league play.

Good weekend!