Leicester City vs Arsenal – you knew this was going to be one of those end-to-end games, which you just cannot take your eyes off. The two teams certainly did not disappoint. Leicester gave it as good as they got, but when you play attack vs attack football, there is no more difficult team to beat than Arsenal, and so it proved to be as Arsene Wenger's men picked up an as entertaining-as-they-come 5-2 win, led by a hat-trick from the irrepressible Alexis Sanchez.
With Manchester City losing the early game to Tottenham, the pressure was on Arsenal to close gap and it did not look like they were handling that pressure too well, as Jamie Vardy, who hit the post before and after his goal, scored the opener for Leicester. It was a well-deserved one too for the home side, with Vardy running onto a brilliant long ball, before curling in an equally brilliant shot past Petr Cech.
Arsenal, though, obviously relishing such a clash against a team who like to play football the way it should be played, did not drop their heads and soon enough the match was level courtesy a perfect centre-forward's strike by Theo Walcott.
This was one of those games which Walcott revelled in and showed that he can actually be that centre-forward Arsenal are looking for. A run in behind and he was clear and all that needed was an astute finish, with Walcott doing that with aplomb, striking one with his left foot, which went in off the inside of the post.
Arsenal were not done, as the away side went into the lead, with Alexis Sanchez grabbing his first goal. What a goal it was too – it had everything, neat passing, a sumptuous flick, a low cross, an accomplished centre-forward's run – yes, Walcott – and a simple finish in the end.
Ozil was the creator of the goal, producing an only-Ozil-can-do-that flick to set Hector Bellerin free on the right. The Arsenal right-back sent in a low cross, with Walcott's run forcing Ricky De Laet to act as cover, leaving Sanchez, free at the far post, to tap-in.
With the tail well up for Arsenal, Wenger's men came out in confident mood in the second half and another moment of magic from Ozil gave Sanchez his second goal. Sanchez played the ball to Ozil at the edge of the box, who then waited for Alexis to continue his run before providing a ridiculous lofted pass for the Chilean to head over Kasper Schmeichel.
With the game pretty much done by that goal – there was no way Leicester was going to produce a third consecutive two-goals-behind comeback were they – Sanchez complete his hat-trick, and this one was all him. A nice bit of play to keep possession and a quick snapshot saw the ball zoom low past Schmeichel who had no chance at the near post.
Jamie what-a-good-player-he-is Vardy curled in another to make it 4-2 in the 88th minute, but it was all little too late for Leicester, with the Gunners adding a fifth in stoppage time as substitute Olivier Giroud provided a deft finish off a Nacho Monreal cross.
