Thomas Partey and Alexandre Lacazette net either side of half-time to ensure Mikel Arteta's side ease to 2-0 victory against Leicester City. The win at Emirates Stadium has taken the Gunners back above Manchester United and into the fourth spot.
It was a night that saw Mikel Arteta's Arsenal reclaim the fourth spot in Premier League after a brilliant overall display by the Gunners sent a wave to celebration among fans at the Emirates Stadium. Goals from Thomas Partey and captain Alexander Lacazette, a brilliant save by Aaron Ramsdale, and creative moves from Martin Odegaard helped Arsenal register a 2-0 win against Leicester City. One fan among the thousands witnessing their home team deliver the goods was Bollywood superstar Ranveer Singh, who sent a strong message to other European clubs following this victory.
"Clinical performance from Arsenal. Professional. They always looked in control. They never looked like they were going to concede. Champions League, you better watch out. The Gunners are coming back, and they've got vengeance on their mind," said a jubilant Ranveer Singh after a progressive, attacking, and expressive Mikel Arteta team continued to advance boldly to seal their berth in Europe's elite football competition.
Watch: Ranveer Singh speaks to Arsenal TV after the 2-0 win against Leicester City
The opening goal was for the Gunners was prosaic in nature. Thomas Partey waited for Gabriel Martinelli's looping corner and was given free rein to head it in for only his second Arsenal goal. Ranveer Singh shared his views on the goal, "I honestly think Leicester were missing Youri Tielemans and Jamie Vardy. Those guys can be problematic. Today they didn't look like the Foxes had any bite, to be honest. Thomas Partey had three guys around him, not doing much to him at all. He had free time over there. He put it in, and that's what you get at home. You didn't have a chance against the Gunners."
Leicester would have equalised were it not for Aaron Ramsdale athletically punching away a Harvey Barnes header from Marc Albrighton's fine cross. Even Rodgers applauded the goalkeeper. Celebrating the Englishman's stunning save, Ranveer Singh remarked, "Can we please talk about Aaron Ramsdale. England's number one. Point blank. Mid-air, flying through the air. There would have been a different complexion of the game had he not done that."
Another piece of the VAR saw Arsenal extend their lead. It took five minutes to conclude that Partey's header touched Caglar Soyuncu's middle finger on the way to the goal line, from where Luke Thomas cleared it. The penalty was awarded, and Alexandre Lacazette converted it. "What about Laca, stepping up, big man with the armband, captain fantastic. Enters and walks in cool and calm, smashes it in. Nothing tentative about it. Slammed it to make it 2-0. That's when I felt secure. That's when I felt comfortable in that match," said an excited Ranveer Singh.
Martinelli continued to threaten, barrelling down the left and up along the byline to find Bukayo Saka, who couldn't convert with Leicester back in numbers. But the Foxes could not find anything resembling that kind of visceral attacking threat and could never remotely wrest back the game. "I think this Tierney and Gabriel Martinelli combination on the left can be lethal. I think if Arteta tries to sharpen that side, we can have this overlap happening between the both of them that can create a lot of problems," added the Bollywood star.
Liverpool's visit to the Emirates on Wednesday night will provide a better perspective on Arsenal's progress. The Bollywood actor, who has been vocal about his love for the north London club, shared his prediction. "I have this fantasy playing in my head. It's that time when Aaron Ramsdale decides to have the match of his life. He stopping, blocking, everything. He's running up to Salah's feet and taking the ball just off his feet. He's having the game of his life. Aaron Ramsdale - a towering personality - and he gets supercharged up when he achieves something. He's going to be pumping up all the players. That's going to be infectious."
"Gabriel and Ben White are going to get infected by Aaron Ramsdale, and they are going to stand up to and not let this potent Liverpool attack through at any given time. Then I don't know what happens. 88th minute the ball comes to Martin Oddegard's feet. The prophecy comes through. It's a little bit of a butter touch... who runs on to it... our boy Emile Smith Rowe - come on fresh in the 60th-70th minute. He's on to it, and he's clinical. and it's 1-0. That's 1-0 to Arsenal, and that belief goes sky rocketing," predicted an excited Ranveer Singh as fans around him roared 'Arsenal, Arsenal'.
With three games in hand over Manchester United, Arsenal is firmly embedded in the Champions League positions and in a form like this, they can reel in Chelsea. There are more grounds for concern for the London club that a Russian did get his hands on.