Arsenal vs Leicester City - as it happened: Robert Huth own goal hands Gunners late victory
Re-live the action from the Emirates Stadium
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Your support makes all the difference.After emerging victorious in an attritional FA Cup semi-final against Manchester City on Sunday, Arsenal return to league action desperate to reduce the gap between themselves and the final Champions League spot. They currently sit in seventh, seven points adrift of Manchester City in fourth, but with a game in hand. Arsène Wenger still maintains Arsenal can finish in the top four, but only if they win all their remaining games.
Leicester’s European adventure concluded last week following a 2-1 aggregate loss to Atletico Madrid, and despite an upturn in form under Craig Shakespeare they remain only four points adrift of the last relegation place. However, the Foxes have two games in hand over their relegation rivals.
The Champions could jump as high as tenth with a victory tonight depending on other results, and will hope that Arsenal’s gruelling extra-time victory on Sunday will have an impact on the FA Cup finalists, given the short turnaround. However, they will be without both Wes Morgan and Islam Slimani through injury.
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What time does it start?
Arsenal vs Leicester kicks off at 19:45.
Where can I watch it?
The match will not be shown live. Highlights will be shown at 23:00 on Sky Sports 1.
It’s a big game for…
Rob Holding: A beneficiary of Wenger’s surprise switch to three central defenders, Holding produced a real coming-of-age performance at Wembley on Sunday. The 21-year-old defender has found it difficult to break into the starting XI after his summer move from Bolton, but could cement his position in the team with a string of assured performances.
Best stat…
Leicester haven’t beaten Arsenal in 20 Premier League games. Their only win came in the first ever Premier League encounter between the two in November 1994.
Remember when…
Arsenal were firmly in the hunt for their first Premier League title since 2003/04 after Danny Welbeck’s last-gasp header condemned surprise leaders Leicester to a 2-1 defeat in February 2016. After a long lay-off due to injury, Welbeck scored the winner after the allotted four minutes injury time was up.
Player to watch…
Jamie Vardy: After resisting a summer move to opponents Arsenal, Vardy failed to live up to his form last season. However, he has returned to form this calendar year under the stewardship of Shakespeare and has scored eight in his last 12 games in all competitions. He also scored three goals against Arsenal in the Premier League last season.
Past three-meetings…
Leicester 0 Arsenal 0, Premier League August 2016
Arsenal 2 Leicester 1, Premier League February 2016
Leicester 2 Arsenal 5, September 2015
Form guide…
Arsenal: LDWLWW
Leicester: WWLLDD
Odds…
Arsenal to win: 5/9
Leicester to win: 9/2
Draw: 7/2
(Odds provided by 888 Sport)
Good evening and welcome to The Independent's live coverage of tonight's Premier League fixtures. Three games to get stuck into this evening, with Arsenal hosting Leicester, Crystal Palace taking on London rivals Tottenham and Sunderland travelling to Middlesbrough in a battle of the bottom.
Kick-off times:
- Arsenal vs Leicester (7.45pm)
- Middlesbrough vs Sunderland (7.45pm)
- Crystal Palace vs Tottenham (8.00pm)
Team news to follow around 6.45pm so make sure to tune in as we bring you build-up, updates and goals from the three games.
Crystal Palace vs Tottenham
Spurs are set to continue their chase at the top of the table, despite losing 4-2 to Antonio Conte’s men in Sunday’s FA Cup semi-final clash.
Conversely, Palace will enter this midweek meeting brimming with confidence following their victory against Liverpool at the weekend. Sam Allardyce will be looking for his side to secure their survival in the top flight tonight, as three points tonight will rocket them up to ninth in the table.
The Eagles have just three wins from 15 fixtures against their London rivals, so the odds certainly stack in Pochettino's favour tonight.
Arsenal vs Leicester
Three points for The Gunners tonight will propel them to within four points of Manchester City, who currently sit in fourth and have Manchester United to face on Thursday. The pressure a top-four finish looms over the Emirates, but they will be quietly confident tonight following their FA Cup win against Guardiola's side on Sunday.
The appointment of Craig Shakespeare ignited form within The Foxes, who have won five of their last seven league matches. Leicester have secured four points from three away games under their new management, which is more than they managed in 13 games under Claudio Ranieri. With Vardy appearing to find his form, he should prove problematic for Arsenal tonight.
Middlesbrough vs Sunderland
The Premier League's bottom two clubs will be battling it out at the Riverside Stadium tonight, with more than just local bragging rights at stake. With the daunting prospect of relegation on the horizon for both clubs, the two sides will need maximum points from their remaining fixtures if they wish to stay in the top flight.
Victor Valdes is set to miss the action tonight due to a rib injury, with Brad Guzan stepping in as his replacement.
Panic for Palace
The Eagles are set to be without a handful of their key defenders tonight, including James Tomkins who suffered an ankle injury during Sunday’s win at Anfield.
A knee-ligament problem keeps Scott Dann out of action, which is awful timing when hosting a team of such attacking excellence.
Connor Wickham and Pape Souare will also be out of action due to injury.
The Spurs side remain is respectable shape, as they prepare for the return of Ben Davies and Danny Rose to the side.
With 20 goals and seven assists so far this season, the 21-year-old has certainly surpassed expectations and proved himself to be a pivotal element to the success of Spurs. However, talent like this does not go unnoticed and he will no doubt attract a lot of interest during the next transfer window.
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