Arsenal leapfrogged north London rivals Tottenham into fourth with an unconvincing 2-1 win over struggling Leicester at the Emirates Stadium.
Two goals in 14 first-half minutes gave Arsene Wenger's side a commanding lead, but it didn't tell the true story of a game in which Leicester were perhaps the better side but wasteful in front of goal.
The Foxes are bottom of the Premier League with good reason, so there was an unsurprising sense of déjà vu when Laurent Koscielny headed home Mesut Ozil's corner on 37 minutes, before Theo Walcott rifled an excellent second after Ozils's initial effort was parried by Mark Schwarzer.
Nigel Pearson has endured a difficult week in charge of the bottom side, but the Leicester manager's decision to plump for a 5-4-1 worked excellently against a disjointed Gunners team whose only real impressive performer on the night was Germany international Ozil.
Esteban Cambiasso and Riyad Mahrez were standout players for the visitors, but the latter was guilty of the profligacy that cost them dear.
Leicester rallied again after half-time and eventually halved the deficit through new boy Andrej Kramaric, but despite their continued pressure on David Ospina's goal, the Foxes' efforts fell short. With QPR winning away for the first time this season and Hull seeing off Aston Villa, this was a point Pearson's men – now five points adrift of safety – really could have done with gaining.
- Ozil has netted 3 goals and assisted 2 in his last 4 games in all competitions for Arsenal.
- Koscielny has bagged 3 goals in the Premier League for the Gunners this season, his best ever haul in the league.
- Arsenal have netted a league-high 14 goals from set-piece situations this season.
- The Foxes have conceded a joint-league-high 13 goals from set-pieces.
- Walcott has scored in 3 of his last 4 games for Arsenal (in all competitions).
- The England winger has also bagged 7 in his last 7 Premier League starts.
- Leicester have scored in 6 of their last 7 Premier League away games.
- Pearson has won just 4 of his 25 Premier League games in charge of Leicester.
- The Gunners have won the last 8 home Premier League matches against the Foxes in a run of 22 home matches in all competitions unbeaten (W16 D6 L0).
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