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| Alexis Sanchez had gone eight games without a goal before Saturday's hat-trick |
THEO WALCOTT says Alexis Sanchez hitting the net again is a red hot Chile pep-up for Arsenal
The £30m star bagged 26 for the Gunners last season but had gone eight games without a goal until Saturday’s hat-trick.
Walcott reckons the Chilean’s return to goalscoring form is bad news for Premier League defenders.
“I am sure he will flourish now,” he said.
“There is a lot of expectation on him because of the fee and just because of who he is.
“But he is not fazed by anything. He doesn’t put pressure on himself. He is a very chilled, relaxed man, who always plays with a smile on his face.”
Sanchez had good reason to grin as he helped Arsenal turn things around after going behind to Jamie Vardy’s classy 13th minute strike.
Shortly before Vardy had rattled Arsenal’s post and minutes after his goal he smacked a header against the bar. Ironically, that was the turning point.
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| Theo Walcott scored Arsenal's first goal of the afternoon |
Arsenal broke away, Walcott levelled things up and Sanchez’s hat-trick then killed off Leicester before Olivier Giroud added a fifth.
Walcott said: “It could have been 12-8, it was that kind of game. Their goal woke us up. They hit the post and bar and scored, so it was vital we got that crucial first goal.”
What a feast of a game it was with 42 chances all told.
Gunners boss Arsene Wenger believes the title race has just got a whole lot more interesting - and that was before he’d watched Chelsea stumble at Newcastle on the way home.
Wenger said: “Two weeks ago, you could say one team were going to run away with it and now it’s tight again.
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| Jamie Vardy continued his impressive form with two goals for Leicester in the defeat |
“I was really concerned, even more so going 1-0 down, because they are a real threat going forward.”
Foxes boss Claudio Ranieri saw his side’s unbeaten record put to the sword by a side, he believes, could emerge as champions this season.
Ranieri said: “We didn’t make mistakes, it was just big quality from them.
“I can say this for definite - I think they are built to win the title. You also need a little luck but their players and the whole squad is very good.”
Wenger must have afforded himself a wry smile on the Gunners’ team bus as he watched Chelsea come a cropper.
He dismissed Jose Mourinho’s latest attempts to wind him up by sniping that he got special treatment from football’s authorities.
Wenger laughed when he was asked if he knew he was the manager Mourinho claims gets away with everything?
No, I didn’t realise that, I must say,’ he said. “30 years in football now, and I know that what is important is to play football well.”
Leicester (4-1-3-2): Schmeichel 5; De Laet 6, Morgan 6, Huth 7, Schlupp 6; Drinkwater 7 (Kramaric 78); Mahrez 6, Kante 6, Albrighton 6 (Ulloa 64, 5); Okazaki 6 (King 46, 6), VARDY 8. Subs: Schwarzer, Simpson, Inler, Dodoo. Next up: Norwich (a), Premier League, Saturday.
Arsenal (4-2-3-1): Cech 7; Bellerin 7, Mertesacker 7, Koscielny 7, Monreal 7; Flamini 6 (Arteta 20, 7), Ramsey 7 (Oxlade-Chamberlain 76); Ozil 8, Cazorla 8, Sanchez 9; Walcott 8 (Giroud 80). Subs: Ospina, Debuchy, Gibbs, Chambers. Next up: Olympiakos (h), Champions League, tomorrow.
Referee: Craig Pawson.
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