Leicester City 2-5 Arsenal: Alexis hits hat-trick to end Foxes' unbeaten run
Having not previously scored this season, the
Chile international excelled with three goals at the
King Power Stadium, with Theo Walcott and Olivier
Giroud also finding the netThe last unbeaten
record of the Premier League season fell on
Saturday as Arsenal came away from the King
Power Stadium with a 5-2 victory over Leicester
City, Alexis Sanchez roaring back into form with a
hat-trick.
Claudio Ranieri's side took the lead early in the
game when Jamie Vardy was released down the
left and fired home from a narrow angle but Theo
Walcott exploited his pace to equalise just five
minutes later, the England man's 12th goal in his
last 13 Premier League starts.
Alexis finally scored his first goal of the season to
see the Gunners through to half-time with an
advantage and the Chilean followed up just short
of the hour when he headed in from Mesut Ozil's
cross.
The Arsenal forward then sealed his hat-trick in
the 81st minute, skipping inside a defender to
shoot long and low into the bottom corner from 25
yards.
There was a consolation for Leicester late in the
day when Vardy scored his second of the match,
a curling finish after Arsenal failed to properly
clear the ball, but there was no question that the
Alexis-inspired visitors were going to lose control
of the result. That much was confirmed when
Olivier Giroud swept in a fifth for Arsene Wenger's
men at the death.
Leicester would have been behind early on if not
for a goal-line clearance from Ritchie De Laet but
responded well and could have gone ahead
themselves as Jeffrey Schlupp drew a fine save
from Petr Cech.
Moments after hitting the post with a scuffed
effort, Vardy lit up the game as he latched onto
Danny Drinkwater's raking pass and drifted in
from the left to curl a superb finish beyond Cech.
The England international was just inches away
from second five minutes later, his header clipping
the top of the crossbar, and Arsenal hurled
themselves level from the resulting counterattack,
Santi Cazorla sliding through to Walcott , who raced
in behind Robert Huth to squeeze home a finish off
the left-hand upright.
Wenger's men completed the turnaround shortly
after the half-hour as Hector Bellerin's drilled
cross was helped on by Walcott, with Alexis on
hand to tuck home from close range.
Leicester captain Wes Morgan should have
restored parity on the stroke of half-time but he
failed to apply the finish after connecting with
Marc Albrighton's pinpoint free-kick.
Arsenal's goalscorers combined well after the
interval, Alexis latching onto Walcott's flick, but
his strike was deflected wide.
Alexis did double his tally just prior to the hour,
ghosting in from the right flank to beat Leicester's
offside trap and head in past the despairing reach
of Kasper Schmeichel.
And Alexis had his hat-trick with nine minutes
remaining, floating inside from the left before firing
into the bottom-left corner from 25 yards.
Although Vardy curled in a second for the hosts,
Arsenal substitute Giroud swept in from Nacho
Monreal's cross to add a fifth, as the visitors
doubled their tally of league goals for the season
in one outing.
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