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24

2019 No Silva Lining For No Change For Arsenal In Norwich
Arsenal started life after
4th, Unai Emery with a 2-2 draw
December Everton As Leicester winless run extend to eight
at Norwich which saw their

games in all competitions.
Interim
boss
Freddie
| Keep Marching On Ljungberg insisted he would
try and put smiles on the faces
EXAMINER elechi Iheanacho’s stop- utes. nodded over and the Toffees of fans again, but could have left Carrow Road with a defeat had
the Canaries not wasted several opportunities in the second half.
enjoyed a solid start to the sec-
page-time strike contin-
Richarlison started and fin-
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s double three days after
IRISH Kued Leicester’s red-hot ished a sweeping move when ond half. Emery’s departure did little to lift the mood with this encounter,
form and piled more misery on
But Ricardo Pereira’s strong
he won the ball in midfield. It
highlighting the problems facing the club’s former midfielder in
run ended with Pickford saving
was worked to Sidibe on the
Everton boss Marco Silva.
The substitute scored his right and his fine cross was met his low effort and it was a their battle for a top-four finish.
Norwich manager Daniel Farke would have been proud of his
first Premier League goal since by Richarlison’s thumping warning for what was to come. side, but left with mixed emotions following an entertaining con-
September 2018 to give the header. Everton appeared comfort- test with VAR heavily involved.
Foxes a dramatic 2-1 win – It was just the fourth goal able, with Sidibe’s deliveries a Ljungberg made five changes to the team which lost to
their sixth straight victory. the Foxes had conceded at constant threat, only for the Eintracht Frankfurt on Thursday with Mesut Özil and Alexandre
The hosts faced an agoniz- home in the league this season Foxes to level after 68 minutes. Lacazette among those recalled.
ing wait before VAR gave the and they struggled to find their Substitute Iheanacho was Seemingly buoyed by the change, the Gunners dominated the
goal after the striker had initial- usual rhythm. played in on the right and his opening exchanges at Carrow Road and should have scored in
ly been flagged offside. Perez’s penalty appeals cross was tapped in by Vardy to the 10th minute, but Onel Hernandez denied Shkodran Mustafi a
Gutsy Everton had looked went ignored and Vardy got his make the visitors pay for failing goal on his first Premier League appearance of the season with a
on course to earn a point and acrobatic attempt all wrong to to find a second goal when on clearance off the line.
ease the pressure on head sum up Leicester’s first-half top. Joe Willock, Lacazette and Calum Chambers had already
coach Silva. frustrations. Former England striker wasted opportunities by this point and it felt like a matter of time
Richarlison gave the Toffees They only grew 10 minutes Vardy has now scored in six before Arsenal turned their superiority into reward, but it was the
a first-half lead before Jamie before the break when VAR straight games. hosts who struck against the run of play.
Vardy’s 13th goal of the season overruled a penalty given by On top, Leicester went in Hernandez won possession from Willock and found Kenny
leveled the tie. Graham Scott. search of a second and James McLean, who waited for Teemu Pukki to make a run and the
Leicester climbed back to Vardy tried to bundled his Maddison steered Vardy’s cross Finland striker duly delivered before his shot from 18 yards
second in the Premier League, way through only to be straight at Pickford. deflected in off Mustafi with 21 on the clock.
eight points adrift of runaway stopped and, when Mason The Foxes had the momen- Like under Ljungberg’s predecessor, it was poor defending
leaders Liverpool. Holgate’s loose touch allowed tum and former England strik- with Pukki allowed too much time to end his run of eight games
Everton now go to Anfield Ben Chilwell to nip in, the left- er Vardy should have added a without a goal for the Canaries.
for Wednesday’s derby with back went down after Holgate second with 15 minutes left but It did not take long for Arsenal to be handed the opportunity
Liverpool two points above the swung out a leg. headed over Pereira’s cross to equalize and at the second attempt Aubameyang did so in the
Premier League drop zone and Scott awarded the penalty from eight yards. 29th minute.
with Silva clinging on to his instantly but VAR showed Moise Kean’s audacious 25- Christoph Zimmermann handled Özil’s cross and although
job. there was no contact between yard effort then almost caught Tim Krul saved the first penalty kick, the encroachment of sever-
The Toffees will feel hard the pair and ruled it out. out Kasper Schmeichel before al players saw it retaken and after scoring the last of Emery’s era,
done by after battling perform- Leicester had only lost to the drama unfolded in stop- the Gunners captain netted the first of Ljungberg’s.
ance and Djibril Sidibe flashed Liverpool and Manchester page time. VAR once again was the center of attention and despite the
over early on. United this term but Everton, Iheanacho was sent clear Carrow Road faithful making their feelings known, Farke’s team
Ayoze Perez drilled wide far from being fragile, had and curled into the bottom cor- responded positively to conceding.
and the game was a slow burn- managed to keep Vardy quiet ner, only for the assistant refer- The impressive McLean could have received a red card for a
er until Everton, looking for in the first half. ee to flag him offside. high lunging tackle on Matteo Guendouzi on the stroke of half
their first top flight away win They grew in confidence But VAR showed he was time, but referee Paul Tierney only showed a yellow and it was
since March, silenced the King and Gylfi Sigurdsson saw a shot just onside to spark wild cele- Norwich who made the most of the time added on.
Power Stadium after 23 min- deflect wide before Richarlison brations. C In the second minute of stoppage time, McLean showed great
composure to pick out Hernandez – who was again allowed to
run at Arsenal’s defense – and he found academy graduate
Cantwell, who slotted into the corner for his fourth goal of the
term.
Ljungberg’s first half-time team talk saw the Gunners come
out with renewed purpose and they leveled after 57 minutes
when Aubameyang curled home, following Özil’s corner, for his
10th league strike this season.
The former midfielder would have expected his players to kick
on now, but like in the opening 45 they retreated after leveling
and Norwich squandered three huge chances in the space of four
minutes.
Firstly McLean raced through, but saw Bernd Leno produced
a wonderful save to deny him and then Cantwell fired wide from
inside the area before Pukki got in again and yet Arsenal’s num-
ber one stood tall to thwart him.
Second-from-bottom Norwich continued to ask questions and
Max Aarons had two late efforts saved as Ljungberg ended his
first match in charge watching his side clinging on for a point,
Kelechi Iheanacho produces what proves to be the decisive moment as he strikes the ball into the bottom-left cor-
ner. The goal stands after the VAR overturns the original decision of offsideball into the bottom-left corner which leaves them seven off Chelsea in fourth. C