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Leicester 1-3 Arsenal: 3 things learned as Willian puts on a show

By Megan Garbutt

Arsenal's Spanish manager Mikel Arteta (R) celebrates with Arsenal's Brazilian midfielder Willian (L) on the pitch after the English Premier League football match between Leicester City and Arsenal at King Power Stadium in Leicester, central England on February 28, 2021. - Arsenal won the game 3-1. (Photo by Rui Vieira / POOL / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or 'live' services. Online in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No video emulation. Social media in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No use in betting publications, games or single club/league/player publications. / (Photo by RUI VIEIRA/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
Arsenal's Spanish manager Mikel Arteta (R) celebrates with Arsenal's Brazilian midfielder Willian (L) on the pitch after the English Premier League football match between Leicester City and Arsenal at King Power Stadium in Leicester, central England on February 28, 2021. - Arsenal won the game 3-1. (Photo by Rui Vieira / POOL / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or 'live' services. Online in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No video emulation. Social media in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No use in betting publications, games or single club/league/player publications. / (Photo by RUI VIEIRA/POOL/AFP via Getty Images) /
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2. Pepe and Willian brilliance

Arsenal
Arsenal’s Nicolas Pepe scores their third goal during the English Premier League football match between Leicester City and Arsenal (Photo by MICHAEL REGAN/POOL/AFP via Getty Images) /

Arsenal’s confidence down the left-hand side is what is normally talked about in games, but today, the majority of the action took place down the right-hand side, with Nicholas Pepe playing with confidence.

The winger, who Arsenal signed for £72 million in the summer of 2019, has had a tough start to life in North London, especially trying to play up to the price that Arsenal paid for him, but this season he has had some incredible performances and has proved to Arteta that he deserves to start more regularly.

The Ivorian winger was able to punish Leicester left-back, 19-year old Luke Thomas, causing the youngster to foul Pepe repeatedly and give away free-kicks in dangerous areas, with one of them leading to Arsenal’s equaliser.

Both Willian and Pepe played with such freedom and charged forward with the ball into the final third with conviction.

Willian grabbed an assist and also created four chances while having a 94% pass accuracy, the joint highest on the pitch alongside teammate Emile Smith-Rowe who unfortunately had to be subbed off due to injury.

Since joining Arsenal from Chelsea in the summer, the Brazillian winger hasn’t produced any moments of magic, but today’s game certainly gave him the time to shine and that’s exactly what he did.

In his pre-match press conference, Arteta said Willian is “starting to produce,” so hopefully Arsenal fans can expect to see more from him in the future.

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