After their 4-0 hammering at Anfield, Arsenal might have been entitled to a hangover. Instead they produced a performance which made talk of a crisis look as ridiculous as the third place Leicester held before kick-off. All Arsene Wenger has to hope now is that history is about to repeat itself.
As the Arsenal manager celebrated an emphatic win and a first hat-trick for the club from Thierry Henry, his mind must have drifted to this day in 1997. That afternoon Leicester were beaten 21 at Highbury and Arsenal embarked on an 18-match unbeaten run which saw them recover from 13 points adrift to snatch the title from Manchester United.
Whether this side can claw back an eight-point gap will depend to a good degree on their ability to reproduce displays like this on their travels. Despite scoring six goals here and five at home against Newcastle, Manchester City and Charlton, Arsenal have managed only eight goals in total away from Highbury. Nine wins out of 10 at home contrasts with two away.
Wenger knows what is required to win the title. "Manchester United need to drop their level and we need to be consistent," he said. "We have to keep confident at home but away we must be more efficient. I believe it's more a confidence problem than an attitude problem when you look at the possession and the chances we create away. I'm confident we can redress it." Trips to Charlton, Leicester and Coventry should tell.
For the time being, though, Arsenal will savour the way they ripped apart one of the country's strongest defences. After a subdued start they ultimately overwhelmed Leicester with that familiar mix of pace, movement and touch. Only several fine saves by Tim Flowers prevented double figures.
Having given Arsenal the lead with a sumptuous half-volley, Henry completed his hat-trick, set up two goals and even managed two headers on target. Matt Elliott walked off with the striker's shirt but rarely got that close to it when it mattered.
Not that Henry carried the team alone. Time and again Robert Pires and Silvinho combined to good effect down the left wing, helped by Leicester's strangely negative approach.
Rather than attacking a side whose confidence must have been low after that Anfield collapse, Leicester seemed intent on damage limitation, as if unable to accept that they could beat a side they began level on points with.
Their midfield lacked bite and until Ade Akinbiyi scored to make it 2-1 they had not managed a worthwhile effort on goal. That they registered three shots to Arsenal's 26 told the tale as they went down to their heaviest defeat since rejoining the top flight in 1996.
For all Arsenal's early possession they only fleetingly sparkled before Henry sent Pires's clever corner past a stationary Flowers in the 35th minute. And, although Alex Manninger's failure to hold a Trevor Benjamin header allowed Akinbiyi to give Leicester hope after Henry had set up Patrick Vieira for number two, Arsenal soon found another gear.
Henry turned Elliott from Lee Dixon's high pass to make it 3-1, the substitute Freddie Ljungberg scored with his first touch after Igor Stepanovs had hit the post from another Pires corner, and Nelson Vivas put Henry through for the fifth before the captain Tony Adams encapsulated Arsenal's confidence by strolling forward to shoot in from an Henry cross. The challenge is to repeat this away from Highbury.
Arsenal: Manninger, Dixon, Stepanovs, Adams, Silvinho, Pires (Cole 85), Grimandi (Vivas 77), Parlour, Vieira, Henry, Kanu (Ljungberg 74). Subs Not Used: Malz, Lukic. Goals: Henry 35, Vieira 50, Henry 66, Ljungberg 75, Henry 82, Adams 90.
Leicester: Flowers, Rowett, Impey, Taggart (Guppy 39), Elliott, Jones, Robbie Savage, Oakes (Benjamin 51), Sinclair, Akinbiyi, Izzet. Subs Not Used: Eadie, Royce, Gunnlaugsson. Goals: Akinbiyi 54.
Referee: D Gallagher (Banbury).
