Arsenal continued their march towards the Premier League title, after beating Leicester 1-0 at the King Power Stadium.
An early second half goal from Gabriel Martinelli was enough to separate the two sides.
The Gunners controlled the match from start to finish, and could have easily finished further ahead. Bukayo Saka and Leandro Trossard both had goals disallowed.
Leicester struggled to get going against the league leaders. Kelechi Iheanacho came closest with a disallowed goal, but the Foxes threatened Aaron Ramsdale in goal just once throughout the 90 minutes.
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Missing Maddison
The big talking point before the match was James Maddison's notable absence. The English midfielder took an injection to play against Manchester United last week, whilst Brendan Rodgers confirmed he was not 100% in training recently.
He was expected to be within the squad against Arsenal, but he was not even fit enough for that.
Leicester lacked the creative spark without him. Dennis Praet was Maddison's replacement, but the Belgian made little impact on the match.
The 28-year-old made just one pass into the final third and completed zero accurate crosses. The Foxes had just 34% possession against Arsenal, meaning they had to be effective when they had the opportunity. But without Maddison, they lacked fluidity and composure in midfield.
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Foxes' lack of threat in the final third
Maddison's absence did not help Leicester's chances against the league leaders. But the front three failed to continue their fine form shown in recent weeks.
Iheanacho had five goal contributions in his last three Premier League contributions before the match. Meanwhile, Harvey Barnes and new signing Tete had provided a dynamic flair out wide for the Foxes recently. In particular, Tete caused Eric Ten Hag's men several problems last week in the first half.
However against Arsenal, the front three were locked out against Gabriel and William Saliba in particular. Tete and Iheanacho were subbed off in the 62nd minute due to their ineffectiveness, but their replacements, Youri Tielemans and Jamie Vardy, failed to have the desired effect.
Leicester sit just three points clear of the relegation zone. If they want to avoid a nervy end to the season, it is vital the front three show consistency in the coming weeks.
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Martinelli steps up to deliver
Gabriel Martinelli has struggled to show his early season form in recent weeks. The winger had just one goal in his last nine matches before today, with that being a tap in against Aston Villa last week.
But the Brazilian showed his class today in the second half. Martinelli was played one on one with the goalkeeper after a delicate through-ball from Trossard.
From a tight angle, the 21-year-old opened up his body and guided a neat shot into the bottom right corner. It was reminiscent of Thierry Henry's quality in the 2000's.
Despite sustaining a knock from the goal, Martinelli played the full 90 minutes at the King Power Stadium. His overall performance was much sharper than recent weeks. He combined well with the midfield duo of Jorginho and Granit Xhaka.
He partnered incredibly well with Trossard, who adopted the role of a false nine for the first time in his Arsenal career. The matches are coming thick and fast for the Gunners in the coming weeks, and an in-form Martinelli is crucial to their title chances.
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Adaptable Arsenal win again
Arsenal have had a consistent starting eleven for most of the Premier League season. It's helped them sit top of the table, but injuries in recent weeks have forced Mikel Arteta to adapt his team.
Trossard replaced Eddie Nketiah against Leicester. The English forward was nursing an injury in recent weeks, but Arteta felt comfortable that the Belgian could fill his boots.
Trossard showed why Arsenal spent £27million for his signature in the January transfer window. The former Brighton attacker combined well with his teammates, whilst his false nine role played to his strengths. It allowed him to play in space in the transitions. It saw him and Martinelli move freely across the pitch throughout.
Jorginho partnered Xhaka in the middle of the park again, with Thomas Partey not fit enough to start for the third match running. The Ghanaian international has arguably been Arsenal's player of the season so far, but his void has been emphatically filled by the former Chelsea midfielder.
The Italian helped Arsenal control the game throughout. He was composed and fluid in midfield, helping the Gunners transition from defence to attack.