Nicolas Anelka was given a rapturous, standing ovation when he was substituted
22 minutes from time after his first hat-trick in English football.
The powerful France centre-forward scored all his three goals in the first
half at Highbury as Leicester's Worthington Cup celebrations, having clinched a Wembley
place just three days earlier, fell flat in the face of a stunning onslaught by
the Premiership champions.
Arsenal matched their five-goal blitz against Wimbledon nearly a year ago with
some sparkling football that ended the match as contest well before the
interval.
Ray Parlour also weighed in with two magnificent goals _ his first double
since last April.
And although Anelka also produced finishing of clinical quality to register
his first-half treble, Dennis Bergkamp's ability to open up the defence with
magical passes was just as impressive.
But, amazingly, the #7.5 million ace, just back from a one-match suspension,
did not finish on the scoresheet.
He was the architect of four of the five goals and had the Highbury fans
swooning in the aisles with his extravagant range of skills, but wasted two
golden chances to figure as a marksman.
He drove an inviting Parlour pass over the bar with the score at 3-0 and then,
midway through the second half, tapped tamely into goalkeeper Kasey Keller's
hands when Nelson Vivas found him five yards out and unmarked with an
inch-perfect chip.
But the non-flying Dutchman had Leicester on the rack as early as the second
minute when he combined skill and strength to surge into the box and after
brushing off two challengers, it took two more to prevent him getting his shot
in.
Bergkamp had the Leicester defenders running in circles as he fashioned one
incisive move after another and behind him in midfield, Patrick Vieira took a
stranglehold that the Midlanders were never able to remove until he was also
substituted deep into the second half.
Keller deserved a medal for bravery when he twice plunged at Vieira's feet as
the Frenchman burst through and yet the American goalkeeper was strangely
hesitant when, in the 23rd minute, he was confronted by Anelka's thundering
advance.
Bergkamp, having given the ball away seconds earlier, promptly delivered a
perfect chip through the middle when next in possession and Anelka left two
markers for dead before burying an unstoppable right-foot drive.
It was almost deja vu four minutes later - another surgical incision to the
Leicester heart by Bergkamp and Anelka galloping away again to find the same
corner of the net with his shot.
Three minutes before the break, Bergkamp delayed his pass for the perfect
moment to free Parlour on the right and Keller was defeated yet again by a
powerful drive.
Then in stoppage-time at the end of the first half, Vieira freed Marc Overmars
on the left to put over a low cross which Anelka forced home for his treble.
Leicester, without the injured Tony Cottee and Emile Heskey, were inevitably
lightweight up front and, in desperation, pushed Matt Elliott into attack when
Steve Walsh appeared as a second-half substitute after the interval.
But despite a hard-working full debut by Icelandic newcomer Arnar
Gunnlaugsson, they never threatened to score their first League goal in three
matches.
Parlour made it 5-0 for the Gunners, racing onto another Bergkamp pass and
finishing in style from just inside the area after 49 minutes. Arsene
Wenger was able to employ three substitutes, including latest signings Kaba
Diawara and Nwankwo Kanu as Arsenal strolled through the rest of the
proceedings.
Teams:
Arsenal: Seaman, Dixon, Grimandi, Adams, Vivas, Parlour,
Vieira (Hughes 71), Garde, Overmars (Kanu 67),Anelka (Diawara 67), Bergkamp.
Subs Not Used: Bould, Manninger.
Goals: Anelka 23, 27, 44 Parlour 42, 48.
Leicester: Keller, Sinclair, Kaamark (Impey 45), Elliott,
Ullathorne, Savage, Lennon, Zagorakis (Walsh 45), Izzet, Guppy,
Gunnlaugsson (Fenton 84).
Subs Not Used: Marshall, Arphexad.
Att: 38,069
Ref: P Durkin (Portland).
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