Jamie Vardy returned to haunt Arsene Wenger on his farewell tour as Leicester cruised past 10-man Arsenal 3-1.

The Gunners could still end the season pointless away from home in 2018 after Vardy netted his sixth goal in six games against Wenger to help condemn them to defeat.

Kelechi Iheanacho opened the scoring in the first half just 92 seconds before Konstantinos Mavropanos was dismissed for the visitors.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang did level but Vardy’s penalty and Riyad Mahrez’s late goal settled the game.

What they said

Arsene Wenger
(Mike Egerton/EMPICS)

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger: “It’s a creative, imaginative aspect from the referee. We watched it again, it’s a nice dive but it’s not a penalty. “I disagree with the red card because (Rob) Holding would have caught this ball and he (Konstantinos Mavropanos) was not the last man. A decision went against us and we are upset because we lost a game we shouldn’t have lost. It’s a fact we had to face.”

Leicester manager Claude Puel: “The most important thing is the spirit, pressing and conviction. It was a great performance. They gave their best and it was important to finish (at home) with a strong game. They played with strong conviction and quality. It’s a good feeling to win our last home game of the season. The players wanted to reward the fans tonight, they put in place all the ingredients to win.”

Tweet of the match

Star man – Jamie Vardy

Vardy was a menace as he kept Arsenal's defence on their toes all night.
jamie Vardy was a menace as he kept Arsenal’s defence on their toes all night (David Davies/PA)

So nearly an Arsenal player in the summer of 2016, Vardy has relished playing against the Gunners in recent times and tormented their defence with his speed and movement throughout the evening. It was never in doubt that he would convert the match-winning penalty as he racked up a sixth goal in his last six appearances against Wenger’s men.

Moment of the match

While Vardy’s goal re-established Leicester’s lead, the victory was wrapped up late on as Mahrez burst through and ever so coolly slotted home past Petr Cech to seal a rare win for the Foxes and extend Arsenal’s woeful form on the road.

Data point

Mavropanos was sent off for pulling down Iheanacho as the Leicester forward ran through on goal
Konstantinos Mavropanos was sent off for pulling down Iheanacho as the Leicester forward ran through on goal. (David Davies/PA)

The dismissal of Mavropanos was the 118th red card of Wenger’s reign as Arsenal manager across all competitions. The 20-year-old was given his marching orders just 92 seconds after Iheanacho’s opener.

Ratings

Leicester: Eldin Jakupovic 7, Danny Simpson 7, Wes Morgan 7, Harry Maguire 7, Christian Fuchs 7, Riyad Mahrez 8, Adrien Silva 7, Hamza Choudhury 6, Fousseni Diabate 7, Kelechi Iheanacho 8, Jamie Vardy 8. Substitutes: Demarai Gray (for Diabate, 74) 7, Aleksandar Dragovic (for Simpson, 81) 5, Harvey Barnes (for Iheanacho, 87) 5.

Arsenal: Petr Cech 8, Ainsley Maitland-Niles 6, Rob Holding 5, Konstantinos Mavropanos 4, Sead Kolasinac 5, Granit Xhaka 5, Aaron Ramsey 5, Henrikh Mkhitaryan 6, Danny Welbeck 5, Alex Iwobi 5, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang 7. Substitutes: Shkodran Mustafi (for Welbeck, 19) 5, Eddie Nketiah (for Iwobi, 83) 5.

Who’s up next?

Tottenham v Leicester (Premier League, May 13)

Huddersfield v Arsenal (Premier League, May 13)