Arsenal’s Alexis Sánchez hits treble in destruction of Leicester City

With Arsène Wenger having presided over the only team to complete a Premier League season without defeat, perhaps Arsenal saw it as some kind of duty to tick off the division’s final unbeaten record. Leicester’s run fell when they came up against a team who matched their willingness for attacks at the highest velocity and added a layer of sophistication.

Arsenal also had Alexis Sánchez back to his best. The Chilean has, understandably, been tired and flatter than his most exuberant self after spending the summer winning the Copa América. But here the full sparkle was back. His first hat-trick for the club, at a stadium where visiting players are not used to profiting, was emphatic proof of that. His performance blended energy and imagination to such effect even Claudio Ranieri felt compelled to purr afterwards. He slipped into his native Italian for the right compliment. “Meraviglia,” A wonder. “The ball and him are born together.”

Sánchez had been searching for a goal since his FA Cup final special. Wenger was delighted to see that element of his game return, having seen the signs of improving sharpness in training. “He won a big competition with Chile. Mentally to adjust again to a competitive level when you come back takes some time.” At the end of a week when the definition of world class was in the news, Wenger has no doubts that Sánchez qualifies.

In seeking the right word to sum up the Leicester style recently Ranieri simply went: “Whoosh,” and this match was played by both teams in the spirit of whoosh football. But for all the verve that Leicester could offer, Arsenal found more. It made for a compelling spectacle.