Arsenal left it late as two goals in second-half stoppage time saw them overcome a resilient Leicester City 4-2 at Emirates Stadium on Saturday.
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Leicester looked set to claim a point against the odds thanks to James Justin’s double in the opening 18 minutes of the second half.
Arsenal had been in complete control after Gabriel Martinelli opened his account for the season with an instinctive finish inside the box, with Leandro Trossard doubling the hosts’ advantage.
Yet Justin – whose second was an eye-catching volley – turned the match on its head, until Mikel Arteta’s side came good again in the closing stages, with Trossard’s effort deflected in by the unfortunate Wilfred Ndidi before Kai Havertz sealed the win.
Arsenal move level with Manchester City on 14 points, but are one point behind leaders Liverpool, after they won 2-1 at Wolves. Leicester sit 16th after suffering late heartbreak.
| Position Pos | Club | Played Pl | GD | Points Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Liverpool
LIV
|
11 | +15 | 28 |
| 2 |
Man City
MCI
|
11 | +9 | 23 |
| 3 |
Chelsea
CHE
|
11 | +8 | 19 |
| 4 |
Arsenal
ARS
|
11 | +6 | 19 |
How the match unfolded
The hosts started strongly and eventually found the breakthrough in the 20th minute, with Martinelli sweeping home Jurrien Timber’s cross after the Brazilian had flashed an effort over the crossbar moments earlier.
Martinelli then turned provider for Arsenal’s second in first-half injury time, pulling the ball back for Trossard who marked his return from suspension with his second Premier League goal of the season.
But a bolt from the Leicester blue saw the visitors draw one back through Justin’s deflected header off Havertz, before the full-back added a stunning second with a sweet right-footed volley that clattered in off the left-hand post.
Arsenal’s attempts to get back ahead were thwarted by the imposing Mads Hermansen, with the visiting goalkeeper making a string of saves to deny Gabriel Magalhaes and Trossard, and it looked as though Leicester had done enough.
But in the fourth minute of added time, their resolve was punctured when Ndidi bundled in Trossard’s back-post shot.
Justin subsequently capping his eventful encounter when his clearance cannoned in off Havertz, with the goal disallowed for offside but then awarded after the decision was overturned following a VAR review.
Gunners on the right end of late drama
Having dropped points in the dying stages of their enthralling clash with Man City last week, Arsenal showcased their willingness to carry on going until the end, with their persistence eventually paying off.
Arteta’s side dominated the opening period and were rewarded with two goals, though how easy the Gunners found their way into Leicester’s box seemingly saw them take their foot off the pedal, and that slackness was punished emphatically by Justin.
Having seen their two-goal advantage evaporate, and having been on the wrong end of a moment of individual brilliance from Justin, Arsenal burst back into life, only to see several efforts met with a string of impressive saves by Hermansen.
Ethan Nwaneri and Riccardo Calafiori saw efforts saved, with Leicester, in their attempts to salvage a point, resulting in the dark arts that Arsenal had shown in their draw with City.
But that ultimately came back to bite the Foxes, with Arsenal channelling their frustrations into a goalscoring reaction during a long period of added time, albeit helped by the misfortune of Ndidi and Justin.
Foxes fall just short
Ahead of kick-off, Steve Cooper said that Arsenal’s showing against Man City was the level he aspired to reach with his Leicester side, and the Foxes’ display at the Emirates proved they can be match for most teams.
Martinelli’s opener came at the end of an endless wave of Arsenal pressure, though Cooper felt his side should have been awarded a free-kick prior to the goal, with Jamie Vardy having been in a tussle with William Saliba.
However, the Foxes emerged from the tunnel a completely different team to the one that had been battered and bruised in the first half, with Justin’s first goal the slice of luck Leicester believe they richly deserved before the defender added his second, which was anything but lucky.
For all of Leicester’s perseverance, they came undone at the final moment. Arsenal’s never-ending pressure finally told, but the Foxes’ second-half performance showed promising signs for the future.
Cooper now has a solid foundation to build on with his players, with their display against a potential title contender giving them confidence that their first three points is just around the corner.
Club reports
Arsenal report | Leicester report
What managers said
Mikel Arteta: "I'm very happy, first of all with the performance. I think we were unbelievable today. We deserved to win with many more goals. Starting the second half the way we did, conceding the first goal makes things harder and then with the equaliser the team showed unbelievable character to keep pushing, creating chance after chance."
Steve Cooper: "Tough one to take to be fair. Proud of the second half performance particularly. If it's a team that's not together, they can really go under after the first-half but it was great to score as early as we did in the second half and then go to 2-2."
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Key facts
Ndidi’s own goal was the 16th 90th minute winning own goal scored in Premier League history. Arsenal have benefitted from five of these, more than any other side.
Arsenal are now unbeaten in 40 Premier League home games against promoted sides (W35 D5), winning each of the last 11 in a row.
Arsenal had 36 shots in this match, their joint-most on record (since 2003/04) in a single Premier League game (also 36 v Sunderland in May 2017).
Arsenal had 16 shots on target in this match, their joint-highest on record (since 2003/04) in a single Premier League game (also 16 v Blackburn in October 2009 and v Manchester United in December 2017).