Arsenal were pushed to their limits by Leicester on Saturday, but the Gunners came away with all three points after a pair of stoppage-time goals restored order and put them level on points (14) with Manchester City.
WATCH ARSENAL v LEICESTER FULL MATCH REPLAY
Mikel Arteta’s side raced out to a 2-0 lead at halftime as Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard turned home carbon-copy goals in the first half, but James Justin hit back two minutes into the second half and again with a sensational volley in the 63rd minute. Leicester attempted just five shots in the game (three on target) and found the back of the net with two of them.
Arsenal, on the other hand, had 36 shots, put 16 of them on target and would have been 3-0 or 4-0 gone by the time Leicester began their comeback if not for Mads Hermansen’s shot-stopping heroics. The 24-year-old Dane made 13 saves as corner kick after corner kick rained down on his six-yard box. Leicester generally dealt with Arsenal’s set-piece mastery quite well, until the sheer volume eventually became too much and the inevitable became unavoidable.
Another Arsenal victory by corner kick
For the third week running, Arsenal scored a decisive goal from a corner kick. The Gunners had a staggering 17 corner kicks in Saturday’s game, and they needed nearly every single one of them to secure the win. The winning goal goes down as an own goal by Wilfred Ndidi, but it was Trossard who got on the end of Bukayo Saka’s service and put it in play. A late Arsenal winner felt inevitable from the moment Leicester equalized, and the fact it was from a corner kick was hardly a surprise. 4.12-0.27 xG in the end. Anything other than an Arsenal win would have been highway robbery.
Player ratings - Arsenal vs Leicester
What’s next?
- Arsenal vs Southampton - Saturday, Oct. 5 (10 am ET)
- Leicester vs Bournemouth - Saturday, Oct. 5 (10 am ET)
Arsenal vs Leicester updates - by Andy Edwards
Arsenal vs Leicester final score: 4-2
Goalscorers: Gabriel Martinelli (20'), Leandro Trossard (45'+1), James Justin (47', 63'), Wilfred Ndidi (90'+5 - OG), Kai Havertz (90'+9)
GOAL! Arsenal 4-2 Leicester: Kai Havertz makes the final score more representative of the game (90'+9)
GOAL! Arsenal 3-2 Leicester: Gunners score from their 16th corner (90'+5)
THE EMIRATES EXPLODES. SURELY A WINNER FOR ARSENAL IN STOPPAGE TIME. 🔴⚪️ pic.twitter.com/5xMUuktb1u
— NBC Sports Soccer (@NBCSportsSoccer) September 28, 2024
GOAL! Arsenal 2-2 Leicester: James Justin scores again with an unreal volley (63')
A SUBLIME STRIKE. 🚀
— NBC Sports Soccer (@NBCSportsSoccer) September 28, 2024
James Justin's second goal of the game bends into the far corner to bring Leicester level with Arsenal!
📺 Peacock | #ARSLEI pic.twitter.com/SOczWg3JNO
GOAL! Arsenal 2-1 Leicester: James Justin pulls one back to start the 2nd half (47')
GOAL! Arsenal 2-0 Leicester: Leandro Trossard scores just before halftime as Martinelli’s turns provider (45'+1)
GOAL! Arsenal 1-0 Leicester: Gabriel Martinelli turns home Jurrien Timber’s cross (20')
Arsenal starting lineup
Raya - Timber, Saliba, Gabriel, Calafiori - Partey, Rice, Trossard - Saka, Martinelli, Havertz
Leicester starting lineup
Hermansen - Justin, Faes, Okoli, Kristiansen - Winks, Skipp, Ndidi - Buonanotte, Mavididi - Vardy
How to watch Arsenal vs Leicester live, stream link and start time
Kick off time: 10am ET Saturday (September 28)
Venue: Emirates Stadium, London
TV Channel: Peacock Premium
Streaming: Premier League on Peacock
Arsenal focus, team news
The likes of Martin Odegaard, Mikel Merino, Oleksandr Zinchenko, Takehiro Tomiyasu and Kieran Tierney remain out, while their are injury concerns over Ben White and David Raya. Leandro Trossard is available after serving his suspension in the 5-1 League Cup win over Bolton in midweek, so he could start. Raheem Sterling and Gabriel Jesus starred against Bolton, while youngster Ethan Nwaneri is pushing hard for a start too. If Raya, who is suffering with a thigh injury, can’t go then Neto will come in to make his debut.
Leicester focus, team news
The Foxes are without Jakub Stolarczyk and Patson Daka (both ankle injuries) and have a very settled starting lineup with plenty of experience in it. Jamie Vardy is leading the line expertly, while Jordan Ayew is starting just behind him, Harry Winks is in midfield and the likes of Wilfred Ndidi and Wout Faes are looking solid. Leicester will sit in and try to frustrate Arsenal, while they’re always a threat on the counter as Stephy Mavidi, Ayew and Vardy are experts at combining quickly on the break.
Arsenal vs Leicester prediction
This seems like an easy home win on paper, and it probably is, but with Premier League, League Cup and Champions League action and the games piling up, Arsenal’s squad is stretched to its limits. Expect a slightly sluggish display but a home win. Arsenal 3-1 Leicester.
