Arsenal made it two wins from two to start the Premier League season as they beat Leicester City 4-2 on Saturday afternoon.
Mikel Arteta named an unchanged side from the one that defeated Crystal Palace on the season’s opening day as the Gunners looked to make it back-to-back wins to start the campaign. Kieran Tierney, Takehiro Tomiyasu, Emile Smith Rowe, and Eddie Nketiah were named on a strong bench for Arsenal.
After a lively opening 20 minutes, Arsenal took the lead. After some excellent build-up play between Martinelli, Jesus, and Xhaka, the ball found its way to Jesus, who produced a delightful curling effort over Ward in the Leicester goal.
https://twitter.com/Arsenal/status/1558482542252236801?s=20&t=TOuwewHA2uGYM3PM9HU0sg
Arsenal was rampant and doubled their lead thanks to another Jesus goal after 35 minutes. A Martinelli corner was flicked on at the near post, and it found its way to Jesus at the back post, who headed home his second of the half.
Leicester thought they had a penalty towards the end of the first half. Referee Darren England pointed to the spot, but after Mike Dean, who was in control of VAR, intervened, England was told to go and look at the monitor, overturning his decision.
Leicester found a way back into the game. A long ball from Jonny Evans found James Justin, who headed on into the penalty area, and William Saliba nodded back past Ramsdale and into the net.
Arsenal restored its two-goal advantage just minutes later through Granit Xhaka after a mix-up between Ward and Fofana and the keeper fumbled, which allowed Xhaka to slot home.
James Maddison brought Leicester back into the contest with a well-taken finish as he beat Ramsdale through his legs. Martinelli then got on the score sheet minutes later with a well-taken effort on his weaker side from outside the box as the goals continued to flow.
Arsenal then cruised to its second consecutive victory as they start the league season in superb fashion.
Player Ratings from Arsenal’s 4-2 win over Leicester.
Goalkeeper/Defenders
Ramsdale (GK) 6/10 – Produced some good saves and was lucky with his collision with Vardy in the first half. A solid enough performance from our number one.
White (RB) 6/10 – Again, a solid outing from White. Dealt with everything Leicester threw at him, replaced by Tomiyasu with 15 minutes to play.
Saliba (CB) 7/10 – Another assured display from the 21-year-old. Unfortunate own gaol but otherwise was solid as a rock.
Gabriel (CB) 7/10 – Another good performance from the Brazilian in the heart of the defense. Dealt well with everything and kept Leicester’s attackers in check.
Zinchenko (LB) 8/10– The Ukrainian was outstanding. He got forward, was neat in possession, and took up great positions. One of Arsenal’s best.
Continued on next slide…
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<p>— Birdiefootball (@birdiefootball) <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2022/08/13/player-ratings-2/"https://twitter.com/birdiefootball/status/1558479184741138435?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%22>August 13, 2022</a></p></blockquote>
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<p><strong>Odegaard (CM) 7/10</strong> – A good performance from our captain. Kept things ticking over nicely and worked neat passes with the front three as he constantly drove at the Leicester backline.</p>
<p><em>Continued on next slide…</em></p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background: #c01f2f" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2022/08/13/player-ratings-2/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> Forwards </a>
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<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-128515 size-full" src=https://paininthearsenal.com/2022/08/13/player-ratings-2/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_1067,w_1600/https%3A%2F%2Fpaininthearsenal.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2017%2F07%2F1242479586.jpeg" alt="" width="1600" height="1067" srcset="https://paininthearsenal.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/1242479586.jpeg 1600w, https://paininthearsenal.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/1242479586-768x512.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:1600px;">Arsenal’s Brazilian striker Gabriel Jesus (C) runs with the ball during the English Premier League football match between Arsenal and Leicester City at the Emirates Stadium in London on August 13, 2022. – – RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or ‘live’ services. Online in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No video emulation. Social media in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No use in betting publications, games or single club/league/player publications. (Photo by ADRIAN DENNIS / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or ‘live’ services. Online in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No video emulation. Social media in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No use in betting publications, games or single club/league/player publications. / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or ‘live’ services. Online in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No video emulation. Social media in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No use in betting publications, games or single club/league/player publications. (Photo by ADRIAN DENNIS/AFP via Getty Images)</p>
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<h2>Forwards</h2>
<p><strong>Saka (RW) 6/10</strong>– A somewhat quieter day for our star boy. Looked lively early on and got forward well in the second half but did not trouble Ward all that often.</p>
<p><strong>Jesus (ST) 9/10</strong>– Man of the Match. The Brazilian was unplayable at the Emirates. Two well-taken goals and was a constant menace. A home debut to remember.</p>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Gabriel Jesus scores a worldie against Leicester City for his first Arsenal goal in the Premier League.</p>
<p>Brilliant❗️Just Brilliant ‼️🤩 <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2022/08/13/player-ratings-2/"https://twitter.com/hashtag/JoySports?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%22>#JoySports</a> <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2022/08/13/player-ratings-2/"https://t.co/Wh32BeQFoO">pic.twitter.com/Wh32BeQFoO
<p>— ⬅️ #JoySports (@JoySportsGH) <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2022/08/13/player-ratings-2/"https://twitter.com/JoySportsGH/status/1558468195761225729?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%22>August 13, 2022</a></p></blockquote>
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<p><strong>Martinelli (LW) 8/10</strong> – Two goals in two games, and the Brazilian was on another level today. His pressure and energy to constantly harass the Leicester backline was a thing of beauty. A sensational performance.</p>
<p><em>Continued on next slide…</em></p>
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<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-128518 size-full" src=https://paininthearsenal.com/2022/08/13/player-ratings-2/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2133,w_3200/https%3A%2F%2Fpaininthearsenal.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2017%2F07%2F1414637206.jpeg" alt="" width="3200" height="2133" srcset="https://paininthearsenal.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/1414637206.jpeg 3200w, https://paininthearsenal.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/1414637206-768x512.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 3200px) 100vw, 3200px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:3200px;">LONDON, ENGLAND – AUGUST 13: Granit Xhaka of Arsenal celebrates with teammates after scoring their side’s third goal during the Premier League match between Arsenal FC and Leicester City at Emirates Stadium on August 13, 2022 in London, England. (Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images)</p>
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<h2>Substitutes</h2>
<p><strong>Tomiyasu 5/10</strong> – A late sub for White who was struggling physically. A good 15 or so minutes for our right-back as he steps up his return.</p>
<p><strong>Tierney 5/10</strong>– Came on in the last 13 minutes as Arsenal looked to see out the game. Great to see him on the pitch.</p>
<p><strong>Smith Rowe 5/10</strong> – A late addition as Mikel Arteta looked to freshen things up late on.</p>
<p><strong>Nketiah 5/10</strong> – A cameo for the Englishman as he came on for Jesus. Did not really have time to make a difference but did force a good save from Ward with a powerful header.</p><!—pageview_candidate—>">