Arsenal 4-2 Leicester City

by Layth Yousif

at Ashburton Grove

ARSENAL sealed a vital victory to cap an entertaining match on a gloriously sunny Saturday afternoon in North London. 
 
Despite the home side racing into a two-goal lead by half time with strikes from Gabi Martinelli and Leandro Trossard, the Foxes refused to be overwhelmed and struck back with two goals by the excellent Justin James, his second a spectacular volley past fit-again keeper David Raya.
 
But just as battling Leicester’s hopes of a hard-earned point appeared to be moving towards an unlikely reality, Mikel Arteta’s side showed their quality to blitz the east Midlanders with two late goals, levelling in the league with Manchester City, who were held at Newcastle in the early kick-off. 
 
Speaking after the match, Arteta, whose side registered more than 30 shots, including 14 on target, while totting up 17 corners, said: “So happy: that’s what I told them. 
 
“It got nasty, it got difficult, it was emotionally difficult to accept with the amount of situations that we created and the amount of goals that we should’ve scored.

"You don’t feel sorry for yourself, you take ownership, you start taking more risks, everybody.”
 
On 14 minutes, Bukayo Saka tested Foxes keeper Mads Hermansen with a low drive from outside the area, but the 24-year-old Danish keeper was up to the task — as he was throughout the match, finishing with 13 saves, the most registered in a Premier League game since 2007.
 
Moments later the busy Saka sent Martinelli through in the box but he lifted his chance over the bar. 
 
However, the 23-year-old Brazil forward, who has struggled lately, finished off arguably a more difficult chance in the 20th minute, steering home Jurrien Timber’s cross to put the Gunners 1-0 ahead. 

The home side nearly doubled their lead four minutes later when the revitalised Martinelli unleashed a fierce shot at Hermansen, but the former Brondby keeper blocked. 
 
The Gunners’ dominance eventually told shortly before half time, with Martinelli teeing up Trossard to make it 2-0 in the first minute of added time. 
 
Yet if Steve Cooper’s Foxes were discouraged by conceding a second just before the interval, they hid it well. 
 
James Justin edged ahead of Kai Havertz from Facundo Buonanotte’s free-kick into the box to halve the deficit two minutes after the restart.
 
And after looking dead and buried at the end of the first 45 minutes, Leicester drew level with a quite superb volley by Justin for his second of the afternoon. The former Luton defender showed exquisite technique and vision to execute a perfect volley from Wilfred Ndidi’s cross into the box, the ball flying past Raya to make it 2-2 on 63 minutes. 
 
With 16 minutes left, Hermansen made a superb save from Trossard. Raheem Sterling replaced Martinelli, and Ethan Nwaneri came on for midfielder Thomas Partey, as the Gunners strove for a third in front of an increasingly fraught crowd, shocked at Leicester’s unlikely comeback. 
 
As the clock ticked down, Riccardo Calafiori’s emphatic header late on forced a superb reaction save from Hermansen.
 
Just as it appeared that the Gunners would have to be satisfied with a mere point, up popped Trossard at the far post to force Ndidi to put through his own net in the 94th minute to make it 3-2. 
 
The noise had barely abated when Havertz made it 4-2 moments before the final whistle following a driving run by sub Gabriel Jesus, and the home crowd erupted in deep joy once again.