Arsenal Stunned Leicester 4-2 at the Emirates

Arsenal won an exciting Premier League clash at the Emirates Stadium in front of all the spectators against Leicester City by a 4-2 scoreline in an action-packed encounter. The Gunners’ initial reaction proved that they have an attacking excellence as they scored through three different players: Gabriel Martinelli, Leandro Trossard, and Kai Havertz. Each of those had the unfortunate coming in the injury time when Wilfred Ndidi converted that into an own goal. Leicester’s James Justin replied twice, but that wasn’t enough to salvage points for the visitors.

First Half: Arsenal Kick Things Off
Arsenal was never in doubt as to dominate the game from the very start. The Gunners, who have been firing on all cylinders lately, looked threatening from the very beginning. In the 20th minute, Gabriel Martinelli opened the scoring for the home side. Brazilian winger Martinelli latched onto a pass from Jurrien Timber and slotted the ball past Leicester goalkeeper Daniel Iversen to give Arsenal an early lead.

Leicester was never really in possession for large parts of the first half and had to deal with Arsenal’s long-sustained attack; as Arsenal dominated the game with 75% possession, opportunities came their way in abundance. Their fluid passing and intelligent movement were always targeting Leicester’s defense.

Still a comfortable two goals ahead by halftime was what Arsenal recorded in the first-half stoppage time as Leandro Trossard converted a well-worked move involving Martinelli to hand Leicester a stinging two-goal cushion at half-time, but his strike was a clinical finish that summed up a dominant half for the Gunners.

Second Half: Leicester’s Fightback
Arsenal were dominant in the first half, but Leicester came out in the second half looking sharper and more purposeful in attack, equalizing within two minutes of the beginning of the half from a Facundo Buonanotte cross, as James Justin headed it into the net to make it 2-1.

Leicester continued its onslaught, and in the 63rd minute, Justin scored his second goal of the game, again assisted by Ndidi. He met a pinpoint pass this time from Ndidi with a good placed shot over Aaron Ramsdale to level the score at 2-2. That was a shock turn of events as Leicester had been so completely outplayed during the first half of the match.

After an equalizer, the game came to life, and the pressure mounted on Arsenal. The Foxes, feeling a chance to steal a point or more, started pressing higher up the field, whereas Arsenal started showing their class and expertise to take back the game.

Final Drama: How Arsenal Fought Back
Arsenal did not want that win to slip off their hands. They thus upped the gears in the last 10 minutes of play when chances had somehow begun to lose their way. Pressure finally yielded fruit in the 90th minute as Wilfred Ndidi, under intense pressure from an Arsenal corner, inadvertently pushed the ball into his own net to concede a 3-2 win for Arsenal. That terrible blow was what that unfortunate own goal meant to Leicester – who had had to fight back to get back level terms.

If it had looked like Arsenal was going to end the match in the manner they wished to within their favor, Kai Havertz had other ideas, adding a fourth deep into stoppage time. The German midfielder had been called into question recently over his form in the season so far, but he finished coolly from close range after a pass by Gabriel Jesus. The goal assured Arsenal of all three points and clearly ended the game.

Arsenal Domination by Numbers
Arsenal was the dominant team in the game; even though this is what the scoreline would dictate, statistics prove that Arsenal is indeed the supreme force. The Gunners struck a total of 34 shots and scored 16 on target as opposed to the meager attempts by Leicester with just 5 shots, of which only 3 proved on target. Arsenal also forced 17 corners and created 144 dangerous attacks, hence giving a feel that they relentlessly attacked the goal of the opposing team.

In passing terms, Arsenal completed 655 passes to Leicester’s 226, which shows the home team had total control of the game’s rhythm. To crown it all, Arsenal recorded 44 crosses compared to Leicester’s 7, which was the clear intent to attack.

Defensively, Leicester was looking rather overwhelmed by the might of Arsenal, although they managed to block 9 shots. Still, this resilience was not going to keep Arsenal for the remaining 90 minutes. Leicester goalkeeper Daniel Iversen made a total of 13 saves to make the scoreline more or less respectable.

Key Moments and Yellow Cards
Plenty of physicality marked the game with both teams receiving yellow cards. Leicester had Wilfred Ndidi, James Vardy and Sander Cooper’s yellow cards while Arsenal had William Saliba and Raffaele Calafiori. No red card could spot in the game though which was full of competition.

Conclusion: Title hopes of Arsenal stay alive
The scoreline at 4-2 in favor of Arsenal testifies to how deep their attacking strength is as well as their capacity to grind out results in trying situations. Leicester staged a fine fightback, but the Gunners’ quality in the final third was the difference between victory and defeat for them. With the win, Arsenal further increase the pressure on teams at the top of the Premier League table, whereas Leicester will have to regroup and sort out their defensive issues going forward.

The result also shows the unpredictable nature of the Premier League, where teams never stand out, no matter how the scoreline portrays. For Arsenal, that win consolidates their desire for a good season, and Leicester has to do much better if they are not to slide further down the table.

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