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Arsenal out-foxed Leicester City 4-2 in the Premier League on Saturday, August 13 in an entertaining match overall.
The Gunners hosted the Foxes at the Emirates Stadium in their first home league game of the season. Backed by a vocal crowd, they were eager to continue with their winning ways. Mikel Arteta fielded the same starting XI as last week, with Emile Smith Rowe and Takehiro Tomiyasu returning to the squad as substitutes.
Brendan Rogers, on the other hand, went with a tried and tested front pairing of James Maddison and Jamie Vardy up front. He chose a conservative 3-5-1-1 formation to start with. Leicester City was keen for a win after throwing away a two-goal lead against Brentford to draw 2-2 last time around.
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Arsenal began the first half in the same, aggressive fashion in which they began the game last week. They controlled the tempo of the game, using positional rotations to confuse their opponents. Having built momentum early in the game, the Gunners looked likelier to open the scoring.
They were on the scoresheet within 23 minutes as Granit Xhaka played the ball into Gabriel Jesus' path. He made quick adjustments to create space and chipped the ball over the defenders and goalkeeper Danny Ward to make it 1-0. It was his first Premier League goal for the Gunners.
Leicester City struggled to contain the Gunners as they rotated seamlessly, making it hard for the visitors to man-mark them. Wesley Fofana and Jonny Evans found themselves in tough situations as they were forced into committing tackles.
Arsenal continued to dominate the game and added a second goal just 12 minutes following the opener. Gabriel Jesus found himself placed perfectly at the far post to tap-in from Vardy's attempted clearance to make it 2-0.
The Brazilian had two big chances to add to his tally. However, he was thwarted by Daniel Amartey first, and then by Danny Ward in goal. Arteta looked jubilant as his side went into the break with a comfortable 2-0 lead.
The game burst into life in the second half, with Leicester City seemingly lacing up their scoring boots during the interval. The visitors were gifted a goal shortly after the restart following an uncharacteristic error from William Saliba. He headed the ball past his own 'keeper to make it 2-1.
However, Arsenal soon hit back to restore the two-goal cushion. Granit Xhaka made another key run into the box and was assisted by Jesus as he made it 3-1.
Leicester brought on several players and changed their formation in a bid to try out newer ways of attacking. It paid off as substitute Kelechi Iheanacho came on and provided the assist for James Maddison's goal to make it 3-2.
But once again, Arsenal replied almost instantly after conceding. This time it was Martinelli whom Jesus provided the assist to, with the pacey winger taking a confident left-footed shot from outside the box to score.
Arsenal won the game comfortably by a scoreline of 4-2. That said, let's take a look at their detailed player ratings.
Arsenal Player Ratings
Aaron Ramsdale - 6.5/10
After keeping a clean sheet last week against Crystal Palace, Ramsdale made a sharp start to the game. He escaped giving away a penalty as VAR overturned the referee's decision after Ramsdale appeared to have collided with Jamie Vardy.
He made just one save in the game and passed the ball with 64% accuracy.
Ben White - 6.5/10
White made a composed start to the game, slotting in as the right centre-back when Arsenal were attacking. He won three of his six duels and made two clearances and one interception. He was subbed off in the second half.
William Saliba - 6.5/10
Saliba made an assured start to the game, positioning himself well to thwart any of Leicester's advances. He was unlucky to concede an own goal after finding himself in an awkward position.
Gabriel Magalhaes - 6.5/10
Gabriel, along with his defensive partners, was seen holding a slightly deeper line to prevent him getting caught off-guard by Leicester's pace on the break. He won five of his seven duels and made three key tackles.
Oleksandr Zinchenko - 7/10
Zinchenko linked-up well with Martinelli, Xhaka and Jesus to help Arsenal advance the ball smoothly on the left flank. He won all three of his duels and made three interceptions. He also played one accurate long ball and attempted two shots, both off target.
Thomas Partey - 7/10
Partey was a pivot for the Gunners as he connected their play between defense and attack. He won six of his 12 duels, completed two dribbles, and played three accurate long balls. Partey also made two interceptions.
Granit Xhaka - 7.5/10
Xhaka began the game in an advanced position and was Arsenal's attacking outlet from midfield in the initial stages. His efforts paid off as he bagged a well-deserved goal in the second period. He also played two accurate long balls and won three of his six duels.
Martin Odegaard - 7/10
Arsenal's captain made a slow start to the game, but distributed the ball well as they controlled possession. He won four of his six duels and completed two successful dribbles.
Bukayo Saka - 7.5/10
Saka made a relatively quiet start to the game as most of their attacks developed on the opposite flank. He played three key passes and two accurate crosses. Saka also won four of his nine duels. He also created one big chance in the game.
Gabriel Martinelli - 8/10
Martinelli was electric in the opening stages of the game and wreaked havoc around Wesley Fofana's territory. He played four key passes and created one big chance to score. He also successfully completed three dribbles.
Gabriel Jesus - 9.5/10
Jesus combined well with Martinelli as the two Brazilians caused Leicester several problems with their creative play. He scored a brace in the first-half, showing remarkable goalscoring instincts.
He attempted a total of seven shots and missed two big chances in the process. He also won eight of his 17 duels and played three key passes.
Substitutes
Takehiro Tomiyasu - 6.5/10
Tomiyasu came on late in the game to mark his return from injury. However, he was booked for a silly tackle in the dying embers.
Kieran Tierney - 6.5/10
The Scotsman came on as a late-game substitute and put in a decent performance as Arsenal won the game.
Emile Smith Rowe & Eddie Nketiah - N/A
They came on late in the game and did not play enough minutes to warrant a rating.
