‘It’s either they sell Him or they fire me’, I can’t continue working with Him anymore. Arteta has instructed the board to put the £60 million Arsenal player on sale, who was at fault for two Leicester goals yesterday.
Arsenal defeated Leicester City 4-2 at Emirates Stadium. Despite an early half-chance for James Justin, Arsenal dominated the opening exchanges, with Leicester scarcely getting a look. The Gunners ultimately took the lead when Gabriel Martinelli rolled in Jurrien Timber’s cutback.
At that moment, it appeared to be a question of how many Arsenal could acquire, with Kai Havertz and Declan Rice coming close. On the stroke of halftime, Leandro Trossard scored a critical second goal.
From that point on, it appeared like Arsenal would have an easy time of it, but Leicester responded inside a minute of the restart when Wilfred Ndidi headed home a free kick. The Gunners replied brilliantly, with Trossard hitting the post, but Leicester equalised with Justin’s magnificent volley.
With seconds remaining, it looked if Arsenal had conspired to lose two points for the second week in a succession, but Trossard sprang up at the back post to convert Saka’s corner off Ndidi. Despite the celebratory atmosphere, Havertz was still able to score a lucky fourth goal when Justin’s clearance rebounded off him and into the net, despite the German being offside. Here’s how football.london assessed the Gunners individually throughout the encounter.
David Raya: The life of a goalkeeper: hardly touching the ball and having to pluck it out of his net twice. 6.
Jurrien Timber: Made excellent forward passes in the first half and assisted Martinelli’s goal. Could have scored in the second, but was out of position for Justin’s equalizer. 7.
William Saliba: So turned on in the first half that he didn’t give Jamie Vardy a chance. He lost attention at the opening of the second quarter, allowing Ndidi to score on a free kick. 6.
Gabriel: Gabriel could have made it three corners from three if Hermansen hadn’t produced a fantastic stop. Couldn’t do anything about Leicester’s goals. 6.
Riccardo Calafiori: It appears to be very promising in the future, but significant defensive issues remain. He was caught off guard by the cross that resulted in Leicester’s equalizer and may have been sent off for a second yellow on another day. 6.
Thomas Partey: Was extremely effective in the first half, allowing Arsenal to retain their complete domination. However, he appeared to tire quickly in the second half and could have done more to prevent the cross that resulted in the equalizer. 6.
Leandro Trossard: He took his goal extremely nicely, putting Arsenal two up. He may not have intended for his winner to cross the line, but he deserved it after an outstanding performance. 8.
Declan Rice won the ball back repeatedly to hold Arsenal ahead in the first half. His set piece delivery was also consistently solid. 7.
Bukayo Saka terrorised Leicester down the right in the first half, creating opportunity after opening. Consistently excellent set piece delivery. The first player to record assists in each of his first six Premier League games of the season. 8.
Kai Havertz turned his back to divert Ndidi’s header, which will be upsetting. Worked hard up front and was finally rewarded with the most fortunate goal he’ll ever score. 7.
Gabriel Martinelli: The Brazilian scored and assisted, and he appeared to be back to his best in the first half. Will boost his confidence. His removal had no impact on his play. 8.
SUBSTITUTES –
Raheem Sterling: He beat his guy right away after coming down the left wing. I injected some vigor into Arsenal’s assault. 7.
Ethan Nwaneri: It was a great leap of faith for Arteta to turn to the 17-year-old in his time of need. Almost immediately repaid the choice with a shot from range. Aside from that, it appeared bright. 7.
Gabriel Jesus: We’re deep into stoppage time. N/A
