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Quickfire first-half goals from Gabriel Magalhaes and Emile Smith Rowe saw Arsenal defeat Leicester City 2-0 in their Premier League clash on Saturday.
Arsenal made much the better start to the game as their urgent pressing did not allow Leicester to settle into a rhythm. Their all-action approach paid off, with Gabriel and Smith Rowe’s goals giving them an early two-goal lead. The hosts upped their game as the half wore on but were kept at bay by a solid Arsenal backline.
Leicester ratcheted up the pressure in the second half and came close to scoring, but found the Arsenal defense extremely hard to beat. The visitors stood firm in the face of incessant pressure from the hosts and saw out a well-deserved win with a clean sheet.
With the win, Arsenal jumped up to fifth in the table, with Leicester much further down in tenth. On that note, here are the five major talking points from the game.
#1 Arsenal’s youngsters are leading by example
When a football team is going through a tough period, most people look to its senior members to provide some inspiration. However, at Arsenal, it has been the youth that has stepped up to take on the challenge.
Chief among Arsenal’s impressive youngsters have been Bukayo Saka and Emile Smith Rowe. Both are academy graduates who have been heavily involved in the attack. That was the case once again, with Saka setting up the first goal and Smith Rowe scoring the second. Smith Rowe has chipped in with four goals and two assists in his last seven appearances.
Equally impressive at the back have been some of Arsenal’s summer signings, who were brought in with the club’s long-term future in mind. Takehiro Tomiyasu, Ben White, Gabriel Magalhaes and Aaron Ramsdale have been crucial in the Gunners’ recent improvement. The defensive solidity they offer perfectly complements the side’s exuberance and fearlessness up front.
#2 Leicester City’s bad luck with injury continues
Over the past couple of seasons, Leicester City have had to contend with a particularly unfortunate injury record. This seems to affect their defenders, with the Foxes backline featuring some quite noticeable absentees.
Ahead of the game, Leicester were missing right-back Ricardo Pereira, having himself recently returned from a lengthy layoff. As such, Brendan Rodgers had to make alterations to his defense, which was evident in their disjointed performance at the start of the game.
Alongside Pereira, Leicester are also missing the services of James Justin and Wesley Fofana, who had established themselves as key members of the side. Defensive lynchpin Wilfried Ndidi was another important miss, even though the Nigerian was on the bench for this game.
#3 Aaron Ramsdale is firmly establishing himself as Arsenal’s first-choice goalkeeper
When Aaron Ramsdale was signed from Sheffield United in the summer, he was viewed only as a back-up for Bernd Leno. The German international had been a mainstay in goal for the Gunners and had established himself as one of the side’s better performers.
However, Arsenal’s poor start to the season saw Ramsdale drafted into the side and the Englishman grabbed the opportunity with both hands. With his acrobatic diving saves, courageous close-range blocks and excellent communication, he has quickly endeared himself to the Arsenal faithful.
In this game against Leicester, Ramsdale made it clear that he was now the Gunners’ first-choice goalkeeper with a fantastic performance. He thwarted the Leicester attack on numerous occasions. His first-half save from a James Maddison free-kick is a real contender for the save of the season.
In all, Ramsdale made eight saves and fully deserved his clean sheet.
#4 Arsenal are enjoying a welcome upswing in form
A 5-0 hammering against Manchester City in August feels like old news for Arsenal, who are unbeaten in eight games since then. While progressing in the Carabao Cup, the Gunners have also moved steadily up the table, putting together a string of encouraging results.
During his relatively short spell at Arsenal, no one would understand better how quickly momentum can turn than Mikel Arteta. However, the Spaniard will be glad to ease some of the pressure that had been on his shoulders at the start of the season
#5 Leicester City are struggling for consistency
Like their opponents in this game, Leicester City have had some welcome positive results of late after a difficult start to the campaign. The Foxes joined the Gunners in the quarter-finals of the Carabao Cup, matching that with some impressive showings in the league.
However, just as Leicester’s surge seemed to be gathering momentum, this result has knocked some of the wind out of their sails. As such, despite recent improvements, the Foxes find themselves tenth in the table after this loss. Rodgers will be hoping his side can move swiftly on from this result and focus on moving up the table.
