And breathe. It was far more nervy than it ought to have been, but Arsenal maintained their latest title charge by securing a last-gasp win over Leicester City on Saturday afternoon, with the Gunners shaking off a limp second-half display to claim all three points.
With rivals Manchester City having ceded ground earlier in the day away at St James’ Park, the north London side needed to capitalise against the Foxes and looked almost certain to do so at half-time, having gone in at the break with a two goal advantage following goals from Leandro Trossard and Gabriel Martinelli.
This is the Premier League, however, and there are no easy rides – not even against a side chasing their first win of the season – with a James Justin brace, including a stunning second, pulling the visitors level just before the hour mark.
Staring down the barrel of a second successive draw in the league, up stepped that man Trossard to prod home – via an unfortunate Wilfried Ndidi – following yet another set-piece late into stoppage time, before Kai Havertz bundled home at the death to put the icing on the cake for Mikel Arteta‘s side.
The Spaniard will no doubt be feeling a palpable sense of relief following those late heroics, although he will have some thinking to do following a mixed bag of performances from his side.
Arsenal’s key performers vs Leicester
There’s no better place to start than with Mr Reliable himself, Trossard, with the Belgian wizard coming up clutch again amid his involvement in the ‘winner’ on the day, while also racking up three key passes in total as he sought to fill Martin Odegaard’s creative void in the side.
A key pass is a pass that directly leads to a shot at the opponent’s goal.
Creativity is also a word to be used for his ever-consistent teammate, Bukayo Saka, with the Englishman having looked to have picked up a sixth assist in as many league games this season – only for Trossard’s late strike to instead be awarded to Ndidi.
Regardless, the 23-year-old was at his brilliant best even as the Gunners toiled at times, racking up a ridiculous haul of eight key passes, while also successfully completing eight dribbles and winning 11 ground duels.
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Saka’s game in numbers vs Leicester |
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101 touches |
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93% pass accuracy |
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8 key passes |
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6/11 crosses |
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4 ‘big chances’ created |
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8/12 dribbles |
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11/22 ground duels won |
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20x possession lost |
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9.4 match rating |
On the opposite flank, it was also a welcome return to the scoresheet for Gabriel Martinelli, with the Brazilian speedster – who also teed up Trossard on the stroke of half-time – now boasting three goal involvements from his last two outings.
A great day then for Arteta’s attacking unit, although the impact of Trossard and co may well have clouded the performance of Thomas Partey, with the Ghanaian fading once again in the centre of the park.
Thomas Partey’s performance vs Leicester
On the face of it, it looked to have been a serene day for the experienced destroyer, with the 31-year-old having racked up 105 touches and recorded a 92% pass accuracy, while also winning five of his eight ground duels.
That said, the stats don’t tell the full story, with Partey notably culpable for the away side’s second, having seemingly not done enough to prevent the cross which led to Justin’s venomous volley.
The sight of the former Atletico Madrid man ambling along has become all too familiar for the Emirates faithful of late, with club legend Ian Wright having notably voiced his criticism after the midfielder appeared to be merely “jogging back” in the build-up to Brighton and Hove Albion’s equaliser back in late August.
With options limited in midfield due to the absence of both Odegaard and new man Mikel Merino, Arteta has been almost forced to keep faith with Partey thus far, although whether he can be relied upon week in, week out is another matter.
As football.london’s Kaya Kaynak stated – after awarding the £200k-per-week asset a 6/10 rating – he appeared to ‘tire massively’ after the break, before being withdrawn in the closing stages.
With Arsenal going on to seal the win without Partey on the field, perhaps there is an argument for him to be ousted from the side moving forward, amid the hope of seeing teenage playmaker, Ethan Nwaneri, feature more frequently.
That alteration would force Declan Rice to take on the sole, number six berth, yet with Partey’s legs appearing to fade, the Gunners can’t afford to carry any passengers in their bid for the title.
