Arsenal continued their blistering start to the season as they defeated Leicester City 4-2 at the Emirates, with Gabriel Jesus starring.
Gabriel Jesus marked his competitive Emirates debut with a stunning performance, scoring two goals and providing as many assists as Arsenal swept aside a mildly competitive Leicester City side. The home team were on the front foot right from the start, putting pressure on the opposition.
After a period of dominance, Jesus opened the scoring with a stunning finish from the edge of the six-yard box. The Brazilian was then at the far post to head home Arsenal’s second from close range. The striker could have had his hat-trick but Daniel Amartey made a last-ditch challenge to prevent another goal.
Jesus could have added another from close range after brilliant work from Martin Odegaard, Gabriel Martinelli and Granit Xhaka, but failed to do as the first half ended with a 2-0 scoreline.
Leicester began the second half in a competent mood and soon got their reward as William Saliba was unfortunate enough to head the ball into his own net. Arsenal responded quickly as Ben White’s ball was poorly cleared by Danny Ward, which fell to Jesus and Granit Xhaka was on hand to tap home the third goal.
Arsenal continued to maintain the pressure and seemed likely to score again. However, Leicester pulled one back as James Maddison shot through the legs of Aaron Ramsdale and into the back of the net. But the north Londoners responded quickly once more as Jesus teed up Martinelli, who took a well-timed shot from outside the box to put the game beyond doubt.
Arsenal had more opportunities but failed to take them and add more sheen to the scoreline. Jesus will be the man most happy and frustrated in equal measure as he could have scored more goals. With the win, the Gunners maintained their 100% record in the season and will look forward to the next game now, having easily dispatched Leicester. Here are the Arsenal player ratings.
Aaron Ramsdale – 6/10
Vardy looking for penalty kick. Ramsdale is got to be careful now. pic.twitter.com/FQuQuMqYi1
— Nikky (@plutovium) August 13, 2022
A decent outing for Ramsdale, making some smart saves, although nothing that posed a threat. He could have not done much with Saliba’s own goal, although he should have been better for the Maddison strike. Had a penalty claim awarded against him in the first half but was overturned by the referee after consulting with the VAR and monitor check.
Ben White – 7.5/10
Ben White put in another impressive performance as an unorthodox right-back. He did not let anything go past him while contributing plenty in the attacking third. Played a major role in the third Arsenal goal and was taken off with a knock with 15 minutes to play.
William Saliba – 8/10
It’s very rare to see the crowd react positively to a defender scoring an own goal. In Saliba’s case, the event was unfortunate, as he headed the ball into his own net to offer Leicester a glimmer of hope. However, after the misfortune, his confidence was high, and he barely made any mistakes for the rest of the game.
Gabriel Magalhaes – 7/10
A composed performance from Gabriel, who was comfortable on the ball and, at times, due to how Arsenal are set up, was afforded more space to operate from. Kept Leicester’s attackers in check and could not do much about their two goals.
Oleksandr Zinchenko – 8/10
Zinchenko put in another flawless display to improve his stature at his new club. The Ukrainian took up some advanced positions and always found himself helping the attacking unit. In defence, he was composed and took control of some tricky situations with relative ease.
Thomas Partey – 7/10
Party controlled the midfield expertly, but his passing was not always accurate and he could not always find his man. The Ghanaian was unlucky not to get on the scoresheet, but he did hit in some eye-catching forward passes that opened up Leicester.
Granit Xhaka – 9/10
Granit Xhaka was ?????????? today. Fully deserved goal for his performance. ❤️ #afc pic.twitter.com/a6L8ouEVSs
— afcstuff (@afcstuff) August 13, 2022
It was an outstanding display from Xhaka, particularly when the talk before the game was about his competition with Arsenal transfer target Youri Tielemans. The Swiss star outshone the Belgian while scoring a goal and an assist to cap off a fine display.
Martin Odegaard – 7.5/10
Odegaard stitched together the attack with his incisive passing moves, and he was always available to facilitate his forward-minded teammates.
Bukayo Saka – 6.5/10
While Jesus and Martinelli ran havoc in the attack, Saka was having a relatively quieter day by his standards. The winger was on hand to create chances but was missing the usual instinct that makes him so dangerous.
Gabriel Jesus – 10/10
Gabriel Jesus vs. Leicester City:
84 minutes played
54 touches
22 passes (75.9% accuracy)
7 shots
4 shots on target
2 goals
2 assists
3 key passes
4 dribbles (3 successful)
1 long ball (100% completion)
6 aerial duels (4 won)
1 foul wonPlayer of the match. ?? pic.twitter.com/89ySovoxCA
— Connor Humm (@TikiTakaConnor) August 13, 2022
The clear choice for the man of the match award, Jesus put in a stunning performance in his first competitive game at the Emirates for Arsenal. Two goals and as many assists make it a perfect outing for the Brazilian, who would have been disappointed for not bagging a hat-trick, despite numerous gilt-edged chances presented to him.
Gabriel Martinelli – 9/10
While Jesus deservedly took all the plaudits, Martinelli’s hard-working display cannot be ignored. Scored his goal superbly to put the result beyond Leicester’s reach, and the Brazilian was a constant thorn for the Foxes’ defence, especially to Chelsea target Wesley Fofana.
⚽️ vs. Leicester City
⚽️ vs. Crystal Palace
⚽️ vs. EvertonGabriel Martinelli has scored three goals in his last three Premier League appearances. ??
He’s exploding. ? pic.twitter.com/Xl6KUnvtWt
— Connor Humm (@TikiTakaConnor) August 13, 2022
Substitutes
Takehiro Tomiyasu – 6/10
Tomiyasu replaced Ben White with 15 minutes to go and did a decent job covering the right-back spot. The cameo will help him get back in better shape, as these are good minutes under his belt.
Kieran Tierney – 5.5/20
More minutes under the belt for Tierney, who yet again replaced Zinchenko to add defensive security at the back as Arsenal looked to see out the game.
Emile Smith Rowe – 5/10
Mikel Arteta would be glad to let Smith Rowe get some valuable minutes as the attacking midfielder is being eased back from his injury troubles.
Eddie Nketiah – 6/10
Nketiah looks like a quality striker and can be a big threat if needed in place of Jesus anytime during the season.
