Arsenal continued their recent resurgence with a comfortable Premier League win over Leicester City at King Power Stadium.
The visitors capitalised on a lacklustre start from the hosts to dominate the early exchanges and were rewarded with a two-goal lead inside 20 minutes.
Gabriel put the Gunners in front, climbing above several static Leicester defenders to head in from Bukayo Saka’s corner, while Emile Smith Rowe picked his spot when the ball broke to him after good work from Saka and Alexandre Lacazette.
Arsenal goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale also produced several fine saves as Mikel Arteta’s side showed defensive resolve to record a seventh league game without defeat.
They climb from 10th to fifth in the table, level on points with fourth-placed West Ham, before Saturday’s other fixtures.
It was a disappointing afternoon for Leicester who remain in mid-table.
Brendan Rodgers’ side were roared on by an enthusiastic home crowd but struggled to find the rhythm and poise that helped them to successive victories over Manchester United and Brentford.
James Maddison’s curling free-kick just before the break brought an excellent save from Ramsdale but despite a significant improvement after the break they were unable to claw themselves back into the contest.
Resilient Gunners impress
After starting the campaign with three consecutive defeats, which included a dismal display at Manchester City, Arsenal are beginning to look like a well-oiled machine.
Their fifth victory in seven matches has propelled them into the mix for European places and ensured any pressure on Arteta has eased.
This performance followed the template laid out against Aston Villa just over a week ago, with the Gunners setting a tempo that the hosts struggled to deal with early on.
Nuno Tavares charged forward from left-back while the likes of Saka, Smith Rowe and Thomas Partey largely controlled midfield.
England winger Saka was particularly impressive, dancing through the home defence within two minutes to almost lay on a chance for Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and then contributing to both goals.
Arsenal’s resilience is also likely to have pleased their Spanish boss, with Ramsdale key to that.
Aside from denying Maddison, the former Sheffield United player made a superb save from Foxes substitute Ademola Lookman – although credit should also go to Ben White and Gabriel for a series of important clearances as Leicester pressed forward.
Rodgers’ side had all the momentum after the interval but Luke Thomas drove a good chance wide, while Jamie Vardy’s missed header summed up their day.
Player of the match
RamsdaleAaron Ramsdale
Leicester City
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Squad number7Player nameBarnesAverage rating
5.14
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Squad number1Player nameSchmeichelAverage rating
5.06
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Squad number8Player nameTielemans
Average rating4.69
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Squad number10Player nameMaddison
Average rating4.56
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Squad number37Player nameLookman
Average rating4.43
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Squad number14Player nameIheanacho
Average rating4.39
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Squad number29Player nameDaka
Average rating4.36
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Squad number9Player nameVardy
Average rating4.35
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Squad number18Player nameAmartey
Average rating4.33
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Squad number4Player nameSöyüncü
Average rating4.26
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Squad number33Player nameThomas
Average rating4.23
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Squad number6Player nameEvans
Average rating4.18
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Squad number27Player nameCastagne
Average rating4.12
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Squad number42Player nameSoumaré
Average rating4.09
Arsenal
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Squad number32Player nameRamsdaleAverage rating
9.36
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Squad number10Player nameSmith RoweAverage rating
8.59
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Squad number6Player nameGabriel MagalhãesAverage rating
8.59
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Squad number4Player nameWhiteAverage rating
8.09
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Squad number18Player nameTomiyasuAverage rating
7.96
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Squad number5Player nameParteyAverage rating
7.93
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Squad number9Player nameLacazetteAverage rating
7.86
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Squad number20Player nameNuno TavaresAverage rating
7.86
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Squad number7Player nameSakaAverage rating
7.84
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Squad number14Player nameAubameyangAverage rating
7.74
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Squad number23Player nameSambi LokongaAverage rating
7.71
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Squad number8Player nameØdegaardAverage rating
7.09
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Squad number19Player namePépéAverage rating
6.58
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Squad number31Player nameKolasinacAverage rating
6.41
Line-ups
Leicester
Formation 3-4-1-2
- 1Schmeichel
- 18AmarteySubstituted forBarnesat 45′minutes
- 6EvansBooked at 68mins
- 4Söyüncü
- 27Castagne
- 8Tielemans
- 42Soumaré
- 33Thomas
- 10MaddisonSubstituted forDakaat 71′minutes
- 14IheanachoSubstituted forLookmanat 45′minutes
- 9VardyBooked at 75mins
Substitutes
- 5Bertrand
- 7Barnes
- 12Ward
- 20Choudhury
- 22Dewsbury-Hall
- 23Vestergaard
- 25Ndidi
- 29Daka
- 37Lookman
Arsenal
Formation 4-4-1-1
- 32Ramsdale
- 18Tomiyasu
- 4White
- 6Gabriel
- 20Varela Tavares
- 7SakaSubstituted forPépéat 85′minutes
- 5Partey
- 23Sambi Lokonga
- 10Smith RoweSubstituted forKolasinacat 90′minutes
- 9LacazetteSubstituted forØdegaardat 58′minutes
- 14Aubameyang
Substitutes
- 1Leno
- 8Ødegaard
- 15Maitland-Niles
- 16Holding
- 17Cédric Soares
- 19Pépé
- 25Elneny
- 31Kolasinac
- 35Martinelli
- Referee:
- Michael Oliver
- Attendance:
- 32,209
Match Stats
Live Text
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Match ends, Leicester City 0, Arsenal 2.
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Second Half ends, Leicester City 0, Arsenal 2.
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Ademola Lookman (Leicester City) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
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Foul by Nuno Tavares (Arsenal).
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Timothy Castagne (Leicester City) wins a free kick on the right wing.
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Foul by Nuno Tavares (Arsenal).
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Substitution, Arsenal. Sead Kolasinac replaces Emile Smith Rowe.
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Patson Daka (Leicester City) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
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Foul by Thomas Partey (Arsenal).
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Substitution, Arsenal. Nicolas Pépé replaces Bukayo Saka.
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Attempt blocked. Harvey Barnes (Leicester City) with an attempt from the right side of the six yard box is blocked. Assisted by Youri Tielemans with a cross.
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Corner, Leicester City. Conceded by Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
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Attempt blocked. Youri Tielemans (Leicester City) left footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Assisted by Timothy Castagne.
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Corner, Leicester City. Conceded by Aaron Ramsdale.
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Attempt saved. Harvey Barnes (Leicester City) left footed shot from the left side of the six yard box is saved in the bottom left corner. Assisted by Jamie Vardy.
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Foul by Ademola Lookman (Leicester City).
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Albert Sambi Lokonga (Arsenal) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
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Jamie Vardy (Leicester City) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
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Foul by Jamie Vardy (Leicester City).
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Benjamin White (Arsenal) wins a free kick in the defensive half.