March 13, (THEWILL) –Â On Sunday, Arsenal defeated Leicester City 2-0 in the Premier League, with goals from Thomas Partey and Alexandre Lacazette proving the difference between the two teams.
The Gunners got off to a strong start, with Bukayo Saka, Martin Odegaard, and Gabriel Martinelli causing multiple difficulties for the Leicester defence. And the Gunners were rewarded as Partey rose highest at the near post to head home a Gabriel Martinelli corner in the 11th minute.
Partey almost increased the home side’s advantage with a stunning side-footed effort from the edge of the box, but the ball cannoned off the upright.
Around the half-hour mark, Leicester began to show signs of inspiration, with Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and Harvey Barnes starting to get on the ball. In the 35th minute, an incredible stop from Aaron Ramsdale, who was at full stretch to deflect Barnes’ header round the post, denied the latter.
At the outset of the second half, Arsenal seized control, running Leicester’s defence tired. And the defence finally gave way when Caglar Soyuncu put out a hand to block a Partey header, handing Arsenal a penalty and earning himself a yellow card after a VAR review.
Lacazette went up to convert the subsequent penalty kick, blasting it into the top left corner of the net with ease.
Leicester’s players’ heads certainly sank after falling behind by two goals, and Arsenal took advantage. Kasper Schmeichel denied substitute Emile Smith Rowe a goal off the bench in the 82nd minute, rushing off his line to palm his strike clear of danger.
The two goals were enough to see Arsenal regain fourth place, one point ahead of Manchester United in fifth, but the Gunners still have three games in hand over the sides below them.
Arteta’s charges will host Liverpool in one of those games next, but they have brought Leicester’s four-match winning streak to an end, and the Foxes remain in 12th place. Their next match is a Europa Conference League second-leg matchup versus Rennes.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
