Arsenal travelled to the King Power Stadium to take on Leicester City knowing that three points were a must at the top of the Premier League.
Mikel Arteta began the game with Leandro Trossard as the central striker and Joe Cole claimed that Ethan Nwaneri is the best young player in the country as he started on the wing.
Arsenal were sloppy on the ball in the first half and showed no signs of breaking down a stubborn Leicester defence.
Nwaneri was superb for Arsenal and hit the post midway through the second half before producing a brilliant cross for make-shift striker Mikel Merino to head home a vital opener.
Leandro Trossard then produced an excellent cross late on for the hero Merino to volley home his second of the game and secure a vital three points in the Premier League title race.
READ MORE: What if Jamie Vardy joined Arsenal?
Arsenal player ratings vs Leicester City
Here’s how the Arsenal players rated against Leicester City.
David Raya- 6
Comfortable save in the opening exchanges after a volley from Soumare, had to distribute the ball short on many occasions without Kai Havertz to hit up top.
Jurrien Timber- 6
Solid defensively as always and looked to combine with Nwaneri at every opportunity.
William Saliba- 6
Dealt with the threat of Vardy well and was back to being composed on the ball after his horror show at Newcastle.
Gabriel Magalhaes- 7
Dominant in the ground and aerial duels and was Arsenal’s only real attacking threat from set pieces. The Brazilian tried to drag his team forward with his leadership and took responsibility on the ball.
Myles Lewis-Skelly- 7
Full of energy and tried to pick up the ball in the pockets by inverting next to Partey but didn’t have many options to thread forward passes to. Made a vital interception to prevent a Leicester tap in the second half.
Thomas Partey- 5
Began the game sloppily in possession and this continued throughout the first half. Improved in the second half on the ball tried to get Arsenal moving forward whilst being disciplined in his positioning.
Declan Rice- 6
Tried to break forward on a number of occasions from his midfield position, should have done better with a header in the first half as his effort went tamely wide.
Martin Odegaard- 6
Tried to make things happen for his side and delivered a couple of delightful scooped passes into Trossard but to no avail. Took responsibility on the ball in the second half and helped lead his team to a vital win.
Ethan Nwaneri- 8
Arsenal’s brightest outlet, Nwaneri was positive every time he got the ball and delivered a number of dangerous crosses that weren’t pounced upon by the Arsenal forwards. Hit the bar with a ferocious shot in the second half after being set clear by Rice. Brilliant assist for Merino’s header.
Raheem Sterling- 2
Poor performance from the England international, looked lethargic, lacked in confidence and was caught offside on numerous occasions to frustrate Gunners attacks. Had the opportunity to run at his full back and often lacked conviction, he must improve for Arteta.
Leandro Trossard- 4
Wasn’t the performance Arteta was looking for from the Belgian in the central area. Struggled to get on the ball and misfired in front of goal when Odegaard gave him the opportunity.
Substitutes-
Mikel Merino- 9
Played in central striker position and did make a couple of nice touches and flicks around the corner. Then produced the magic moment for the Gunners with an excellent header from Nwaneri’s cross. Added a second late on to show he could be the answer to Arsenal’s striker issues.
Riccardo Calafiori- 5
Came on for Lewis-Skelly and was his usual tenacious self in the tackle.
Jorginho- 5
Came on for Partey with 15 minutes to go got booked.
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