Week 2 Match Review: Arsenal 4, Leicester 2

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Arsenal returned home to the Emirates to play their first home Premier League match of the season against Leicester City. Arsenal won 4-2 and continued their positive start to the season. There is plenty more to discuss, though. Let’s get into the match review for last Saturday’s match against Leicester City. 

The Positives

There were plenty of positives from this match for Arsenal. Arsenal created many chances and the interplay between various Arsenal players seemed quite fluid. Arsenal’s attacking quality led to them registering an 8.53 xG rating, which is quite impressive. 

Arsenal also won the midfield battle against Leicester City, with Xhaka proving to be Arsenal’s best midfielder during that match. Arsenal also kept possession well and rarely gave away possession to Leicester City in dangerous areas. Arsenal also kept Youri Tielemans quiet in this game, with him only having a minimal influence in the match. 

Xhaka made good passes, good runs, and overall, played well. He capped off his excellent performance by scoring Arsenal’s third goal of the game. It was definitely a good game for him. 

Zinchenko also played well during the match against Leicester. He defended well and helped Arsenal create some chances. His ability to keep the ball in tight areas also helped prevent Arsenal from losing possession when multiple Leicester players tried to win the ball off of him.

Jesus was fantastic. He scored twice and assisted Arsenal’s other two goals. He was quite unlucky not to score a hat-trick. He also pressed well and generally caused all sorts of issues for the Leicester defense. 

Martinelli also played well. His pressing and work rate were excellent as usual. He scored a very good goal to restore Arsenal’s two-goal lead and seal the win for the Gunners. His interplay with Gabriel Jesus especially was quite impressive and the two of them seem to be already developing some good chemistry. 

The Negatives

There weren’t too many negatives for Arsenal from this match, but there were a few. First off, Leicester’s long balls over the top did seem to cause Arsenal some issues at times. This was especially true in the second half of the game. 

Saliba’s own goal was also unfortunate. He should have done better in heading the ball out of play. That was a bad error from him, although he did play well aside from the own goal.

Ramsdale didn’t have the best game, either. His distribution was still pretty good, but he did make a few errant passes. Ramsdale also should have done much better and prevented Maddison from scoring Leicester’s second goal of the game. He was beaten far too easily at his near post for that goal. 

Thomas Partey also didn’t play that well. He still shielded Arsenal’s back four well overall. However, his passing lacked its usual accuracy and he failed to contribute to Arsenal’s attacks as much as he normally does. 

Odegaard struggled a bit, too. He worked hard and covered plenty of distance. Despite this, his creativity didn’t seem quite there in this match against Leicester. 

Saka also had a quiet game. He worked hard and made good runs. His impact in the final third was limited, though. 

Man of the Match: Gabriel Jesus

Gabriel Jesus wins Man of the Match this time, though Xhaka, Zinchenko, and Martinelli also played very well. Jesus scored or assisted all four of Arsenal’s goals against Leicester. Jesus also nearly had a hat-trick and surprisingly missed an opportunity to score his third goal of the match in the second half. 

His interplay with Xhaka and especially Martinelli was also excellent. Jesus created a good goal-scoring opportunity all by himself when he held off Johnny Evans and fired a shot at goal, which Leicester keeper Danny Ward saved. Overall, Jesus enjoyed a fantastic home Arsenal debut. 

Arsenal Will Look to Continue Their Winning Ways against Bournemouth

This was a good win for Arsenal. Arsenal largely controlled the game and quickly responded whenever they conceded a goal. Jesus also played extremely well. Next, Arsenal will travel to Vitality Stadium to play AFC Bournemouth. That is a match Arsenal should definitely win and hopefully, they do so. You can bet on Arsenal winning that match if you like. Check back in next week for the match review on Arsenal’s match against AFC Bournemouth. 

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