Arsenal restore five-point lead with win over Leicester City

Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal secured another vital win on their travels in the Premier League as they swept aside Leicester City with a 1-0 victory at the King Power Stadium on Saturday. Gabriel Martinelli scored the winning goal for the Gunners in the second half, while the Arsenal defence limited Leicester to just one shot in the 90 minutes in a comfortable day out in the Midlands.

This victory sees Arsenal extend their lead at the top of the Premier League table to five points over Manchester City.

The North London side headed to Leicester City on the back of a morale-boosting win over Aston Villa last weekend. Jorginho deputised for Thomas Partey in defensive midfield for the third consecutive match, while Gabriel Martinelli replaced Eddie Nketiah in the front three. January signing Leandro Trossard started the game through the middle as the false nine, and the Belgian thought he had opened the scoring for the Gunners in the 28th minute.

The former Brighton man cut inside and launched an unstoppable strike through a crowd of players into the top corner to put Arsenal ahead, but the goal was ruled out after a check by the VAR due to a foul by Ben White on Leicester goalkeeper Danny Ward in the build-up to that goal.

Arsenal’s VAR frustrations continued when appeals for a penalty for a foul on Bukayo Saka were turned down by the officials. The Gunners controlled the possession for the rest of the first period, but couldn’t create any significant opportunities to test Ward in the Foxes’ goal.

The table toppers eventually broke the deadlock just 52 seconds after the restart through Gabriel Martinelli. The Brazilian got on the end of a neat through ball from Leandro Trossard and slid his finish past Danny Ward to score his ninth league goal this season. Martinelli’s celebrations were subdued after being caught by Wilfred Ndidi on his follow-through, but the Brazilian soldiered on after lengthy treatment.

Leicester’s press and intensity increased upon the introduction of Jamie Vardy in the final 30 minutes, but the hosts lacked any real penetration to trouble Aaron Ramsdale and the Arsenal backline. The Gunners had another goal ruled out for offside in the second half and survived any potentially hairy moments to see out the game and secure the three points.

The victory restored Arsenal’s five-point cushion at the top of the table over Manchester City, who take on Bournemouth on the south coast on matchday 25.