- Leicester City hosted Premier League leaders Arsenal at the King Power on Saturday afternoon in the League
- Arsenal came off the stunning win over Villa while the Foxes came off the loss to Manchester United
- Gabriel Martinelli scored the winning goal of the match as Arsenal extended their lead on top of the Premier League table
Gabriel Martinelli’s goal gave Arsenal a 1-0 victory over Leicester City on Saturday, pushing them five points ahead atop the Premier League standings.
Last weekend, Mikel Arteta’s team defeated Aston Villa 4-2 to stop a three-game losing streak in the league. At the King Power Stadium, they continued where they left off.
After being caught on the knee by Wilfred Ndidi as he slid the game-winning goal past Danny Ward less than a minute into the second half, Martinelli was fortunate to avoid severe injury.
Although champions Manchester City can reduce that margin to just two points with a win over Bournemouth later, the triumph extended Arsenal’s advantage at the top of the standings.
Arsenal forward Gabriel Martinelli scored the winner against Leicester City in the Premier League on Saturday, February 25 2023. | PHOTO: Premier League |
Leandro Trossard’s 18-yard curled shot into the top corner gave Arsenal hope of going in front just before the half-hour mark.
Their happiness was short-lived, though, as referee Craig Pawson overturned the goal after determining that Ben White had fouled Ward after a check on the pitch-side review.
Soon after, Leicester’s Kelechi Iheanacho put the ball in the cage, but that goal was also disallowed because the Nigerian strayed offside.
Within 51 seconds of the second half’s start, Arsenal had taken the lead thanks to Martinelli, who had been set up by Trossard and slipped past Ward.
After that, Leicester added Jamie Vardy and Youri Tielemans, but Arsenal never seemed in danger of losing the three points as they cruised to yet another significant win.
Arsenal players celebrate after Gabriel Martinelli scored the winner against Leicester City in the Premier League on Saturday, February 25 2023 at the King Power Stadium. | PHOTO: Arsenal FC |
Arsenal Patience pay off
Leicester frustrated Arsenal in the first half, but Arteta’s team quickly made their supremacy evident after the break.
For the first occasion since December 1913 to September 1925, the Gunners have now defeated the Foxes in three straight away league games.
Stunning Martinelli
In the Arsenal attack, Martinelli was selected ahead of Eddie Nketiah, and the 21-year-old did not disappoint. In addition to his goal against Villa last week off the bench, he scored the game-winning goal on Saturday afternoon. He also had the highest pass completion percentage on the field at the end of the match (92.5 per cent).
On Wednesday, the Gunners welcome Everton at the Emirates Stadium, while Leicester host Blackburn Rovers at home in the FA Cup’s fifth round on Tuesday evening.
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