Arsenal came twice from behind to beat Leicester City 4-3 in EPL opener. Record signing Alexandre Lacazette put Arsenal ahead after only 85 seconds at the Emirates Stadium, before Shinji Okazaki header and a Jamie Vardy brace saw 2016 champions Leicester go 2-1 and then 3-2 up.
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| Giroud celebrates after the late winner for Arsenal |
Olivier Giroud and Aaron Ramsey came off the bench to rescue Gunners as FA Cup final hero Ramsey drilled in an 83rd-minute equalizer with Giroud notching the winner two minutes later with a header that hit the bar and bounced over the line.
Alexandre Lacazette proved to be an instant star. Arsenal’s big-money summer signing arrived with a big reputation after blitzing the goalscoring charts in Ligue 1 for Lyon.
Some questioned whether a man who plays second fiddle to Olivier Giroud in the French national set-up could handle the pressure of playing in the very physical Premier League. But Lacazette needed just two minutes to score on his Emirates debut and looked fairly comfortable throughout as he survived Leicester’s rough-and-tumble approach to the game.
In the build-up to this match, manager Arsene Wenger challenged his record signing to score a goal a game and the young Frenchman wasted no time in proving to his compatriot that he’s up to the task.
The 26-year-old doesn’t run around as much as teammate Danny Welbeck and nor does he act as a target man in the same way as Olivier Giroud but he looks to have a knack of finding space in the box that the other two do not.
His header within two minutes of kick-off was a finish of the highest order and his celebration, arms outstretched as if he owned the place, certainly suggested he will not be overwhelmed by the pressure of being Arsenal’s main man. All he needs to do now is show he can do it on a regular basis because Olivier Giroud – who scored a superb header – will be keeping him very much under pressure.
The Gunners famously ditched their traditional four-man defence for a 3-4-3 system late on last season. It propelled them to an FA Cup win and also secured Europa League football – as well as a new contract for Arsene Wenger.
But without the right personnel it just doesn’t work, and Nacho Monreal was unable to forge a solid relationship with Sead Kolasinac and Rob Holding as Arsenal were split wide open by Jamie Vardy’s darting runs.
It’s a new season for the Foxes, with Craig Shakespeare earning his permanent deal and bringing in a number of exciting new signings.
There’s no title tag to live up to this time around, and it means Leicester can finally remove the shackles and produce the kind of football that saw them dominate in Claudio Ranieri’s first season.
A repeat of that campaign is highly unlikely, but the Foxes proved they still have the ability to make life uncomfortable for the teams at the top.
Jamie Vardy has his eyes on the prize:
England’s former favourite son was in impeccable form as he struck twice to hurt Arsenal in their north London home.
The hungry attitude and desire that led Leicester to their famous title triumph was plain for all to see as Vardy charged around the pitch, making life misery for Arsenal’s shambolic defence.
And with Kelechi Iheanacho now on board to help out in the final third, it could just be Vardy’s season yet again.
Olivier Giroud remains vital for Arsenal
HIS future was up in the air when Lacazette joined, with Everton and Marseille readying bids. But the decision to keep Olivier Giroud at the Emirates has been a great one from Arsene Wenger. The big targetman has rescued the Gunners on numerous occasions, but his late winner tonight may just prove to be the best of the bunch yet.
Kelechi Iheanacho has work to do
The young Nigerian forward left Manchester City in a £25m deal presumably because he wanted first team football in the East Midlands.
While he was understandably an understudy to world class talents in Sergio Aguero and Gabriel Jesus at the Etihad, he could well have as much work on his hands getting into the team at Leicester with Vardy and Okazaki once again proving what a partnership they are.
Okazaki showed that he is a more than capable second striker with his tireless work rate and early equaliser while Vardy was at his impish best, constantly hassling Arsenal’s defence and twice looking clinical in front of goal.
Iheanacho is undoubtedly a talented player, but it will be difficult for Shakespeare to drop his main pairing up front.
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