Leicester 0 Arsenal 1 LIVE RESULT: Martinelli fires table-toppers FIVE points clear at top of Premier League – latest
ARSENAL have gone five points clear at the top of the Premier League after beating Leicester 1-0.
Gabriel Martinelli scored the only goal of the game with a clever finish early into the second half.
The Gunners thought they were ahead in the first half but Leandro Trossard's goal was chalked out after Ben White appeared to hold goalkeeper Danny Ward's arm.
And the Gunners made a touching gesture to give Oleksandr Zinchenko captaincy a year on from the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
- Result: Leicester 0-1 Arsenal
- Leicester XI: Ward; Castagne, Souttar, Faes, Kristiansen; Dewsbury-Hall, Ndidil; Tete, Praet, Barnes; Iheanacho
- Arsenal XI: Ramsdale, White, Saliba, Gabriel, Zinchenko; Odegaard, Jorginho, Xhaka; Saka, Trossard, Martinelli
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Leicester 0-0 Arsenal
25. Zinchenko is offering good support for Martinelli.
The full back often seems more of a midfielder than defender.
Arsenal are just missing that final pass at the moment.
Leicester 0-0 Arsenal
23. The visitors are struggling to unlock the Leicester defence.
Trying to thread balls through constantly.
So far, Brendan Rodgers' side are reading the passes well.
Leicester 0-0 Arsenal
21. Martinelli is penalised for a foul in the box.
Leicester got themselves into a pickle in defence and were struggling to clear the bouncing ball.
Arteta will want to see his side work Danny Ward more.
Credit: Getty
Leicester 0-0 Arsenal
19. Arsenal have definitely started the better of the two sides.
Martinelli crosses looking for Saka but Kristiansen heads it behind.
The Gunners need to make these set pieces count.
Leicester 0-0 Arsenal
17. Leicester are struggling to stretch the visitors at the back.
They are getting the ball into wide areas but Arsenal are stopping the cross all too often.
Saka breaks as The Gunners counter but Leicester crowd him out with numbers at the expense of a corner.
Leicester 0-0 Arsenal
15. Odegaard does well to feed Xhaka.
All too often the midfielder seems scared to shoot.
The move breaks down as Leicester get numbers behind the ball.
Leicester 0-0 Arsenal
13. Zinchenko dummies a shot and slides in Trossard.
He takes one shot and looks to shoot but it is blocked.
Leicester are looking to hit Arsenal with quick breaks when they win the ball back.
Credit: Getty Leicester 0-0 Arsenal
11. Tete bursts forward down the right but Gabriel stands him up and forces the Leicester attacker to run the ball out.
Arsenal are looking in confident mood.
Seeing plenty more of the ball than the early stages at Villa Park.
Leicester 0-0 Arsenal
9. Faes is penalised for a foul on Trossard on the halfway line.
Martinelli and Xhaka are linking up well down the left.
Leicester win the ball back and spring a counter-attack.
Leicester 0-0 Arsenal
7. Arteta's side are dominating possession in the early stakes with 81% of the share of the ball.
Leicester are just about managing to keep them at bay.
Iheanacho comes forward for the first time but Jorginho wins the ball back.
Leicester 0-0 Arsenal
5. The away fans are singing the name of Jorginho.
He has won the hearts of the fans after that wonder strike at Villa Park getting them all three points.
The Gunners are passing the ball around well, making Leicester chase the ball as they win an early corner.
Leicester 0-0 Arsenal
3. Both sides are looking to get a feel for the ball.
Arsenal are finding pockets of space in between the lines.
Leicester are looking to press once they are in possession.
Credit: Reuters Leicester 0-0 Arsenal
1. The Gunners come forward from the off.
Putting pressure on The Foxes backline.
Odegaard tries an effort from the edge of the box but the ball sails over.
Kick-off: Leicester vs Arsenal
We are underway at the King Power Stadium.
If the football matches the atmosphere, we could be in for a cracker today.
Arsenal get the game started.
King Power Stadium ready to go
It is a full house at Leicester today as they welcome Mikel Arteta's Arsenal.
The home fans will be hoping for a shock result that will see their side put some distance between them and the bottom three.
Tests do not come much bigger than having the league leaders come to town.
Show us your spirit
Arsenal have the chance to make a statement today and answer some of their critics.
Despite spending the majority of the season top of the table, many have questioned their staying power.
Victory at Leicester today will show that they have the grit needed to grind out results and prove they are true title contenders.
Gunners fly high on road
Arsenal have won five of their last six away league games.
Their return of 28 points on the road is the best record in the Premier League this season.
They have already matched last season's record of nine away wins away from home.
Rodgers looking for Foxes' fix
Leicester are the only side to have not kept a clean sheet in the Premier League since the the World Cup break.
The manager will be concerned that his side are not scoring goals and are struggling to keep them out at the back also.
His team have lost five games from winning positions this season, more than any other side in the Premier League.
Arsenal to put pressure on Pep
Mikel Arteta's team have the chance to put further pressure on Man City as they can stretch their lead at the top to five points with victory today.
Arsenal will be in confident mood after their win at Aston Villa with Unai Emery's side making them work hard for the three points.
However, The Gunners are getting into the habit of winning once again after their defeat against Pep Guardiola's side.
Credit: PA Arsenal subs:
30. Turner, 3. Tierney, 18. Tomiyasu, 15. Kiwior, 16. Holding, 10. Smith Rowe, 21. Viera, 5. Partey, 14. Nketiah
Arsenal starting XI:
Bukayo Saka is fit enough to start for The Gunners, with the only change being Gabriel Martinelli coming in for Eddie Nketiah.
1. Ramsdale, 4. White, 12. Saliba, 6. Gabriel, 35. Zinchenko, 8. Odegaard, 20. Jorginho, 34. Xhaka, 7. Saka, 11. Martinelli, 19. Trossard
Credit: @Arsenal
Leicester subs:
31. Iversen, 21. Ricardo, 18. Amartey, 33. Thomas, 24. Mendy, 42. Soumare, 8. Tielemans, 9. Vardy, 20. Daka
Leicester starting XI:
James Maddison is out for The Foxes with his troublesome knee injury with Brendan Rodgers resisting playing Arsenal target Youri Tielemans this afternoon.
1. Ward, 27. Castagne, 15. Souttar, 3. Faes, 16. Kristiansen, 22. Dewsbury-Hall, 25. Ndidi, 26. Praet, 37. Tete, 7. Barnes, 14. Iheanacho
Credit: @LCFC Harsh reality check for Foxes
After thumping Tottenham 4-1 at the King Power Stadium in their previous game, the 3-0 defeat at Old Trafford was a wake up call for Leicester.
The goals came from Marcus Rashford, who scored a brace, before Jadon Sancho added a third for the Red Devils.
Brendan Rodgers will want to see a response from his side today against table-topping Arsenal.
Foxes needing to find some goals
In their most recent defeat, 3-0 at Old Trafford against Man Utd, Brendan Rodgers' side dominated the first half.
They failed to turn possession and chances into goals, an issue they will need to address to ensure their safety in the league.
David De Gea was the thorn in the their side on the day as he was solely responsible for ten Hag's side going in at the break, having conceded no goals.
Credit: Getty
