New Delhi: Leicester City welcomed North London side Arsenal in their latest Premier League clash as they continued on their hunt to survive in the Premier League. The Foxes have had a torrid season back in the top flight and have been embroiled in the relegation battle all season, despite appointing two managers in the season. The Gunners, on the other hand, have been struggling with fitness issues all season.
They headed into the game with limited attacking options with Raheem Sterling, Leandro Trossard and Ethan Nwaneri being the only fit senior attackers at the club. Mikel Arteta named all three from the start with Trossard playing centrally while youngster Nathan Butler-Oyedeji was named on the bench. The game started off timidly for both sides with no real chances being created for either side.
Arsenal dominated the ball for the majority of the first half but struggled to create anything of note without their usual attackers. Midway through the first half, Leicester’s James Justin went down injured on the field bringing the play to a halt before being cleared by the medical staff for the time being. Nwaneri, while being the youngest on the pitch, looked the brightest of all players throughout the first half, causing Leicester trouble with his dribbling skills.
Justin, who had been injured earlier in the game, was ultimately unable to carry on for the whole game and had to be substituted just before half time, being replaced by January signing Woyo Coulibaly. Both sides didn’t have anything to show for the entire half except for a Wilfried Ndidi header late in the first half that went just wide of the target. The score remained goalless heading into the break and Leicester seemed content with the scoreline.
Liverpool: draw in the Merseyside derby
Arsenal: beat Leicester
The gap is four points…🤝 pic.twitter.com/H452fOp0hk
— B/R Football (@brfootball) February 15, 2025
The second half began slowly, just like the first and fans had to wait until the hour mark to witness their first real action of the game. It was Nwaneri once again who looked dangerous, blasting a shot from outside the box just over the bar as he provided a first glimpse of action for the Gunners. Leicester City decided to sit back and defend deeply, thwarting any and all Arsenal’s attack late in the half.
Nwaneri came close once again around the 77th minute with another shot from just outside the box, this time hitting the post with his effort. Mads Hermansen made a smart stop to push the 18-year-old’s strike to the post before it was cleared away to safety. Arsenal’s pressure on the Leicester defense finally came through in the last 10 minutes of the game, as substitute Mikel Merino proved to be the hero for the Gunners.
Merino replaced Sterling in the 69th minute and was playing as a makeshift striker, which moved Trossard to the left and that worked perfectly for Arteta’s men. Nwaneri was once again at the center of things as he received the ball just inside the box and floated a delicious cross in the box towards Merino, who produced a typical striker’s finish to break the Leicester defense and finally hand his side the lead in the 81st minute.
Merino would once again be a thorn in the Foxes side as six minutes later, he doubled his own and his side’s tally with another neat finish to wrap up the points. Playing on a counter, Merino timed his run into the box perfectly to meet another exquisite cross, this time from the left via Trossard, and produced a neat side-foot finish on the half volley to make it 2-0 for the Gunners and send them within four points of leaders Liverpool.
Player of the Match
Ethan Nwaneri’s stats against Leicester:
– Player of the Match
– 1 assist
– 2 chances created
– 6/7 take-ons completed
– 12 duels won
– 100% tackles won (3/3)
– 3 ball recoveries
– 60 touchesArsenal’s creative spark. ⚡️ pic.twitter.com/Ml8s52Ii3u
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) February 15, 2025
Before Merino stepped up from the bench and became Arsenal’s match winner, there was no other candidate for this one other than Ethan Nwaneri but even after the Spaniard’s brace, the 18-year-old remained Arsenal’s best player throughout the game. When Arsenal were struggling to create anything of note, he was the only one causing troubles to Ruud Van Nistelrooy’s side and came close to scoring a couple of times before assisting Merino’s goal.
His inch-perfect cross for the midfielder was a thing a beauty and it provided a huge relief to Arteta’s side in the dying moments of the game. Apart from being the provider for the opener, Nwaneri looked levels above anyone on the pitch and ended the game with six dribbles, the most number of completed ones in the game, and maintained an 88% pass accuracy throughout the match.
He even created two chances for his side, took 62 touches with seven of those in the opposition box. He was helping his side out defensively as well, winning all three of his tackles and making four recoveries of the ball. In addition to having the most tackles in the game, Nwaneri also won 12 duels in the game, which was the most of any player, showcasing his all round performance against the Foxes.
Mikel Arteta’s gamble to play Mikel Merino upfront paid off ultimately as the Spaniard scored a late brace to help his side brush past Leicester City with a 2-0 win over the Foxes. Football Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
