

Jamie Vardy came off the bench to score a customary goal against Arsenal and send Leicester to within a point of the Premier League summit with a first win at the Gunners’ home since 1973.
Vardy, 33, had missed two games with a calf injury but was reintroduced after a largely sterile opening hour at Emirates Stadium and promptly ended a 262-minute Leicester goal drought in the league.
The former England international headed home fellow substitute Cengiz Under’s smart pass to bring up a remarkable 11th Premier League goal against Arsenal in 12 appearances. Only Wayne Rooney, with 12, has more goals.
Until Vardy’s arrival Leicester had barely threatened but they have now won their opening three away league games for the first time.
Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal were disappointing and, despite dominating possession and having 12 shots on goal, never looked like seriously testing Leicester goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel as they slipped to a first home league defeat of 2020.
The scourge of Arsenal
Four summers ago Arsenal tried to prise Vardy away from Leicester and he continues to pile on the regret with every game.
He had only 11 touches after replacing Dennis Praet, but still scored the winner and was only denied a second by the head of Bernd Leno as he raced through on goal late on.
Leicester lined up with no forward at all in his absence, with winger Harvey Barnes nominally playing up front, and their lack of cutting edge meant James Maddison had all four of their efforts, all from outside the area, before number nine Vardy came on.
Their improvement was as marked as it was predictable with Vardy on the field, and it was no surprise when they grabbed the lead.
Youri Tielemans’ excellent pass over the top freed Under, and he squared for the free Vardy to score with a stooping header.
There is no more clinical player in the Premier League. Vardy has scored six goals from just nine shots this season – 20 fewer than Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah and one fewer than the champions’ full-back Trent Alexander-Arnold.
Last season Leicester capitulated from a position which seemed certain to deliver Champions League football, when they were 14 points ahead of Manchester United at the start of February. Could they seal the deal this time around?
Predictable Gunners firing blanks
Arsenal thought they had scored in the opening minutes when Alexandre Lacazette headed in from a corner, but Granit Xhaka and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang were both offside.
From that point Arsenal controlled the game for the most part, but, despite Kieran Tierney raiding with intent down the left, they struggled to bust open the organised visitors.
Arsenal had 11 shots in the first half but Schmeichel’s only save of note came from the one effort after the break, pushing out a decent volley from Hector Bellerin.
Aubameyang, who has now gone five Premier League games without a goal for the first time, was largely anonymous.
Thomas Partey made a much-vaunted full league debut in midfield but was not alone in failing to shine as Arsenal moved the ball painfully slowly at times.
They have scored only eight goals in six league games this season. They have managed fewer at this stage in one of the previous 20 campaigns, when they scored five goals in 2015-16.
28th time lucky – the stats
- Leicester picked up their first win at Arsenal since September 1973, ending a run of 27 games in all competitions.
- This was Leicester’s fourth victory in the Premier League this season, their joint-highest after six games of a top-flight campaign, having also won four of their opening six in 2000-01.
- Arsenal striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has gone five league matches without a goal for the first time since November 2014, while playing for Borussia Dortmund.
- Bukayo Saka made his 50th appearance for Arsenal, with 31 of those coming in the 38 games the Gunners have played under Mikel Arteta.
Player of the match
VardyJamie Vardy
Arsenal
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Squad number3Player nameTierney
Average rating4.40
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Squad number18Player namePartey
Average rating4.08
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Squad number23Player nameDavid Luiz
Average rating3.88
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Squad number6Player nameGabriel Magalhães
Average rating3.87
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Squad number7Player nameSaka
Average rating3.78
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Squad number1Player nameLeno
Average rating3.78
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Squad number2Player nameBellerín
Average rating3.60
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Squad number34Player nameXhaka
Average rating3.42
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Squad number14Player nameAubameyang
Average rating3.39
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Squad number8Player nameDani Ceballos
Average rating3.28
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Squad number9Player nameLacazette
Average rating3.18
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Squad number30Player nameNketiah
Average rating3.04
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Squad number19Player namePépé
Average rating2.99
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Squad number20Player nameMustafi
Average rating2.85
Leicester City
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Squad number9Player nameVardy
Average rating8.72
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Squad number19Player nameÜnder
Average rating7.99
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Squad number3Player nameFofana
Average rating7.97
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Squad number6Player nameEvans
Average rating7.74
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Squad number1Player nameSchmeichel
Average rating7.64
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Squad number24Player nameMendy
Average rating7.63
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Squad number8Player nameTielemans
Average rating7.62
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Squad number10Player nameMaddison
Average rating7.48
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Squad number27Player nameCastagne
Average rating7.44
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Squad number28Player nameFuchs
Average rating7.36
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Squad number15Player nameBarnes
Average rating7.33
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Squad number11Player nameAlbrighton
Average rating7.30
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Squad number2Player nameJustin
Average rating7.25
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Squad number26Player namePraet
Average rating7.07
Line-ups
Arsenal
- 1Leno
- 23David LuizSubstituted forMustafiat 49′minutes
- 6dos Santos Magalhães
- 34XhakaBooked at 90mins
- 2BellerínBooked at 30mins
- 18Partey
- 8Ceballos
- 3TierneySubstituted forNketiahat 81′minutes
- 14Aubameyang
- 9LacazetteBooked at 57mins
- 7SakaSubstituted forPépéat 65′minutes
Substitutes
- 13Rúnarsson
- 15Maitland-Niles
- 19Pépé
- 20Mustafi
- 25Elneny
- 28Willock
- 30Nketiah
Leicester
- 1Schmeichel
- 3FofanaBooked at 52mins
- 6EvansBooked at 74mins
- 28FuchsBooked at 32mins
- 27Castagne
- 8TielemansBooked at 41mins
- 24Mendy
- 2Justin
- 26PraetSubstituted forVardyat 60′minutes
- 10MaddisonBooked at 67minsSubstituted forAlbrightonat 85′minutes
- 15BarnesSubstituted forÜnderat 75′minutes
Substitutes
- 5Morgan
- 9Vardy
- 11Albrighton
- 12Ward
- 14Iheanacho
- 19Ünder
- 20Choudhury
- Referee:
- Craig Pawson
Match Stats
Live Text
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Match ends, Arsenal 0, Leicester City 1.
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Second Half ends, Arsenal 0, Leicester City 1.
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Granit Xhaka (Arsenal) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
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Foul by Granit Xhaka (Arsenal).
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Cengiz Ünder (Leicester City) wins a free kick on the right wing.
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Corner, Arsenal. Conceded by Timothy Castagne.
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Corner, Leicester City. Conceded by Bernd Leno.
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Attempt saved. Jamie Vardy (Leicester City) right footed shot from a difficult angle on the left is saved in the centre of the goal. Assisted by Marc Albrighton.
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Foul by Eddie Nketiah (Arsenal).
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Wesley Fofana (Leicester City) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
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Foul by Thomas Partey (Arsenal).
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Jamie Vardy (Leicester City) wins a free kick on the left wing.
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Foul by Shkodran Mustafi (Arsenal).
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Youri Tielemans (Leicester City) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
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Substitution, Leicester City. Marc Albrighton replaces James Maddison.
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Foul by Eddie Nketiah (Arsenal).
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Youri Tielemans (Leicester City) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
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Substitution, Arsenal. Eddie Nketiah replaces Kieran Tierney.
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Goal! Arsenal 0, Leicester City 1. Jamie Vardy (Leicester City) header from the centre of the box to the centre of the goal. Assisted by Cengiz Ünder.
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Foul by Gabriel Magalhães (Arsenal).
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