Even Leicester’s late fightback after William Saliba’s own goal and James Maddison had reduced the deficit to a single goal could not stop the hosts as Granit Xhaka – courtesy of a screamer from goalkeeper Danny Ward – and Gabriel Martinelli took care of the points in the second. Half. It’s certainly some contrast to the start of last season, when two defeats left Arsenal bottom of the Premier League table and Arteta facing serious questions over his future. However, despite the disappointment of missing out on Champions League qualification in May, there are already signs of his side’s progress following a busy summer in the transfer market which included the signing of Jesus from Manchester City. “We know what Gabi can do – he’s disappointed in this dressing room because he knows he could have scored more goals,” said a delighted Arteta, who paid tribute to the home fans who booed Saliba after his own goal . “This shows the connection and it was exactly the kind of support that was needed.” On a baking day in north London, every Arsenal player was given a rapturous welcome before kick-off as Arteta selected the same team he started in last week’s win over Crystal Palace. But, as if to underline the anticipation surrounding his arrival from the City, there was a very loud roar that Jesus had reserved. Having led 2-0 in their opener against Brentford last week, Brendan Rodgers also opted for an unchanged squad and arranged his side into a formation designed to ease the pressure and hit Arsenal on the break. That plan almost paid off inside the first three minutes when Aaron Ramsdale had to make a save to deny the onrushing Wesley Fofana. After this early wake-up call, Arsenal took control. Jesus was at the heart of it all, just failing to convert a free-kick inside the first 10 minutes before Xhaka headed Bukayo Saka’s cross onto the post and Oleksandr Zinchenko flicked the rebound over the bar. The moment all Arsenal fans were waiting for came soon after, Jesus adjusted his feet brilliantly after receiving the ball inside the area, then unleashed a superb shot past Danny Ward via a slight deflection. It was the 25-year-old’s sixth goal against Leicester in eight matches and he didn’t have to wait long for his next. Lingering at the back post for a corner, the ball seemed to be drawn to Jesus’ forehead like a magnet after the Leicester defenders failed to clear. How Jesus didn’t end the afternoon with a hat-trick only he will know. The first chance came within 60 seconds of his second goal and he was still trying in the 83rd minute before being replaced by Eddie Nketiah to a standing ovation. Two excellent saves from Ward to deny Jesus the match ball will unfortunately be overshadowed by his mistake on Xhaka’s goal. Earlier, Leicester were denied a penalty when Jamie Vardy hit the post after getting to the ball before Ramsdale. The referee, Darren England, immediately pointed to the spot, but this was quickly overruled by VAR after replays showed there was minimal contact, although Vardy escaped a booking. Start your evenings with the Guardian’s view of the world of football Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online advertising and content sponsored by external parties. For more information, see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and Google’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Arsenal showed they still have a tendency to shoot themselves in the foot. A harmless long ball forward at the start of the second half should not have caused drama even when James Justin won the opening header. But after his excellent debut against Palace last week, Saliba’s intervention as he tried to drive the ball back to Ramsdale was not one to be remembered. Gabriel Martinelli restored Arsenal’s two-goal lead with a well-taken finish. Photo: Nigel Keene/ProSports/Rex/Shutterstock Fortunately for the Frenchman, Leicester were also in the mood and Ward’s failure to gather a simple cross two minutes later allowed Xhaka to restore the two-goal cushion. Rodgers responded by abandoning his three-man defense before Kelechi Iheanacho was called on to replace Vardy. It took a last-ditch clearance from Saliba to keep the Nigerian out, but when Iheanacho set up Maddison to make it 3-2 with 16 minutes remaining, it looked like Leicester could even grab a point. “At key moments in the game we made mistakes,” admitted Rodgers. Much to Arteta’s relief, however, Jesus and Martinelli combined again to score a fourth goal that finally put the game beyond Leicester’s reach and allowed Arsenal fans to dream of what could have been this season .
