An electrifying display from summer signing Gabriel Jesus propelled Arsenal to a 4-2 home victory over Leicester City on Saturday.
Two was the magic number on a warm summer afternoon at the Emirates, as the Brazilian striker netted twice and added two assists in his home debut for the Gunners, who have claimed two wins in two matches to begin the Premier League season.
In addition, each of the Leicester goals was followed by a quick reply in two minutes’ time by the Gunners, who never trailed but needed a solid save from Aaron Ramsdale on Wesley Fofana in the third minute before dominating the first half.
Fielding an attacking side that pressed Leicester from the opening whistle, Arsenal created plenty of chances on goal in the opening period. Granit Xhaka nearly opened the scoring in the 20th minute, only for his header from a Bukayo Saka cross to bounce back off the post.
Jesus did make it 1-0 minutes later, looping the ball over Leicester keeper Danny Ward and into far corner after some neat interplay by Arsenal in the box. He then doubled the Gunners’ lead in the 36th minute by heading home off a corner kick that was flicked on by a Leicester defender.
Arsenal’s two Brazilian attackers, Jesus and Gabriel Martinelli, continued to create chances in an impressive opening half and Jesus had two clear chances to claim his hat trick before the intermission, only for Ward to stand tall each time.
Leicester looked to have a chance to halve the deficit in the 42nd minute, when referee Darren England awarded a penalty after Jamie Vardy went down in the box after a brush with keeper Ramsdale. But a VAR review reversed the decision, keeping the score 2-0 at halftime.
The visiting Foxes were on the board in the 53rd minute, when Arsenal defender William Saliba headed away a ball meant for an onrushing Vardy but managed to put it past Ramsdale and into his own goal.
It took just a couple of minutes for the Gunners to restore their two-goal advantage. Leicester keeper Ward mishandled a cross, allowing Jesus to lay the ball off for Xhaka to slot home Arsenal’s third goal.
Leicester found its way back into the game in the 74th minute when James Maddison beat Ramsdale from a tight angle after linking up with substitute Kelechi Iheanacho. But once again, Arsenal struck back straight away; Gabriel Martinelli produced a smart, left-footed effort that found the corner for a 4-2 lead that provided some relief for the home crowd.
Kieran Tierney and Takehiro Tomiyasu came on to provide some fresh legs to Arsenal’s defense, which kept the away side from threatening the rest of the way. Jesus was offered one more chance at a hat trick nine minutes from time, but could only put a point-blank rebound into the side netting.
In the end, the two goals and two assists for Jesus marked the first time since April 2021 that a Premier League player had accomplished such a tally. And the performance proved extra special, coming in his first home match for Arsenal.
“I am so happy because we played so good against a tough opponent,” said Jesus, who received a standing ovation from the home fans when he was substituted late on.
“He scored two and assisted two and he’s still disappointed in the dressing room because he said he could have scored four,” said manager Mikel Arteta to arsenal.com after the match. “That’s the standard, that’s the mentality that if you want to go to a different level you need that mentality.
‘I wouldn’t like to play against him. I have never been a defender but I can imagine that they don’t enjoy it,” continued Arteta. “He’s so mobile, so intuitive and is always sharp and proactive to play in any moment and any phase of the game and he’s a real threat.”
The 4-2 result continued Arsenal’s positive start to the Premier League season, which continues with a visit to Bournemouth on Saturday, August 20th, followed by a home match against Fulham on August 27th.