The opposition levelled the scoring during the second period, courtesy of two James Justin goals, but Arsenal dug deep to net an injury-time winner.
A simple game on paper was made unnecessarily stressful by the home side, but three points on the board is all that will matter to Arteta.
Here is how we rated the players following the tense encounter.
Questions were asked throughout the week regarding David Raya’s fitness following a muscle injury during the 2-2 draw against Manchester City and after missing out on the Bolton clash, many thought the Spaniard would remain on the sidelines for Leicester.
However, Raya fought back to start in the fixture, but couldn’t keep his fourth clean sheet of the season.
Apart from the goals, Raya had little to do and both strikes were no fault of his own.
Jurrien Timber has continued his excellent opening to the second act of his Arsenal career, following up on the promise shown at the start of last season.
Slick dribbling, reliable defending and an intelligent assist for Martinelli’s opener were all part of another strong display at the Emirates Stadium today.
However, Arteta must manage the Dutchman's game time after returning from his ACL injury, especially with Ben White and Takehiro Tomiyasu currently available.
It was an unusually quiet performance from William Saliba against Leicester, who was booked at the start of the second half and was understandably cautious from that point onwards.
Conceding from a set-piece is never ideal for a centre-half, but Havertz’s deflection didn’t help that cause.
Gabriel Magalhaes was, like his partner Saliba, timid throughout the game whilst failing to attack from set-pieces in his usual crushing style.
Leicester City’s goalkeeper, Mads Hermansen, was brilliant inside the box and managed to keep the defender at bay from corners.
However, the Brazilian made no obvious mistakes and was slightly stronger than Saliba throughout the 90 minutes.
There was no wonder-strike akin to the monstrous goal at the Etihad last Sunday, but Calafiori looked so comfortable in the Arsenal backline once again, slotting into the back four unnoticeably.
Unlucky not to score a late header, the Italian defender carried out a brilliant dummy for Trossard’s goal and looked endlessly confident on the ball all afternoon.
After looking impressively competent since joining in the summer, Calafiori has given Arteta a decision to make when White returns.
Thomas Partey continued his sound start to the season with another solid performance, rarely misplacing a pass or conceding possession cheaply.
Resisting the temptation to shoot when the score was level late on shows the midfielder has learnt from the past, a calming sight for the Arsenal fans.
Rice looked sharp in his first Premier League game at the Emirates Stadium since his controversial red card against Brighton.
Rice bossed the midfield and was also an attacking threat, shooting from range whilst also taking care of the ball when crafting a chance on the edge of the box.
Looking back to his best, there is no doubt the Arsenal side is much better with the 25-year-old in then without.
Captaining the Gunners this afternoon at the Emirates, Saka didn’t record an assist for the first time in the Premier League this season, highlighting the winger’s world-class consistency to start the campaign.
Despite not being directly involved in the goals, Saka’s presence was felt against the Leicester defence, crossing in and shooting on many occasions.
After a tough start to the new season, looking short of confidence and uninspired, some fans had started to turn on Martinelli.
However, an assist and some
monumental defending against Manchester City was promising, before scoring his first Premier League goal since Sheffield United at the start of March against Leicester this afternoon.
An accurate finish on the swivel kicked off proceedings, before a neat assist for Trossard doubled the Gunners advantage.
The Brazilian winger stayed alert until the end and continued to attack dangerously, playing his role in the eventual win.
Dismissed in controversial fashion against Manchester City last weekend, Trossard made it up to the Arsenal faithful in the best way possible, recording a goal and an assist in a match-winning performance.
The Belgian slotted in late in the second-half from Martinelli’s pass, before shooting on goal in injury-time to force Wilfried Ndidi into bundling the ball into his own net.
Initially looking unnatural in Martin Odegaard’s usual role, Trossard has grown into the position and looked instrumental today, the perfect return to the Arsenal starting 11.
Kai Havertz – 7
Assuming his favoured role of the Arsenal number 9, Havertz followed up on his goal against Bolton midweek with a late insurance strike this afternoon, positioning himself well to turn a clearance into the Leicester goal with the last kick of the game.
The German held play up well and made positive attacking runs, coming close to breaking the deadlock with an acrobatic effort just before the 90-minute mark.
A well-deserved goal was subject to an offside check for VAR, but the Emirates Stadium outpoured a collective sigh of relief when the effort was confirmed.
After netting his first goal for the Arsenal against Bolton midweek, Sterling replaced Martinelli 15 minutes from time and looked positive on the wing.
The loanee nearly tapped in the goal that would be eventually scored by Havertz, with the 29-year-old clearly growing in confidence since making the switch from Stamford Bridge.
Both players had little time to make an impact, but Ethan Nwaneri looked bright and inspired when looking for the winning-goal late on.
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