Manchester City had already drawn away to Newcastle United meaning that Arsenal had the opportunity to gain two points on their title-rivals.
Mikel Arteta’s side were close to flawless last term which still wasn’t enough, meaning there’s no room for dropping points against Leicester, who will be fighting at the bottom end of the table come May.
That being said, with Arsenal still searching for a winner late on against Leicester, Arteta did eventually turn to the options on his bench.
Raheem Sterling was the first to enter the fold, followed by Ethan Nwaneri and then Gabriel Jesus.
Ethan Nwaneri told he’s ‘gifted’ after his Leicester impact
Interestingly, Jesus was introduced 13 minutes after Nwaneri, a blow for the experienced Brazilian who would imagine that was the perfect scenario for him to make an impact.
That being said, perhaps Arteta’s decision to introduce Nwaneri first should be seen as an ode to his ability rather than a snub in Jesus’ direction.
Ethan Nwaneri of Arsenal rtakes on Victor Kristiansen of Leicester City during the Premier League match between Arsenal FC and Leicester City FC at...
Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images
Nwaneri justified Arteta’s decision, a performance which was also hailed by Gary Lineker after the 4-2 win.
Lineker was speaking on Match of the Day and labelled Nwaneri a ‘special’ talent, a cameo he enjoyed every second of.
The 17-year-old immediately picked up the ball and nearly scored against Leicester, a player who definitely seems ready to substitute for Martin Odegaard in his absence.
Sharing his thoughts, Lineker said: “We saw a lovely cameo too, didn’t we, from Nwaneri? He looks really gifted. He looks special.”
Gabriel Martinelli also back to his best for Arsenal
Of course, it won’t have been easy for Lineker to praise Nwaneri against his beloved Leicester, especially given how close they were to leaving N5 with a point.
Fortunately, the atmosphere at the Emirates was brilliant throughout, the Arsenal fans backed their team until the end.
And that same energy will definitely be needed in the Champions against Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday, another tough tie for Arteta to navigate.
Gabriel Martinelli is back to his best for Arsenal – a huge boost for Arteta considering his captain is still missing as mentioned.
Arsenal might be lacking creativity without Odegaard around, but both Nwaneri and Martinelli provide plenty of attacking threat themselves, two of the club’s most exciting talents.
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