LEICESTER -- For all that Arsenal have kept the chasing pack at bay at the top of the Premier League, they were a different beast before the World Cup for one reason above all else: Gabriel Jesus. The Brazilian had transformed the Gunners from an elegant but gummy force into a freewheeling, attack-from-all-angles, scoring force.
There were many who feared the title challenge would falter without Jesus' energy and industry. There can be few greater compliments to Eddie Nketiah than that there was a time when suggesting he might retain his place on Jesus' return would not lead to you being laughed out of the room. Gareth Southgate, who was in attendance Saturday, presumably did not need to come to the King Power Stadium to learn that Bukayo Saka and Aaron Ramsdale are very, very good.
If the England manager had indeed come to see Nketiah, who is understood to have been carrying a knock going into this game, he was disappointed for the first 69 minutes of this contest. For all that the 24 year old, wanted by Ghana as well as the Three Lions, had impressed in December and January, a run of five games without a goal had turned the spotlight onto what he cannot do, most of all linking together a frontline that tends to gravitate into distinct pods on both flanks. More than anyone, Gabriel Martinelli seemed to be missing his compatriot, who caused so many difficulties for opponents drifting into the left channel. Indeed the last time these two met Jesus scored one of the goals of the season, lobbing a magnificent shot over Danny Ward as Arsenal caught fire on a tropical summer's afternoon in north London.
The clouds eventually burst over the King Power Stadium as a 1-0 win approached but this was not such an easy occasion for the league leaders. Not that Leicester overly taxed the imperious William Saliba and Gabriel, who limited their hosts to one tame Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall shot from the edge. Instead the Foxes took the approach pioneered by Newcastle and Everton to its endpoint, flooding their own penalty area with bodies before hitting hopeful passes in the vague direction of their center forwards.
In such circumstances Arsenal needed guile. That is just what Leandro Trossard provided them with. Operating as a false nine, the diminutive Belgian seemed to grasp early on that he would be getting no joy against Wout Faes and Harry Souttar in physical duels. Instead he occupied the spaces the Leicester defenders feared to tread, particularly in the left channel where Martinelli so relishes company.
Even before Arsenal's winner there were signs of interplay between the Belgian and Brazilian. An impudent backheel in the 16th minute from Trossard gave his team mate a moment to think in the penalty area. Martinelli had the right idea but overhit his chip to Bukayo Saka in space, rather the tale of a day where the Gunners turned all their territorial dominance into 10 shots.
Trossard's was a performance deserving of a goal. For a time he thought he had it, thumping in from the edge of the box after Granit Xhaka teed him up, but VAR intervened, judging Ben White to have been grappling too firmly with Danny Ward when the Leicester goalkeeper punched the ball to safety. Refereeing has been a hot topic around Arsenal of late and might have been again, particularly for the penalty that was not given for what seemed a push by Souttar on Saka.
Happily Arsenal's dynamic duo on the left ensured a week that was lighter on officiating discourse, striking before their hosts had had a chance to settle into the second half. Trossard picked out Gabriel with a pitching wedge of a pass from right on the left touchline, a spot he had dragged Souttar into as well. That opened a lane for Martinelli, trailed by two defenders with nowhere near the requisite pace to catch him. The angle was tight but as he fell to the floor he squirmed a shot beyond Ward, taking a knock to the knee from Wilfred Ndidi for his troubles. It was a blow that was worth the pain, keeping Manchester City in Arsenal's rear view mirror for another few days. Win their game in hand at Everton on Wednesday and their lead will be up to five points.
With Europa League fixtures on the horizon, Arsenal look like they might have the depth to go the course. In key spots their January business seems to be paying dividends, not just the versatile Trossard in the frontline but Jorginho, who has stepped in for Thomas Partey with aplomb. His fizzing deliveries in the first half in particular cut Leicester to ribbons, having completed 14 progressive passes against Aston Villa last week he went one better this and is finding particular joy delivering the ball to the right pocket.
"All the signings we've done have been great additions to the squad," said club captain Martin Odegaard. "You see the impact they have today on the pitch and we see it every day in training. They're great players who bring a lot of quality."
Odegaard may be the one with (c) next to his name on programmes and the club website but on Saturday it was Oleksandr Zinchenko who led the team out as "a mark of respect and love" from Arsenal on the first anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. It had been Odegaard himself who initiated the idea, speaking to the club hierarchy on Friday before making the offer to his teammate the following morning.
"It was a nice thing to do to show him support," said Odegaard. "It's been a year now, too long, it's a very difficult situation for him I know and very emotional. It was a good thing to do. When he's on the pitch he's always 100 percent focused and always there. He doesn't let him affect him, but of course it's not an easy thing for him, his family and everyone there. We just wanted to show him the support."
