Giroud rescues Arsenal to seal 4-3 comeback win in Premier League opener
LONDON Olivier Giroud completed an exhilarating comeback as Arsenal beat Leicester 4-3 Friday to ensure Arsene Wenger’s side opened the English Premier League with a victory for only the second time in eight seasons.
Arsenal turned around the league’s first Friday opener in the closing minutes at Emirates Stadium. After Aaron Ramsey levelled in the 83rd minute, Giroud sealed the three points with a header inside two minutes on an evening of thrilling attacks gifted by fragile defending.
Arsenal signing Alexandre Lacazette launched his Premier League career in style by heading in the opener after 94 seconds.
A predictable Arsenal implosion followed, with Shinji Okazaki and Jamie Vardy putting Leicester in front. Even after Danny Welbeck levelled on the stroke of halftime, Vardy restored Leicester’s lead after the break. But Leicester, which so astonishingly won the league in 2016, couldn’t hold on for its first win at Arsenal since 1973. Instead, Wenger avoided a third consecutive season-opening loss at the start of his new two-year contract.
The Frenchman will be hoping it’s a sign of changing fortunes after a season when he reached his nadir. Although Arsenal signed off in May by lifting the FA Cup, a fifth-place finish ensured the north London club failed to qualify for the Champions League for the first time in two decades.
This was the perfect liftoff for Arsenal, particularly for Lacazette.
The first touch from the 60-million-euros signing was at kickoff. His second was to meet Mohamed Elneny’s cross with a powerful header past Leicester goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel.
Lacazette, recruited from Lyon, savoured the moment, opening his arms out wide to take in the acclamation of his new home.
Arsenal’s defence, though, was still on its summer break.
Just 160 seconds after Lacazette scored, Arsenal goalkeeper Petr Cech was picking the ball out of his net. Harry Maguire nodded Marc Albrighton’s cross back into the path of Okazaki, who headed Leicester level.
Before completing a half-hour of the season, Arsenal was trailing. Again, Albrighton was the architect, afforded far too much space to rampage down the left flank before crossing low for Vardy to turn the ball into the net.
Arsenal’s enduring defensive flaws were exposed. There was a lifeline for Wenger before halftime when Welbeck met Sead Kolasinac’s cross to tap in an equalizer.
But Leicester was back in front 11 minutes into the second half.
Cech initially tipped over Riyad Mahrez’s shot but the latter turned provider from the resulting corner. The defence failed to check Vardy ghosting into the penalty area and the striker was unmarked as he nodded in the corner.
Leicester couldn’t stay on top, though. Schmeichel was beaten when Ramsey got on the end of Granit Xhaka’s cross and, again, when Giroud headed in a corner.