Mikel Arteta makes admission about Arsenal's win over Leicester - 'It was worrying'

Arsenal looked like they were going to be left frustrated against Leicester but stoppage-time strikes from Leandro Trossard and Kai Havertz secured the Gunners a dramatic victory

Mikel Arteta admits he was left 'worrying' as Arsenal nearly let victory slip through their fingers against Leicester on Saturday.

The Gunners secured a thrilling 4-2 victory against the Premier League strugglers but the scoreline did not tell the full story. Arsenal initially looked to be on their way to a comfortable success after strikes from Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard in a dominant first-half.

Arsenal had plenty of chances to add to their lead but somehow found themselves pegged back after the break. A brace from Leicester defender James Justin hauled the visitors level. But Wilfred Ndidi put through his net in stoppage time before Kai Havertz wrapped up three points for Arteta's side.

It sees the North London join Manchester City - who dropped points against Newcastle earlier in the day - on 14 points at the top of the Premier League.

Arteta was left concerned at how his side let their lead slip, but was full of praise for his players after wrestling back control of the game. Speaking after the full-time whistle, the Arsenal boss said: "I am happier with how we dealt with it - emotionally in control.

"It was worrying. In theory, we should have never got to this point - but this is football. This is the beauty of football, in relation to other sports.

"It got very emotional. More than we wanted certainly. After 2-0 the result should have been bigger. This is the Premier League. They scored two goals. But I’m really pleased with the way we responded."

Arteta's side created an array of glorious chances throughout the game. They had 36 shots, 16 on target but found Leicester goalkeeper Mads Hermansen a formidable opponent.

Who was Arsenal's man-of-the-match against Leicester? Share your thoughts in the comments below

And the Arsenal boss has admitted that the missed chances would come back and bite title chasers. He added: "It was emotionally difficult to accept given the amount of goals we should have scored."

But Arteta was still complimentary of his team's performance. Speaking to Match of the Day, he said: "I'm very happy, first of all with the performance. I think we were unbelievable today. We deserved to win with many more goals.

"Starting the second half the way we did, conceding the first goal makes things harder and then with the equaliser the team showed unbelievable character to keep pushing, creating chance after chance. We suffered more than we should have but this is football. Really happy with the team."

Arsenal now face a tough Champions League assignment in midweek as they come up against French champions Paris Saint-Germain. They then return to Premier League action on Saturday against struggling Southampton.

Join our new WhatsApp communityand receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.

This article contains affiliate links, we will receive a commission on any sales we generate from it. Learn more

Sky Sports deal

Sky Sports launches 'lowest price' Premier League package
£43 (was £52)

Sky has slashed the price of its Sky Sports, Sky Stream, Sky TV and Netflix bundle in an unbeatable new deal that saves £216 and includes 1,400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL and more.

With Ultra HD included at no extra cost, football fans can enjoy the 2024/25 season with crystal clear picture quality.

Sky
Get the deal here