Leicester City 1–4 Arsenal
By Tom Coopey (2/11/25)
Above: Arsenal celebrate their opening goal Photo: BBC Sport
Arsenal claimed three points against Leicester City at the King Power Stadium in a comfortable 1-4 win for the visitors.
An assured victory from Arsenal saw them maintain their perfect record against Leicester and earn their third win on the bounce. It was a tough afternoon for Rick Passmoor’s side, being helpless against a relentless Arsenal.
The visitors wasted no time in getting started when Alessia Russo broke the deadlock in the 7th minute, before an own goal and a Stina Blackstenius strike before the break.
Leicester finally found the back of the net in the 84th minute thanks to a composed finish from Noémie Mouchon, but an immediate reply down the other end saw Blackstenius fire home to make it 1-4, meaning Arsenal would take the points back to North London.
The teams
Passmoor made four changes from the side that narrowly beat London City Lionesses 0-1 in the Subway Women’s League Cup, with Janina Leitzig returning between the sticks, whilst Julie Thibaud, Hannah Cain, and Shannon O’Brien also came back into the team. Missy Goodwin was named on the bench for the first time this season after being out through a long-term injury.
For the visiting Gunners, Renée Slegers also made four changes to the starting XI that were victorious over Benfica in the Women’s Champions League, with Laia Codina, Katie McCabe, Caitlin Foord and Blackstenius all entering the Arsenal side. Olivia Smith missed out on a place in the squad due to a bruised hip.
The action
As expected, Arsenal came out of the blocks in the opening few minutes and threatened an early opener, and the Gunners did just that via Russo. The 26-year-old pounced for the first time from the lay-off from Blackstenius in the box, firing into the bottom corner to make it 0-1 after just seven minutes on the clock.
Chances were few and far between for the home side, but Arsenal’s hard work was nearly undone when O’Brien closed down the goalkeeper, with the deflection off the Leicester striker fortunately not goal bound for Daphne van Domselaar.
Arsenal found the second in the 32nd minute when Sari Kees turned it into her own net. Russo latched onto a long ball on the right-hand side, and her teasing cross into the box saw Kees get the last touch.
Four minutes later and Arsenal found the third of the afternoon. It was a wonderfully crafted goal from the visitors, with slick football from the Gunners seeing Blackstenius finish the move. The Swedish striker got on the end of Beth Mead’s through ball, with her strike finding the near corner.
Passmoor made a triple change at the break; needing a better 45 minutes and Leicester were unlucky not to reduce the deficit. After some wonderful feet by the substitute, Mouchon, she only had the goalkeeper to beat but her effort was denied by Van Domselaar.
Arsenal remained the team in control in the second period, but Leicester would have been much more pleased with their second half display, and they did pull a goal back late on.
Mouchon raced through one-on-one with the goalkeeper, and a cool finish from the Frenchman saw Leicester get on the scoresheet, yet was only a conciliation goal for the Foxes.
One minute later and Arsenal claimed back their three-goal advantage thanks to a superb finish by Blackstenius. Chloe Kelly sent the striker through on goal and a rocket of a strike into the roof of the net left Leitzig with no chance.
Player of the match – Stina Blackstenius
Blackstenius grabbed two goals for herself in what was an impressive performance from the Swedish international. They were both brilliant finishes with the one in the first half finding the near corner, and the second half strike fired into the back of the net.
Blackstenius and Russo up top together was a force to be reckoned with, the pair causing trouble for the Leicester defence all afternoon.
Final thoughts
Leicester have been known this season to be a tough team to beat, their losses being narrow against the likes of Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur, however Arsenal proved why they are the champions of Europe with an impressive display in the East-Midlands.
The three points for Slegers’ side means they retain their spot in fifth, but keeps them still within reach of their title ambitions. For the Foxes, they remain in 9th place, with results around them going their way.
TEAMS: LEICESTER CITY (3-4-1-2):Leitzig; Kees, Swaby, Thibaud; Cayman,Tierney, McLoughlin, Ale; Rantala; Cain, O’Brien. Substitutes: Eiríksdóttir (for Rantala 45’), van Egmond (for McLoughlin 45’), Mouchon (for O’Brien 45’) Ayane (for Cayman 61’)
Scorers: Mouchon 84’
Arsenal (4-4-2): van Domselaar; Codina, Hinds, Catley, McCabe; Mead, Mariona, Little, Foord; Blackstenius, Russo.Substitutes: Kelly (for Foord 59’), Fox (for McCabe 59’), Pelova (for Caldentey 59’) Nighswonger (for Hinds 74’) Reid (for Littler 88’)
Scorers: Russo 7’, Kees (OG) 32’, Blackstenius 36’, 85’
Attendance: TBC
Referee: Phoebe Cross
Follow Impetus on social media –
Twitter (X): @impetusfootball TikTok: @impetusfootball
Instagram: @impetusfootball
impetusfootball.org 