Leicester 1 - Arsenal 1: Szczesny saves Gunners' blushes against Foxes

A ONE handed save by Wojciech Szczesny seven minutes from time rescued Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger from embarrassment.

Wojciech Szczesny catches the ballWojciech Szczesny was called upon to help out Arsenal's defence as Leicester bagged a deserved draw[GETTY]

Jamie Vardy was playing Conference football for Fleetwood only two years ago but he came so close to beating Arsenal.

The travelling Gunners finally gave Wenger some stick just before the end of the game - "Sign a striker" they bellowed - but if Arsenal had lost, what would the reaction have been then?

Wenger has previously refused to buy a striker to replace Olivier Giroud, who is going to be out until January with a broken leg, but the pressure is on now before the transfer window closes tonight.

It looks, after seeing the evidence here, that Wenger has made phone calls in a desperate attempt to bring someone in.

Szczesny dived to his right to push away Vardy's shot, a good save at a crucial moment, but an Arsenal team that had three German World Cup winners in it should not have been that vulnerable.

Arsenal did take the lead against newly promoted Leicester in the first half but only held on to it for two minutes and were generally unimpressive.

Wenger laments missed opportunities in Arsenal-Leicester draw [AMBIENT]

Yaya Sanogo, 21, and tried in Giroud's place, looks too young and too inexperienced to be the answer but Wenger's stubborn streak has left Sanogo with a big weight on his shoulders.

"When you are 21 and you have the chance to play for Arsenal at centre forward and you don't score, yes it's a problem for you," said Wenger.

"But I don't think that problem will last very long. He did find it very hard today. Is it on his mind? Yes of course."

Just as in their last home game against Everton - their first in the Premier League for ten years - Leicester had to come back from a goal behind.

Sanogo was both culprit and provider because put clear by Santi Cazorla's lifted pass, he completely muffed his shot.

But the ball screwed across for Alexis Sanchez to tap in a goal in the 20th minute that someone who cost £5 would have turned in, never mind £35m.

But Leicester were not prepared to cave in to a scruffy goal like that and they were quickly level.

Laurent Koscielny had taken a bang on the head during a challenge by Jeff Schlupp and although he had had lengthy treatment, and then gone off for more, he was still groggy.

That must have been the explanation anyway because Koscielny was nowhere near Leonardo Ullah when he powerfully headed in an excellent Schlupp cross.

Shortly afterwards Koscielny was replaced by one of England's newcomers, Calum Chambers, who kept Arsenal steady for the rest of a game in which Leicester had a lot to say for themselves, both in their attitude and in the danger they posed.

Leonardo Ulloa scores for LeicesterLeonardo Ulloa pegged Arsenal bag with a neat finish at the King power Stadium [GETTY]

Arsenal were the classier of the teams, of course, but that's not the be all and end all of life in the Premier League, something the Gunners have found to their cost in the past, and something they had to stand up to yesterday.

There were moments of stardom for Leicester, too. Ulloa took a ball out of the sky with one touch a to launch an exchange of passes with Riyad Mahrez that brought a shot from Ulloa into the side netting.

From different parts of the King Power Stadium it looked like a goal, and a special one at that, but it was a mirage and Leicester were left to run and run to counter Arsenal.

Aaron Ramsey, the driving force behind most of Arsenal's good things, should have headed them in front in the 56th minute, maybe he thought he was offside, but he placed another chipped ball from Cazorla weakly into goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel's hands.

If that was easy for the son-of-Peter, his next save, a minute later, wasn't because he was quickly out at Sanogo's feet to avoid the need for another, and more difficult, Leicester comeback.

And then there was Vardy.

He beat two Arsenal players in his run, gave a pass to David Nugent, got the ball back, and saw Szczesny take a famous moment from him with his save by the right hand post.

Wenger maybe just took a deep breath.

Leicester City 4-4-2: Schmeichel 6; De Laet 6, Morgan 7, Moore 7, Konchesky 6; Mahrez 6 (Albrighton 64,5), Hammond 7, King 7, Schlupp 8 (Vardy 70,5); Ulloa 8 (Drinkwater 76,5), Nugent 7. Booked: Albrighton, Hammond, Moore Goals: Ulloa 22 Next up: Stoke City (a), PL, Sept 13.

Arsenal 4-3-3: Szczesny 6; Debuchy 6, Mertesacker 7, Koscielny 5 (Chambers 26,7), Monreal 6; Cazorla 6 (Oxlade-Chamberlain 77, 5) Flamini 6, Ramsey 7; Sanchez 6, Sanogo 5 (Podolski 77,5), Ozil 5. Booked: Szczesny Goals: Sanchez 20 Next up: Manchester City (h), PL, Sept 13.

Referee: Anthony Taylor (Cheshire).

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