Alexis Sanchez netted a hat trick to end his scoring drought as Arsenal came from behind to beat Leicester 5-2 Saturday in the Premier League.
Theo Walcott and Olivier Giroud also netted for the Gunners, who rediscovered their scoring touch in a free-flowing game that easily could have seen even more goals at both ends.
Arsenal had managed just five goals in its first six league games but matched that total during an entertaining afternoon that saw Sanchez find his best form again. The Chile forward was Arsenal’s leading scorer last season but had been without a goal in a frustrating start to this campaign.
L
eicester had the better start, though, as Jamie Vardy put the hosts ahead in the 13th minute by finishing off a quick counterattack and then hit the crossbar with a header five minutes later. That led to a counterattack for Arsenal, with Walcott equalizing after running onto Santi Cazorla’s throughball to slot a well-placed shot inside the far post.
Sanchez did the rest for Arsenal, tapping into an empty net in the 33rd, heading home his second in the 58th and completing his hat trick with a shot from distance in the 81st.
Vardy pulled a consolation back in the 89th and Olivier Giroud added the fifth for Arsenal after coming off the bench.
Mathieu Flamini, who netted both goals in a 2-1 win at Tottenham in the League Cup on Wednesday, was given another start in holding midfield in place of the injured Francis Coquelin. However, this outing wasn’t nearly as successful as he had to go off with an injury after little more than 20 minutes.
But with all three of Arsenal’s main forwards scoring, this game could calm the fears of some fans still angry that Arsenal didn’t add another striker in the transfer window — even though Walcott again missed a number of chances to add to his tally.