Olivier Giroud came off the bench to head home a late winner and seal three points for Arsenal in a topsy-turvy Premier League opener against Leicester.
The Gunners had won just one of their last seven opening day fixtures and looked destined to start another campaign slowly as the 2015-16 champions took the lead twice only to lose 4-3.
The night started perfectly for Arsenal as new signing Alexandre Lacazette marked his league debut with a goal after just 94 seconds, only for Shinji Okazaki to cancel it out inside three minutes.
Jamie Vardy then capitalised on awful defending to twice put the Foxes ahead either side of Danny Welbeck’s equaliser before Arsene Wenger sent for the cavalry.
Substitute Aaron Ramsey rifled home from close range to level before Giroud – introduced alongside the Wales international – headed in an 85th-minute winner to settle a breathless encounter.
@piersmorgan: “#WengerOUT (took 28 minutes)” – Television presenter and outspoken Arsenal fan Piers Morgan needed less than half an hour to turn on Arsene Wenger.
Jamie Vardy. The England striker could have been turning out for the home side had he opted to accept a move to the Emirates Stadium last summer.
He decided to stay put and showed that he has the class to once again enjoy a fruitful season in the Premier League with a potential World Cup place up for grabs.
Jamie Vardy celebrates his first goal
Lacazette’s header inside two minutes was the joint-fastest opening goal to a Premier League season.
The Frenchman can certainly find the back of the net and his effort here led to an entertaining game, although the former Lyon man will be worried by what he saw at the other end of the pitch.
Lacazette opens his Arsenal account
Wenger had three first-choice central defenders missing and could do little to alter things as Nacho Monreal, Rob Holding and Sead Kolasinac struggled to co-ordinate.
The manager’s second-half tactical tweak left plenty confused as he shifted to a 4-2-3-1 system with a right-back playing on the left, two left-backs at centre-half and a midfielder at right-back – but it worked as his two substitutes scored the vital goals that turned the game on its head.
Petr Cech: 5/10
Sead Kolasinac: 5
Nacho Monreal: 5
Rob Holding: 5
Hector Bellerin: 5
Mohamed Elneny: 6
Granit Xhaka: 6
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain: 6
Mesut Ozil: 6
Danny Welbeck: 6
Alexandre Lacazette: 7
Olivier Giroud (for Holding, 67): 7
Aaron Ramsey (for Elneny, 67): 7
Theo Walcott (for Welbeck, 75): 6
Ramsey celebrates
Kasper Schmeichel: 7
Danny Simpson: 6
Wes Morgan: 6
Harry Maguire: 7
Christian Fuchs: 6
Riyad Mahrez: 6
Wilfred Ndidi: 7
Matty James: 6
Marc Albrighton: 8
Shinji Okazaki: 7
Jamie Vardy: 9
Daniel Amartey (for Okazaki, 72): 5
Kelechi Iheanacho (for James, 82): 5
Demarai Gray (for Albrighton, 88): 5
Marc Albrighton
Arsenal v Stoke (Premier League, August 19 )
Leicester v Brighton (Premier League, August 19 )
Provided by Press Association Sport
