Arsenal’s 5 most memorable opening day Premier League games – ranked!

2. Arsenal 4-3 Leicester City (2017)

The summer of 2017 was quiet on the sporting front and supporters were left with the mild entertainment of the Confederations Cup for their football fix. However, there was no shortage of drama when the Premier League finally returned as Arsenal and Leicester contested a thrilling Friday night opener at the Emirates stadium.

The domestic season got off to a blockbuster start thanks to the immediate impact of then-record signing Alexandre Lacazette, who expertly guided a Mohamed Elneny cross beyond Kasper Schmeichel less than two minutes into his Gunners debut. But the lead lasted just three minutes as questionable defending allowed Shinji Okazaki to head home from point-blank range, and the Foxes were soon in front courtesy of a thumping finish by Jamie Vardy.

More drama arrived in first-half stoppage time when Danny Welbeck opened his account for the campaign and, after Vardy restored the Leicester advantage, Wenger turned to his bench for solutions. The introductions of Aaron Ramsey and Olivier Giroud turned the tide in Arsenal’s favour and it was the Welshman who grabbed the equaliser to set up a grandstand finish. Then, our former number nine directed a late header over the goal-line to secure the win.

There were glaring defensive shortcomings on display that underlined why neither side was able to build on their top-two standing from two seasons prior, but it made for brilliant viewing.

Continued on the next slide…