Leicester vs. Arsenal: Score and Reaction from 2015 Premier League Match

Alexis Sanchez scored his first goals of the season in Arsenal's 5-2 win over hosts Leicester City on Saturday at the King Power Stadium, bagging himself a hat-trick to announce his return to form in the Premier League in style.

Jamie Vardy had given the Foxes the lead before Theo Walcott equalised in the first half, and just before half-time, the Sanchez-show started. The Chilean showed plenty of confidence to take all three of his goals, perhaps a sign of things to come. Vardy added a second goal of his own late in the match, but Olivier Giroud restored the three-goal lead for the Gunners.

With the win, Arsenal sit just two points behind Manchester City in the standings.

As shared by the Gunners' official Twitter account, Per Mertesacker replaced the suspended Gabriel in the heart of Arsenal's defence, while Walcott was handed the start up front, keeping Giroud on the bench:

The Foxes have been in excellent form early in the 2015-16 season, and early on, Leicester were in complete control of the match. Arsenal's full-backs in particular had trouble keeping up with the pace of the match, and Leicester's diagonal passing didn't help.

Vardy came agonisingly close to opening the score after some great work from Riyad Mahrez, freeing up his team-mate to dance past Mathieu Flamini before unleashing a shot that hit the post.

Minutes later, he was rewarded for his fast start, rounding off a counter in expert fashion. Per Michael Cox of Zonal Marking, the Foxes once again took advantage of Arsenal's struggles defending the diagonal ball:

Mahrez tried his luck with a driving shot immediately after the goal, as Leicester didn't sit back and defend the lead. But that lead lasted just a handful of minutes, as Santi Cazorla sprung Walcott with a lovely through ball, and the speedster left everyone in his wake before finishing comfortably.

As shared by Squawka Football, the England international's recent scoring record when starting looks phenomenal:

The goal came at a time when Arsenal needed it, and suddenly, the Gunners started growing into the match. The transformation of the full-backs in particular was impressive, with Hector Bellerin suddenly looking like the budding star we know.

Not everything went the visitors' way, however. Flamini had to leave the pitch after picking up an injury, and per Bleacher Report UK, Wenger's decision not to address the lack of depth in central midfield suddenly looks like it could come back to haunt him:

Leicester were unwilling to sit back and give into the Arsenal pressure, and while chances were few toward the end of the first half, the match remained incredibly entertaining nonetheless.

Sanchez finally scored his first goal of the season just before half-time, with Walcott finding him inside the box after a superb cross from Bellerin.

Per Bleacher Report UK's Sean Swaby, it seems even Arsenal's Twitter account was taken aback by the Chile international's first goal of the season:

Shinji Okazaki wanted a penalty after Mertesacker used a lot of force to shove him off the ball, but the big German always appeared in control and rightly wasn't penalised. The rest of the first half played out without any major incidents, as the Gunners went into half-time leading by one goal.

Leicester came out with a high midfield press in the second half, but while Claudio Ranieri's men did a superb job chasing down the ball, it didn't lead to any dangerous possession. Meanwhile, the Gunners were looking for the counter, with speedsters Walcott and Sanchez both looking dangerous.

Sanchez's first goal seemed to liberate the Chilean, who doubled his tally after a superb pass from Mesut Ozil. The ball was picture-perfect, allowing Sanchez to make contact before goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel could get his hands on it.

TV personality Piers Morgan was more interested in Sanchez, however:

Walcott could have made it 4-1 after another fine feed from Ozil, but this time, the forward couldn't keep his composure, curling the ball wide of the post.

Leonardo Ulloa made his way onto the pitch in a desperate attempt to add some more firepower to the Foxes' attack, but Arsenal's defence easily held firm, as the hosts struggled to gain momentum. Mahrez in particular couldn't live up to his lofty standards, and with Leicester resorting to a number of crosses, Mertesacker and Company cruised to the final whistle.

On the other side of the pitch, Sanchez completed his hat-trick, blasting a superb shot past Schmeichel from distance. Fans were understandably excited:

Vardy managed to reduce the deficit to just two goals with a late strike of his own, but it was too little, too late for Leicester. And while the Foxes were desperately looking for a third goal, Giroud finished off a superb counter to put the final score on the board.

A big win like this was exactly what the Gunners needed, pushing them into the top three and just two points behind Manchester City, with next week's clash against Manchester United on the schedule.

Leicester will have the chance to bounce back against Norwich City, who have already conceded double-digit goals through seven matches, per WhoScored.com. 

Post-Match Reaction

As shared by ESPN FC's Ben Dinnery, Wenger told reporters he thought his team looked very dangerous on Saturday, and that he felt a match like this was coming:

"

Wenger "We created many chances and I felt a game like this confidence was coming. I think we always looked dangerous." #AFC

— Ben Dinnery (@BenDinnery) September 26, 2015"

He also weighed in on Sanchez's situation, revealing the player was down because he's not used to not scoring, via the Premier League's official Twitter account:

Ranieri showered the Chilean with praise, via Bleacher Report's James McNicholas:

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