SUBSTITUTE DANNY WELBECK scored a dramatic stoppage-time winner as Arsenal resurrected their Premier League title challenge with a heart-stopping 2-1 Valentine’s Day victory over leaders Leicester City.
Down to 10 men following Danny Simpson’s 54th-minute dismissal, Leicester were clinging on at a tension-bound Emirates Stadium when Welbeck headed in a 95th-minute winner from Mesut Ozil’s free-kick on his return after 10 months out with a serious knee injury.
The England striker’s goal lifted Arsenal to within two points of Leicester and also gave hope to Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City, five and six points off the pace respectively, ahead of their meeting at the Etihad Stadium later in the day.
Welbeck’s goal, after fellow substitute Theo Walcott had cancelled out Jamie Vardy’s first-half penalty, saw Arsene Wenger’s men complete a league double over Leicester following their 5-2 win in September.
Claudio Ranieri’s men now have two weeks to regain their strength before resuming their improbable title bid at home to Norwich City, while Arsenal must prepare for contests with Hull City and Barcelona.
Manchester City never recovered from falling behind to Leicester in their 3-1 defeat last weekend and Arsenal seemed determined to avoid the same fate, quickly pushing the visitors onto the back foot.
With less than two minutes gone, Alexis Sanchez threw himself at Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain’s corner and headed wide, with N’Golo Kante surviving a penalty-box handball appeal shortly after.
Leicester goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel then raced out boldly to prevent Aaron Ramsey reaching Ozil’s pass and within seconds Vardy had forced Petr Cech to save with a downward header at the other end.
It proved the pattern of the first half. Arsenal attacked — Wes Morgan blocking from Olivier Giroud and Sanchez, Giroud twice heading off-target at corners — and Leicester countered, Kante obliging Cech to claw the ball away from his top-left corner with a curling shot.
As half-time drew Leicester went ahead, Vardy luring Nacho Monreal into a challenge and then tumbling to the ground before picking himself up and slotting his 19th goal of the season past Cech.
The Leicester end erupted. Arsenal’s fans, convinced that referee Martin Atkinson had been hoodwinked by Vardy, booed the officials off at the interval.
There was a further blow for the hosts at half-time as Laurent Koscielny was forced off with a dead leg, which brought Calum Chambers into the fray.
Arsenal might have conceded another penalty when Riyad Mahrez threw himself to the deck after being nicked by Monreal, but referee Atkinson shook hs head.
Instead, after Ramsey had drilled wide and Giroud had headed another chance over, their luck changed when Simpson was shown a second yellow card for tugging Giroud back, five minutes after his first for tripping Sanchez.
The two managers rearranged their teams for the final half hour, Ranieri sending on Marcin Wasilewski and Demarai Gray in place of Mahrez and Shinji Okazaki, Wenger throwing on Walcott for Francis Coquelin.
It was the Arsenal change that was to prove telling, Walcott equalising nine minutes after coming on by side-footing home after Giroud masterfully nodded Hector Bellerin’s cross into his path.
It was Arsenal’s first shot on target and their attempts to register another proved fraught.
Mertesacker glanced a header just wide and Schmeichel pulled off a pair of brilliant one-handed saves to thwart Giroud and Sanchez.
But with full-time beckoning, Welbeck rushed in to meet Ozil’s free-kick with an unerring downward header, eclipsing Leicester’s fairytale with one of his own.
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To be fair Rena Buckley has 16 All Ireland medals between Gaelic football & Camogie stating she has won “several” All Ireland’s does not convey the magnitude of her achievements she has won the same amount of medals as Briege Corkery
Stephanie Roche doesn’t even make the irish team and should not be on this list
No room for kieran donnachy?? A real whinging oul one
Christina McMahon fights in Mexico on Saturday for the Superfly Champion of the world title. Definitely deserves a place on this list.
Also, sorry, I don’t know who Annalise Murphy is but from your article I’m not exactly sure what sport she plays.
One of the worlds top sailors
What about Easky Britton? ..5 times Irish surf champ and also first Irish woman to ever surf in Iran
First Irish woman to surf in Iran?!?!? That hotbed of surfing
Unreal how there was exactly 42 of them!
Nina Carberry at 38. I just hope this list is in no particular order. Because If it is. That’s disgraceful
You’re right in suspecting it’s in no particular order, Michael.
Mick, riding a horse isn’t a sport. The horse does all the work. She shouldn’t be there.
Gary – explain how when a horse is jockey less after a fall that horse almost never wins? It’s cos the jockey is capable of getting more from a horse once it becomes tired, ridiculous comment.
Yeah, hitting a horse with a whip to make it run faster really does mark someone out as a top sportsperson
Missed out on sisters Isobel and Cecilia Joyce from the Irish Cricket Team – currently competing at the World T20 Championships
Agreed and Kim Garth
I’m confused by the title. Are they currently Irish or what? Makes my head hurt. Briggs is a legend!!!
They’re currently competing. Hence the absence of the retired likes of Sonia O’Sullivan et al.
What about Pauline Curley?
Maybe use the key word competing the next time. It’d be a bit clearer.
Ah come on…current 2 in a row World Handball Champion Aisling Reilly not on this list.
Gráinne Doyle. Basketball. Senior League & cup double, twice with . Defeating Katie Taylor and others to 2014 her.ie sports woman of the year.
Ah lads, we know the Rugby lads are the media darlings but I see now it extending to the ladies. No doubt the ladies game has come on in a big way but it was coming from a very very low base. Kerry ladies footballer Louise Galvin made the 6 nations squad a few years back after playing a handful rugby of games and taking it up some time in her 20′s. That gives an indication of the standard.
Talking the talk and about your mental strength on the RTE chat shows doesn’t make you the greatest athlete. There are 20 ladies playing gaelic and soccer for every one playing rugby. The ladies GAA scene is highly competitive at club and county level with huge number participating. Does Brige Corkery have to get a chat show appearance to brag about how professional and mentally tough she is to get recognition? All she cares about is competing and winning.
It’s more laughable to put Briggs ahead of double European cross country champion Fionnuala McCormack or Katie Taylor really puts the tin had on this list.
The odds of top athletes being in women’s rugby are minuscule. I have no problem with rugby, I’ve played it before the media started fawning over it we just need a bit of prospective here.
The highest placed ladies soccer player is a lady who got an amazing goal but can’t make the Irish team. Those keeping her out of the team don’t feature.
Such a list should be comprised based on substance not hype. This is all about the hype.
Should read Gráinne Dwyer
Paul,how could you forget this girl.Won leagues,cups,player of the year,fans player of the year,coaches player of the year,players player of the year,and still only 22.
http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/video-denise-osullivan-hailed-as-a-hometown-star-at-evening-echo-awards-311232.html
I’m sure there are plenty of similarly talented athletes not mentioned above, Padraig. Think of the list as a conversation starter rather than a definitive compilation of the best female athletes in Ireland.
What about the women’s Irish darts team? Some of those lads are seriously talented
I’ve heard of 7 of them.
Ah lads! Aisling Reilly has to make this list! Irish/World number 1 female handballer, 2 time senior world champion and who knows how many Senior All Ireland titles!
She’d have more all Ireland medals than they have in Kerry!
Has to be on the list.
What about Cathy Gannon……possibly the only professional female jockey were have
What about Jenny Egan from Canoeing-European Bronze Medalist; 4th place at European Games Baku; 6th place at World championships; 4th at World Marathon championships-all in the 2015 season…..who complied this list!!!??
Judy Reynolds has broken five Irish records in dressage over the last year. At the weekend she broke 2 of them again to qualify a place for Ireland in the 2016 Olympic Games.
http://www.irishtimes.com/sport/other-sports/horse-sport-ireland-await-verdict-on-rio-places-for-individual-riders-1.2563042
prob worth inclusion.
Boxer Christina Mc Mahon should be listed! FACT
The Irish Women’s cricket team currently in India at T20 World Cup Finals?
Pity for them that none of them would get near some of the worst male athletes in the world in the same sports.
Equestrian sport is the only Olympic discipline where males and females compete in the same classes on the horses they’ve worked their asses off to train to that level.
This list is incredibley biased and shows a complete lack of knowledge of women in sport. In this year Ireland will send a full team to the European Championships in Norway for weightlifting. The standard is incredible with some Olympic prospects for the first time in history and none of these phenomenal athletes get a look in? What about 3 x Irelands fittest woman who represented Ireland at the Crossfit games.
Bit harsh there Brendan. I would disagree with it being “incredibly biased”. It’s decently accurate including athletes from a vast array of different disciplines. Granted there are omissions, but it would seem the author wants feedback and is willing to make amendments. There was a time that female athletes wouldn’t have been thought of for such a post! I’m glad they’re getting deserved publicity.
Haha ah yes the famous “crossfit athletes”!
What about Pitch & Putt? Chrissie Byrne and Marion Courtney
Pitch & putt lmao
Haha ah yes the famous “crossfit athletes”!
What about that conor mcgregor bitch?
Ciara Mageen 42nd and well behind a number of other athletes. You must be joking. Did anyone actually check the Rio Olympic qualified list as a starting point?
How about Geraldine Finnagen she holds more irish records in the Master then any other person. And has also won Master world titles currently rant 6th in the world for the pethalon?
Megan Connolly! A young irish sportstar doing her country proud!