A poor first half for Arsenal meant many Leicester City players might have been hoping for a draw by the time the full-time whistle blew, but the Gunners' injury crisis in attack was offset by two goals in the closing period of the game.
Super-sub Mikel Merino rose to the occasion and picked up his first brace in red and white, getting on to the end of balls from Ethan Nwaneri for his first and Leandro Trossard for his follow-up.
Arsenal's victory puts them four points behind Liverpool with the Reds holding a game in hand and 13 games left in the league campaign. For Leicester, failure to move out of the relegation zone means the fight with Wolves and Ipswich for safety is still very intense and could go down to the wire.
Story of the game
Both sides made two changes from their last lineups wheeled out in the English domestic cups.
Arsenal's 2-0 loss to Newcastle in the second leg of the Carabao Cup semi-final was a disappointment, but even more dismaying for fans were the subsequent long-term injuries to Gabriel Martinelli and Kai Havertz. Raheem Sterling replaced Martinelli on the left wing while Leandro Trossard slots upfront in place of Havertz.
Leicester's lineup is changed from their 2-1 loss to Manchester United in the FA Cup thanks to players coming back from injuries instead of picking them up - club legend Jamie Vardy and wing-back Victor Kristiansen came in for Patson Daka and Luke Thomas respectively.
Trossard was the recipient of a lofted Martin Ødegaard pass early in the game that resulted in Foxes goalkeeper Mads Hermansen making an instinctive save - but the flag was up and the play was ultimately ruled out.
It was the home side who surprisingly had the first onside shot on target, with Leicester's Wilfred Ndidi firing a left-footed shot at Arsenal keeper David Raya - with the Spaniard ultimately unfazed and saving comfortably.
After a Declan Rice header that steered just wide of goal in the 16th minute, the game seemed to settle into a theme of Leicester feeling comfortable sitting back and sustaining Arsenal's pressure - which looked to be paying off.
Opportunities for Sterling and Trossard arose before half-time, but the Englishman's shot was deflected behind for a corner, while Trossard could not control a brilliant pass from captain Ødegaard and subsequently gave the ball away.
A quiet Leicester side would have their best opportunities of the game in the first half's added time period, despite an injury to key man James Justin who was substituted off in favor of Woyo Coulibaly. Bilal El Khanouss' shot was blocked by Rice while a more threatening chance for Ndidi was headed wide past the far post by the Nigerian.
Despite holding 63% possession in the first 45 minutes, Arsenal fell short of generating a goal and instead fired off shots that never looked to threaten the Leicester keeper.
The crossbar was the next problem for Arsenal - with Ethan Nwaneri, the standout player of the first half, smashing a shot into the far corner that dinked off the bar.
An unlikely substitution occurred next, as Mikel Merino was swapped on for Raheem Sterling in the 68th minute - a change that saw the Spanish central midfielder deployed upfront.
Bobby De Cordova-Reid should have put Leicester ahead some minutes later, but a fantastic clearance from youngster Myles Lewis-Skelly diverted Jordan Ayew's cross out for a corner.
The cross was Ayew's last action of the game, as with 15 minutes remaining he was replaced by former Gunners youth prospect Stephy Mavididi.
It was getting close to crunch time for both sides - and then the unlikeliest of heroes stepped up for Arsenal. Playing in a position wholly unfamiliar to him, Mikel Merino showcased the brilliant positional ability to get his head connecting perfectly on the end of an Nwaneri cross and lashing the ball into the back of the net.
The score now 1-0, Leicester desperately needed an equalizer to rescue a vital point. Instead, Trossard found Merino again in a great position following a cross through the face of the goal - Merino smashing it home to pick up an unlikely brace and secure a 2-0 win.
VAVEL USA's Man of the Match
Ethan Nwaneri. It is rare that a 17-year-old is even in contention for a senior man of the match award, but Nwaneri fully deserves it. A dazzling display, complete with brilliant crosses from the flanks and shots in the box. Six out of seven successful dribbles, two key passes, and 10/13 ground duels won meant that he was a real threat to Leicester left-back Kristiansen.
Mikel Merino's brace for Arsenal put him in contention for the award as well - but the man of the moment is certainly Arsenal's academy boy.
What's next?
Arsenal face West Ham at the Emirates on Saturday 22nd February - a game they will need to win to keep the pressure on fellow title contenders Liverpool. The game will start at 10:00 a.m. ET/7:00 a.m. PT and can be streamed on Peacock.
Leicester have a challenging Friday afternoon game against Brentford on Friday 21st February. This match will kick off at 3:00 p.m. ET/ 12:00 p.m. PT.
