Arsenal centre-backs dismiss Leicester penalty claims

Arsenal defenders Laurent Koscielny and Rob Holding rejected suggestions Leicester City deserved a pair of penalties during the goalless Premier League draw at the King Power Stadium.

The top two from last season remain winless after their opening-weekend defeats and a drab stalemate short of goalscoring chances on Saturday.

The outcome might have been different had Mark Clattenburg seen merit in penalty claims from Leicester midfielder Danny Drinkwater and substitute Ahmed Musa during the closing stages of each half.

Drinkwater went down under a lunging challenge from Koscielny, who effectively bolstered the Arsenal rearguard alongside youngster Holding following the chastening 4-3 loss to Liverpool, and the France international told BT Sport he got a vital touch on the ball.

“I think I toed the ball a little,” he said. “I don’t think it was a penalty.”

“Each player did the job well defensively. Leicester played very well in the counter-attack. We came back with a point.”

Hector Bellerin was the defender under pressure when he grappled untidily on the wrong side of lively replacement Musa.

“I think he went down hoping for it,” Holding added. “I think it was the right decision.

“We wanted a clean sheet after conceding four goals last week. It was vital. Hopefully next week we can build on this, score some goals and win a game.”