Leeds 0-4 Arsenal: That’s more like it

Match report – Player ratings – Arteta reaction – Video

Arsenal got back to winning ways in the Premier League yesterday with a 4-0 thumping of Leeds United at Elland Road.

The initial team selection wasn’t markedly different from what you might have predicted, although Kai Havertz in for Martin Odegaard was an interesting change, and the fact we lost Bukayo Saka in the warm-up required a further tweak with Noni Madueke replacing him on the right wing.

I thought the opening stages were fairly even, Leeds were well up for it at home as you’d imagine, but neither side fashioned any clear opportunities. They had one pop from distance which went over, and we produced a chance for Martin Zubimendi but he didn’t make good contact from outside the box.

After about 20 minutes though, we started to exert some pressure, we had a series of corners, and after one of those we took the lead. Leeds cleared, Madueke produced some nifty footwork and a good cross back in, and with the defence disorganised after the set-piece, Zubimendi was there to flick home a very good header to make it 1-0. You could see by the way he celebrated he was out to exorcise the ghosts of that mistake last weekend.

In that period from the 20th minute to the 27th minute goal we had about 75% possession, and that more or less continued until the time the ball hit the back of the net a second time. It will go down as a Karl Darlow own goal, after the Leeds keeper got embroiled with his own man and punched the ball into his own net, but I’m certain Madueke’s corner was on target, so at least morally it’s his goal. Maybe the on target stuff only applies to shots, but I still think he’s a bit hard done by not to be awarded what would have been his first Premier League goal for Arsenal. I bet the Leeds keeper agrees too.

I thought Calvert-Lewin was lucky to escape a booking for a late, sore looking foul with his studs on Gabriel, and he’d obviously become frustrated, getting no change out of William Saliba in their duels. The referee then booked another Leeds player for a nothing challenge a couple of minutes later, perhaps VAR had had a word about what he’d missed in the earlier incident.

In the second period, we had a great chance during a decent spell of Leeds possession to go further ahead. Leandro Trossard played an excellent first time ball, it sent Viktor Gyokeres in behind, but not for the first time this season he took too long to get his shot away, allowing the defender to get back and make a block. In the Premier League, you don’t get that extra second or half a second to shoot the way you do in other leagues, and it’s got to be something he works on going forward.

Mikel Arteta made a couple of changes, with Gabriel Martinelli and Martin Odegaard replacing Madueke and Havertz, the pair were involved in the third goal. The captain played a nice ball down the line for the Brazilian, and when he got a cross in with his left foot, Gyokeres got across his defender really well to stab home from close range. I think he was clearly being fouled too, but thankfully we didn’t have to endure a VAR moment because he stuck it in the back of the net. That’s the kind of movement from the striker we maybe weren’t seeing enough of earlier in the season, so fair play, and hopefully – as per the previous chance he missed – that improvement can continue in other aspects of his play.

Riccardo Calafiori and Gabriel Jesus came on for Piero Hincapie and Gyokeres, and the Brazilian tested the keeper with a powerful close range header from a Jurrien Timber cross. With the game heading for its inevitable conclusion though, we added some real gloss to the scoreline with an excellent goal to make it 4-0. Calafiori brought it forward, he then found Odegaard who fed Jesus in the box. The way he dragged it back, then rolled it forward to confuse the defender was superb, and he made the most of the space he had created for himself with a great finish into the bottom corner.

Afterwards, Mikel Arteta said:

Very, very happy obviously. A very impressive performance, a very impressive result and in the context that we’ve done it. When you have the difficulty of the game and the opponent that we’re facing, with their recent form and the style of play that they have at the moment and the energy that the stadium brings, then the fact that after three results that didn’t go our way in the league, we really wanted to show how much we wanted it, and I think we’ve certainly done that today.

I think this was basically just what the doctor ordered. We needed this after a run of indifferent results in the league, and you can’t argue with the response from the team after last weekend’s disappointment and frustration. Four goals, a clean sheet, three points, extending the lead at the top of the table, the manager displaying some tactical flexibility with an interesting set-up that saw Havertz play closer to Gyokeres than operate as a like for like Odegaard replacement. I don’t think he was brilliant or anything, in fact he completed just 5 of 9 passes in the hour he played, but that slight change in the team dynamic was useful.

Madueke had his most effective Premier League game for us too. He was a bit hit and miss, but the hits contributed to our two goal lead at half-time. We also got goals for each of our centre-forwards, I thought Odegaard looked much more like the player we want to see when he came on, involved in the two second half goals and playing with point to prove perhaps, Zubimendi showed his goal prowess again, and as the game went on, the more Declan Rice’s influence grew with a commanding midfield display that Leeds found hard to live with.

There has been much discussion, debate and criticism over recent performances, so credit where it’s due. Leeds had lost just one of their last ten games, and many were viewing this pre-game as a potential banana skin for an Arsenal side who had, by the high standards they’ve set in recent years, been a bit below par. So, to go there and win that well, and deservedly so too, was precisely the way we needed to respond.

The slight negatives are the injury to Saka, which Arteta described afterwards as a ‘niggle’, so hopefully nothing serious, and reports of an injury to Mikel Merino that we’ll have to wait and see on. But as a way to get back to winning ways in the league, and ahead of Tuesday’s semi-final, you couldn’t really ask for more.

Now, we wait and see what today brings in the other games. I don’t hold out any hope that Man City will drop points, so expect that gap to be cut to 4, but we did our job and did it well, and that’s as much as we can control. Right, I’ll leave it there for this morning, enjoy your Sunday and I’ll be back with more here tomorrow and an Arsecast Extra.

Have a good one folks.

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