Arsenal 2-1 Leeds United: Report by Layth Yousif
Arsenal staged a second half comeback to beat Leeds United 2-1 at the Emirates on Saturday lunchtime.
Goals from Riccardo Calafiori and summer signing Bruno Guimaraes ensured Mikel Arteta’s Premier League champions picked up all three points – prospect that had seemed unlikely after the visitors had gone 1-0 up in the 52 minute through James Justin.
The early victory saw the Gunners move back to the top of the table ahead of the rest of the weekend’s fixtures.
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Kai Havertz and Ezri Konsa recovered from the knocks picked up on international duty for Germany and England during the Nations League camp to start, with Noni Madueke also in Arteta’s XI.
While Dominic Calvert-Lewin was striker for Leeds as Daniel Farke’s side aimed to continue their good start to the season.
On a gloriously sunny autumnal Saturday lunchtime in north London, it was Leeds that started the brighter, going close with Noah Okafor’s deflected shot that flew narrowly wide of David Raya’s left-hand post with the Gunners keeper in full flight.
That Leeds caught lethargic Arsenal offside four times in the opening minutes was surely evidence both sides were easing their way back into league action after three weeks of international camps. The shapeless opening broken, when, on 20 minutes Havertz headed Madueke’s cross into the arms of James Trafford who gathered cleanly.
Six minutes later Raya blocked Jayden Bogle’s close range effort, with the ball going off for a Leeds corner that came to nothing. as the home support attempted to rouse Arteta’s champions from their slumbers.
Leeds Ao Tanaka was rightly handed a caution by referee Paul Tierney after blocking Myles Lewis-Skelly’s run, with the visitors earning a second yellow card moments later, this time for captain Ethan Ampadu, who was rightly cautioned for lunging at Ben White as the match became ever more fractious.
As the clock ticked down towards half time Havertz headed over from Madueke’s cross, prior to Raya blocking Gabriel Gundmundsson’s close range effort as we reached the interval goalless.
Five minutes after the break, Trafford saved from Odegaard’s low effort that needed more power to trouble the England keeper, while Tanaka forced Raya into a fingertip save after his effort from the edge of the box 120 seconds later.
Arteta’s sloppy side failed to heed the warnings, deservedly falling behind when Justin emphatically fired past Raya to put the visitors ahead on 55 minutes, as a Gunners fan near the press box shouts to the home side: “Wake up.”
However, the lead didn’t last for long as Calafiori equalised when forcing home Madueke’s cross to level seven minutes later.
Worse was to come for Farke’s battling side, when substitute Guimaraes popped up to make it 2-1 in the 70th minute, shortly after coming on as a substitute for Lewis-Skelly, as the home crowd erupted in a relief as much as joy.
David Raya: 7/10 – Good first half blocks to deny Jayden Bogle and Gabriel Gundmundsson as well as excellent fingertip save from Ao Tanaka after the break
Ben White: 7/10 – Clattered by Leeds captain Ethan Ampadu who rightly earned a yellow card from referee Paul Tierney
Gabriel: 7/10 – Solid and uncompromising as ever
Ezri Konsa: 7/10 – Recovered from a knock picked up on international duty for England during the Nations League camp
Riccardo Calafiori: 7.5/10 – Equalised on 62 minutes to underline jut what an attacking threat the Italian left-back possesses
Myles Lews-Skelly: 7/10 – Substituted on the hour mark in favour of Bruno Guimaares to cap a busy few weeks after the international break
Declan Rice: 7/10 – Provided the assist for midfield colleague Bruno Guimaraes to put the home side in front for the first time in the match with 20 minutes remains as the Emirates crowed erupted in joy
Martin Odegaard: 6/10 – Effort saved by James but another who struggled to make an impact during a bustling clash
Bukayo Saka: 6/10 – Fired powerful effort over the bar with the Gunners 2-1 but wasn’t as influential as the England attacker would have liked
Eberechi Eze: 5/10 – Anonymous
Kai Havertz: 5/10 – Two innocuous first half headers
Noni Madueke: 7.5/10 – Lively throughout, and deserved an assist for Calafiori’s leveller for his persistence down the left-flank
