Arsenal Crush Leeds 5-0 But Victory Turns Bitter as Saka and Odegaard Suffer Injury Scares
Arsenal crushed Leeds United 5–0 at the Emirates Stadium in a thrilling encounter filled with drama.
The match kicked off with excitement as Eberechi Eze was unveiled and introduced to the home supporters. Mikel Arteta made a bold tactical decision by deploying Noni Madueke as the left-wing attacker, who saw plenty of early possession.
Arsenal skipper Martin Ødegaard played in a more fluid position, drifting across the final third rather than staying fixed on his typical right flank. However, the Gunners struggled to create clear-cut opportunities early on, similar to their previous encounter against Manchester United. Viktor Gyökeres had an early chance after Leeds lost possession carelessly, but the Swedish striker rushed his effort and sent it wide of the target.
Following the pattern from the previous week, Arsenal broke the deadlock through a corner kick as Declan Rice's curling delivery found Jurriën Timber. Soon after, Ødegaard was substituted due to what appeared to be a shoulder problem, with Ethan Nwaneri coming on as his replacement - a concerning development following Kai Havertz's knee injury sustained earlier in the week.
Bukayo Saka brought joy back to the Emirates just before the interval, netting the club's first goal from open play this season to make it 2-0.
After the break, Gyökeres redeemed himself for his earlier miss by scoring his maiden competitive goal in Arsenal colors to stretch the advantage to three. However, concern filled the stadium moments later when Saka collapsed with what looked like a left leg problem. The England winger managed to walk off independently, but the worrying incident overshadowed Timber's second strike of the match in the 56th minute.
Max Dowman then entered the fray for his Arsenal debut at just 15 years of age during the second period. Every touch he made had supporters on their feet as his teammates actively sought to involve him in the play. The promising youngster earned a penalty deep into added time, which Gyökeres converted for his brace.
The Gunners maintained another shutout and secured a commanding victory, though supporters anxiously await positive news on two crucial players while attention shifts to the upcoming visit to Anfield.
Arsenal player ratings from the victory are listed below.
Arsenal Player Ratings vs. Leeds (4-3-3)
*Ratings provided by Fotmob
Player | Rating (Out of 10) |
|---|---|
GK: David Raya | 7.5 |
RB: Jurriën Timber | 9.3* |
CB: William Saliba | 7.4 |
CB: Gabriel Magalhães | 7.3 |
LB: Riccardo Calafiori | 8.5 |
CM: Martin Ødegaard (c) | 6.9 |
CM: Declan Rice | 7.9 |
CM: Martín Zubimendi | 7.5 |
RW: Bukayo Saka | 7.9 |
ST: Viktor Gyökeres | 9.0 |
LW: Noni Madueke | 6.7 |
SUB: Ethan Nwaneri (38' for Ødegaard) | 6.5 |
SUB: Leandro Trossard (53' for Saka) | 6.1 |
SUB: Cristhian Mosquera (64' for Timber) | 6.5 |
SUB: Max Dowman (64' for Madueke) | 7.1 |
SUB: Myles Lewis-Skelly (64' for Calafiori) | 6.9 |
Subs not used: Kepa Arrizabalaga (GK), Jakub Kiwior, Mikel Merino, Gabriel Martinelli
Player of the Match: Jurriën Timber
Leeds United (4-3-3): Lucas Perri; Jayden Bogle, Joe Rodon, Pascal Struijk, Gabriel Gudmundsson; Anton Stach, Ilia Gruev, Ao Tanaka; Wilfried Gnonto, Joël Piroe, Daniel James
Subs: Karl Darlow (GK), Sean Longstaff, Lukas Nmecha, Brenden Aaronson, Noah Okafor, Sam Byram, Jaka Bijol, Sebastiaan Bornauw, Jack Harrison