Arsenal welcomed Leeds United at the Emirates Stadium earlier tonight as they looked to pick up a win and book a place in the next round of the EFL Cup. The Gunners made a solid start to the game but failed to break the Leeds defence down as they went into the half-time break with a goalless scoreline.
The home side ramped up the pressure in the second half and managed to get their noses ahead in the 55th minute when Calum Chambers found the back of the net. Eddie Nketiah doubled Arsenal’s advantage just 14 minutes later when he scored with a calm finish. The North London giants ended up winning the cup encounter by an impressive 2-0 scoreline which kept their EFL Cup hopes alive.
Let’s take a look at how each Arsenal player performed during the match against the Whites.
GK: Bernd Leno – 8/10
The German keeper made a lot of important saves during the game and managed to earn an outstanding clean sheet at home.
RB: Cedric Soares – 7/10
He was solid at the back and made two good chances in the final third. Soares also completed a couple of promising runs with the ball down the right flank.
CB: Ben White – 7/10
White made two important clearances during his time on the field. He was replaced in the 54th minute.
CB: Rob Holding – 7/10
He performed his defensive duties well and deserves credit for helping his side secure a clean sheet.
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LB: Sead Kolasinac – 7.5/10
Kolasinac didn’t do much wrong in the game and was quite lively in the opposition half.
CM: Mohamed Elneny – 7/10
He anchored the midfield effectively and kept possession ticking as well at the centre of the park.
CM: Ainsley Maitland-Niles – 7/10
The English talent got stuck in with a couple of tackles and created one good chance during the game.
RW: Nicolas Pepe – 7.5/10
Pepe tracked back to defend when needed and picked up a good assist for setting up Calum Chambers’ opening goal.
CAM: Emile Smith Rowe – 7/10
The English sensation engineered a handful of promising chances in the attacking third end of the field but didn’t get too many sniffs at goal.
LW: Gabriel Martinelli – 7/10
The Brazilian wing wizard made a few encouraging runs with the ball but failed to register a goal.
ST: Eddie Nketiah – 8/10
Nketiah was always willing to have a strike at goal and ended up getting his name on the scoresheet with a calm finish, which killed the game off.
Substitutes:
CB: Calum Chambers – 7.5/10
He managed to find the back of the net in the 55th minute that gave Arsenal an ideal platform to win the game.
CM: Albert Sambi Lokonga – 6/10
He offered very little after coming off the bench.
ST: Alexandre Lacazette – 6/10
There was no goal for him today.
LB: Nuno Tavares – 6/10
Tavares did enough to see out the win with the clean sheet intact.
