Arsenal entertained Leeds United at the Emirates Stadium earlier today as they looked to earn all three points at home. The Gunners made a bright start to the game and got their noses ahead in the fifth minute when Eddie Nketiah capitalized on Illan Meslier’s mistake to put the ball into an empty net. Nketiah doubled Arsenal’s advantage just five minutes later when he scored with a composed finish. Leeds crumbled under the pressure and were at a numerical disadvantage in the 27th minute when Luke Ayling was sent off. Mikel Arteta’s men went into the half-time break 2-0 up on the scoreline.
Diego Llorente pulled a goal back for the Whites in the 66th minute but Arsenal hung on to their narrow lead and secured a 2-1 win in front of their home fans.
Let’s take a look at how each Arsenal player performed during the match against the Whites.
GK: Aaron Ramsdale – 6/10
He made one save in the game but will be disappointed for conceding a goal in the second half.
RB: Cedric Soares – 7/10
Soares got stuck in with some solid tackles and had two lively moments in the Leeds half.
CB: Rob Holding – 6.5/10
The English talent made two important clearances and was tidy with his passing.
CB: Gabriel – 6.5/10
The Brazilian centre-back was not worked hard defensively but was a threat inside the Leeds penalty box.
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LB: Takehiro Tomiyasu – 7/10
He did his fair share of defending and was a constant threat in the opponent’s half.
CM: Martin Odegaard – 8/10
Odegaard earned the ball back a couple of times and caused a lot of problems for the opposition defenders due to his excellent creativity and dribbling.
CM: Mohamed Elneny – 7/10
Elneny anchored the midfield well and made one good opportunity in the final third.
CM: Granit Xhaka – 7/10
The Swiss international engineered some decent openings for his teammates going forward.
RW: Bukayo Saka – 7/10
Saka made a few exciting runs with the ball but failed to register a goal.
ST: Eddie Nketiah – 8.5/10
The English forward was a constant menace inside the Leeds penalty box and scored two early goals to win the game for the Gunners.
LW: Gabriel Martinelli – 8/10
Martinelli completed some encouraging dribbles with the ball and picked up an assist for setting up Nketiah’s second goal.
Substitutes:
RW: Nicolas Pepe – 6/10
He struggled to get into the flow of the game.
CAM: Emile Smith Rowe – 6.5/10
Smith Rowe made one good run with the ball.
ST: Alexandre Lacazette – N/A
He hardly had any time to influence the game.
