Arsenal faced off against Leeds United at Elland Road earlier this evening as they looked to earn all three points on their travels. The Gunners made a strong start to the game and took the lead in the 16th minute when Gabriel Martinelli scored with a powerful strike. The Brazilian attacker went on to double his team’s advantage just 12 minutes later when he found the back of the net with a tidy finish. Bukayo Saka put daylight between the two sides with just three minutes left to run in the first half when he scored with a deflected attempt. Arsenal cruised to a 3-0 lead at half-time.
Leeds got a goal back courtesy of Raphinha’s successful penalty in the 75th minute. However, Emile Smith Rowe came off the bench and scored with a half-volley just nine minutes later which restored Arsenal’s three-goal lead. The match ended with Mikel Arteta’s men earning a 4-1 win away at West Yorkshire.
Let’s take a look at how each Arsenal player performed during the contest against the Whites.
GK: Aaron Ramsdale – 6/10
The English goalie made one good save during the game but couldn’t stop Raphinha from scoring his penalty in the 75th minute which extinguished his hopes of a clean sheet.
RB: Takehiro Tomiyasu – 7/10
He won a few aerial duels and was solid when defending at the back. However, Tomiyasu offered very little in the Leeds half and got replaced after the hour mark.
CB: Ben White – 6/10
White made one important clearance inside his half but gave away a cheap penalty in the final quarter of the game which cost his side the clean sheet.
CB: Gabriel – 6.5/10
He cleared the danger when needed and was tidy with his passing.
The 4th Official uses images provided by the following image agency:
Getty Images (https://www.gettyimages.de/)
Imago Images (https://www.imago-images.de/)
LB: Kieran Tierney – 7/10
The Scottish left-back made a couple of crucial interceptions and was a threat going forward as well.
RM: Bukayo Saka – 8/10
Saka was always willing to have a strike at goal and scored Arsenal’s third goal with a deflected effort.
CM: Thomas Partey – 7.5/10
He anchored the midfield with conviction and was quite lively on the ball.
CM: Granit Xhaka – 8/10
The Switzerland international got stuck in with multiple tackles to make life difficult for the opposition at the centre of the park. He also engineered two key chances in the final third.
LM: Gabriel Martinelli – 9/10
Martinelli did his fair share of defending and scored two goals in the first half to put Arsenal in a commanding position to win this game. He also created several inviting chances for others around him and deserves to be named the man of the match.
CAM: Martin Odegaard – 8/10
Odegaard caused all kinds of problems for the Leeds defenders because of his creativity and vision. He ended the game with an assist to his name.
ST: Alexandre Lacazette – 7.5/10
The French striker caused a few headaches for the Whites centre-backs and has got an assist to show for his efforts. However, there was no goal for him today.
Substitutes:
RB: Cedric Soares – 6/10
He offered very little after coming off the bench.
RM: Emile Smith Rowe – 7/10
Smith Rowe came on and scored a good goal in the 84th minute.
LB: Nuno Tavares – N/A
He hardly had any time to make an impact.
