Arsenal bewildered then brilliant to beat Leeds and go level in phony title race
Arsenal eventually roused themselves to move level at the top with Manchester City. If that’s even relevant anymore…
The champions looked utterly bemused over how they should approach the first Premier League game since City were found guilty of all that cheating. More likely, their sluggishness was a combination of rustiness after the three-week international break and a hangover from Brighton that blighted that breather. But in the new, post-City world, who knows what’s real anymore?
From Arsenal’s perspective, and that of any other title contender as they emerge, the lack of clarity over the consequences for City’s cheating doesn’t much change their mission: keep winning, keep picking up points.
Neither looked certain or even likely for the first hour at the Emirates.
Leeds United were the better team in the first half and thoroughly deserved their lead when James Justin earned it for the visitors 10 minutes after the break.
Somehow, Leeds’ confidence seemed to catch Arsenal out. The Gunners had won their last seven against the Yorkshiremen by an aggregate of 24-5, and Leeds have lost all of their five visits to north London since 2003. But, apparently, the hosts hadn’t paid attention to Leeds’ more recent form.
Daniel Farke’s men followed Brighton’s blueprint for facing Arsenal and pressed their hosts high and early. Again, the Gunners seemed baffled that they were not allowed to play through the thirds, and at no point in the first half did they speed up their passing or vary their patterns.
Leeds arrived in confident mood; they were buoyant by the break having created the better openings; and buzzing just after it when they finally beat David Raya.
The goal was symptomatic of Arsenal’s apparent malaise. They were all set, 11 behind the ball which rested with a Leeds centre-back. But three quick passes, two between Noah Okafor and Gabriel Gudmundsson set the wing-back scampering in behind the home defence.
Gudmundsson is quick, but not so quick as to make Declan Rice appear he was running in wellies. Ezri Konsa too looked sluggish on the cover, failing to cut out the pull-back that was slotted home by Justin, despite more clumsiness on the line by Gabriel.
Going behind, though, was the jolt Arsenal needed.
Prior to that, Arteta dithered over his substitutions. Arsenal’s bench is unrivalled in the league and could have been utilised at half-time. The Gunners boss seemed torn between making changes to win the game, or resisting the temptation to avoid losing it.
Leeds’ goal removed any cloudiness from Arteta’s mind. A triple change was forthcoming – but before his finishers could get fully stripped, his starters finally created an opening.
It wasn’t sophisticated – Arsenal rarely need to be – and owed much to Leeds’ losing concentration for the first time. Ao Tanaka, so busy up to then, failed to track a Riccardo Califiori run into the box and the left-back landed on right-back Ben White’s header across goal.
Even then, the finish wasn’t decisive, but nor was James Trafford’s handling. Inside the line of his body, Trafford allowed the ball to squirm through his grasp and into the roof of the net.
Upon that moment, everything changed. Leeds’ confidence and vigour seemed to evaporate and Arsenal were reinvigorated by parity and three new faces.
Rice was ripe for removal, so off the pace he appeared despite three weeks’ rest. But Arteta opted to withdraw Myles Lewis-Skelly instead, and pairing up with Bruno Guimaraes seemed to lift Rice to deliver a final 30 minutes unrecognisable from the first 60.
The midfield pair combined for a winning goal featuring the quality and incision we haven’t seen from Arsenal in too long.
Neat build-up between Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard – both completely shackled to this point on 70 minutes – found Rice bursting into the box for what felt like the first time. The confidence in his flick betrayed his earlier struggles, allowing Guimaraes to step on and strike first time from the edge of the box into the bottom corner of Trafford’s net.
Another crucial intervention off the bench will likely give Guimaraes another opportunity to stake a claim for a regular start alongside Rice. His first chance, at Brighton in the wake of the winner at Sunderland, was fluffed completely. Consistency now must follow the eye-catching cameos.
The three points takes Arsenal level with City before Enzo Maresca’s side go to Liverpool on Sunday. If that means anything now.
That in itself is a huge problem for the Premier League. Two title races running in parallel – one with City, one without – is a turn-off for everyone.
Not only have City tainted the last 15 years, the current season is fogged by their cheating and until they are punished decisively, much of the enjoyment of this title race has been taken too.
Arsenal can’t affect that. It is not their fault that, outside the Emirates, these points and probably plenty more to come prompt shrugs above all else.
Within Arsenal, though, the overriding feeling will be one of relief after – eventually – making Brighton a blip.
