Every Arsenal player ranked from worst to best against Leeds United
Arsenal battled well to come from a goal down and overcome a stubborn Leeds United 2-1 on Saturday afternoon.
The Gunners were punished for a sluggish and poor display when James Justin met Gabriel Gudmundsson's low-driven cross at the back post to fire in the opening goal, but they fought back with Riccardo Calafiori volleying in the equaliser ahead of Bruno Guimarães netting the winner from the edge of the box.
Mikel Arteta helped change the game with his substitutions moments after his side's leveller and while those decisions did turn the tie on its head, much of Arsenal's performance left a lot to be desired with several players looking off the pace for most of the match.
With that in mind, here is a ranking of every Arsenal player from worst to best against Leeds.
Every Arsenal player ranked from worst to best against Leeds United
16. Mikel Merino
It's not so much of a case of Mikel Merino being the worst player, but more the fact he came on in the 90th minute and was on the pitch for just five minutes. He did win a flicked header to start a late move though.
15. Piero Hincapié
Just like Merino, Piero Hincapié had very little time on the pitch, being brought on for the last 10 minutes or so. He had some touches all down the left flank and supported defensively to help see out the game.
He will be disappointed to have suffered a knock in the post-match warm-down which may see him ruled out for a period of time.
14. Jurrien Timber
Brought off the bench after being given key minutes for the Netherlands, it was great to see Jurrien Timber back in action once again but he did look slightly rusty as he replaced Ben White at right.
It was important for him to come on, but he didn't really have the impact he would've liked with just nine touches in 27 minutes.
However, he will be delighted to have helped see out the win.
13. Viktor Gyökeres
Denied the start many fans expected him to get, Viktor Gyökeres was reduced to a substitute role once again due to Kai Havertz's swift return from injury.
The Swede was brought on just after his side's leveller and was presented with the opportunity to make himself the hero at the Emirates, but he failed to do so.
With just 12 touches in around half an hour, Gyökeres didn't do much other than steal the ball from a rushing Trafford late on, but failed to do anything with it as he bizarrely hesitated to shoot into an empty net and was forced wide. It was a moment that summed up his season so far.
12. Bukayo Saka
Bukayo Saka put in yet another performance that made fans question why he is still starting on the right wing.
He struggled up against Tarik Muharemović and Gabriel Gudmundsson, and despite having 56 touches, he didn't get too involved in the game and had a big part to play in Arsenal not breaking Leeds down for the first hour.
The winger did well to hold off pressure in the build-up to his side's goal, but it was something a player of his calibre should be doing.
In the final moments of the match, he found himself played through on goal and was one-on-one with Trafford, but failed to beat him despite the good position he found himself in. His showing leaves Arteta with a lot to think about in attack.
11. Kai Havertz
Having seemingly defied the odds to make the starting XI following fears he would be out for some time with an injury, Kai Havertz failed to make a significant impact up front.
He missed a great chance to put his side in front with a tame header that was too easily saved by Trafford and also sent another well over the crossbar late in the first-half.
Havertz's build-up play was poor and pretty much non-existent throughout and it was a quiet performance that saw him hooked just after the hour mark.
10. Gabriel
Gabriel put in a somewhat steady performance at the back, but there were moments that showed his potential to be slightly sluggish.
He was guilty of handing Leeds possession with sloppy passes in crucial areas and failed to keep Justin's effort out on the line, even though it was difficult to prevent with his head.
It wasn't a poor showing from the Brazilian, but it certainly wasn't his best.
9. Myles Lewis-Skelly
Myles Lewis-Skelly's stats do actually bode well for him as he boasted a 94% pass accuracy as well as winning four duels and making four defensive contributions during his time on the pitch.
However, there were some instances of him being slightly slower than usual with his passing and he may have made the wrong decisions with some balls for his teammates, which helped Leeds control the midfield for a lot of the game.
The decision to replace him with Bruno Guimarães after an hour proved to be a crucial one.
8. Ben White
Getting to the point now where the remaining players weren't particularly poor, but those above just offered slightly more than them.
Handed the start at right back over Jurrien Timber, Ben White dealt with Noah Okafor pretty well, which meant the Swiss had to play much of his game further in-field and won most of his duels.
He linked up well with Saka and was the much better of the partnership with some nice passes for him to attack down the flank. White's performance was topped off with his final touch being a looped header assist for Calafiori to volley in the equaliser.
7. Noni Madueke
Started on the left over Eberechi Eze, Noni Madueke had a point to prove and some would argue he did, but there were a number of poorer moments too.
He did look like causing some danger in attack, which was shown when he sent the cross in for White to meet in the build-up to the equaliser, with some demanding runs and passes.
However, Madueke did give the ball away at times to kill promising moves and he also seemed to forget the offside rule as he was called offside twice at moments when he really didn't need to stray.
6. Riccardo Calafiori
This man really does get everywhere doesn't he. Riccardo Calafiori played the inverted left back role perfectly for Arsenal against Leeds and his goal summed up another good performance in red and white.
He had 44 touches throughout his time on the pitch and was seen in all areas from left back to right midfield to striker, and he made the impact required with a fine volley that proved to tough for Trafford to stop and equalise for his side.
Calafiori didn't let his attacking exploits make him forget his main role either as he constantly tracked back to defend, but there were some times when Leeds were afforded just a bit too much space due to him being higher up the pitch. Something to think about for the Italian.
5. Ezri Konsa
Facing his England teammate Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Ezri Konsa had a tough task on his hands and he dealt with it brilliantly throughout the match.
He battled well with his fellow international and poked a foot out to deny him a clear run at goal following a through ball played from the Leeds half.
Konsa also had the Emirates crowd on their feet when he displayed his coolness and composure to floor Gudmundsson with a calm cutback under pressure.
4. Martin Ødegaard
Martin Ødegaard's performance wasn't as outstanding as his ones before the international break, but neither of his side's goals wouldn't have happened without him on the pitch.
He drove into space and played a neat pass out for Madueke to send into the box in the build-up to the equaliser before he cleverly collected from Saka to tee up Rice who laid off for Guimarães to fire in the winning goal.
The captain may not have got on the scoresheet but he continued his fine form by influencing the play when he could.
3. Bruno Guimarães
Having only played the last half-hour or so, some would be surprised to see Bruno Guimarães named as his side's third best player, but that's exactly what he was.
He netted the winning goal with a fine finish from the edge of the box after meeting Rice's flicked lay-off, continuing his trend of scoring off the bench for his new side.
The Brazil international also contributed defensively with crucial wins in duels, as well as playing some nice passes after coming on.
2. David Raya
Arsenal fans have David Raya to thank for winning the game as without him, Leeds could have been two to the good by the time the break came.
The Spaniard did well to track back and prevent a looping header from Ethan Ampadu ending up in the net before unleashing a quick counterattack with a brilliant pass up field.
He then denied Gabriel Gudmundsson from a tight angle at the end of the first-half, preventing Leeds from snatching the advantage at a crucial point of the game.
1. Declan Rice
His first-half was pretty sloppy by his standards, but Declan Rice put that behind him to make an impact after the break.
With 89 touches, he had the most out of any player on the pitch and that showed in his influence on the result as his demanding runs on and off the ball helped Arsenal take control after going behind.
Rice set up Guimarães for the winner with a perfectly executed flick that summed up his second-half performance.
