Arsenal made it nine goals in three games as they smashed four past Leeds United to tighten their grip on fourth place.
Leeds were, of course, ravaged by injury before this game but that sort of thing hasn’t stopped Arsenal from being idiots before.
Given their form on the road this season, this game always had the potential to go very wrong.
In the end, it couldn’t have been more straightforward as a brace from Gabriel Martinelli, and a deflected Bukayo Saka shot saw the Gunners head into the break three goals up and doing their goal difference the world of good.
Martinelli’s first was also Arsenal’s 7,000th goal in the Premier League era and they finished the half with 11 shots on target – more than any other Premier League side since the division was rebranded.
They’d only managed 14 on target in five away games before this one.
https://twitter.com/arsenaloFka/status/1472274187083468811
https://twitter.com/djramsy254/status/1472263885314998276
https://twitter.com/GunnersXtra/status/1472265413375496201
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The second half was a much more balanced affair, with Leeds making tweaks at halftime to stem the Arsenal flow and the Gunner’s taking things down a few gears.
A stupid tackle from Benjamin White gave Leeds a penalty that they tucked away with ease and it could have been a rough 15 minutes for Arsenal but for Emile Smith Rowe.
Coming off the bench again, the midfielder scored his sixth goal in eight Premier League games as he answers Mikel Arteta’s call that he should score more goals with an impressive roar.
https://twitter.com/GunnersXtra/status/1472284541280829451
The one concern from the game will be the injury to Takehiro Tomiyasu. He was taken off after 64 minutes with what appeared to be a calf problem.
Arsenal will remain in the top four over Christmas due to the plague cancelling so many other games.
Arsenal player ratings vs Leeds United (half time)
- Aaron Ramsdale 6.8 (6.0)
- Takehiro Tomiyasu 7.0 (6.7)
- Benjamin White 6.5 (6.6)
- Gabriel 7.0 (6.7)
- Kieran Tierney 7.7 (7.0)
- Thomas Partey 8.0 (7.3)
- Granit Xhaka 8.3 (7.9) – A
- Martin Odegaard 8.3 (7.6) – A
- Gabriel Martinelli 9.2 (9.1) – G (2)
- Bukayo Saka 8.2 (7.8) – G
- Alexandre Lacazette (7.8) – A
Arsenal subs
- Cedric Soares 6.1
- Emile Smith Rowe 7.6
- Nuno Tavares n/a