Leeds United’s manager and players were complimentary of Arsenal’s mentality, following the Gunners’ comeback win on Saturday.
Leeds United put in a good performance away at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday, and they briefly looked like taking all three points from the encounter.
With James Justin giving his side a second-half lead, Arsenal hopes of victory looked a bit bleak, particularly given Leeds hadn’t lost any of their first five Premier League fixtures. They also hadn’t conceded more than once in any of those games.
But the Gunners did manage to rally, with Riccardo Calafiori and Bruno Guimaraes scoring to turn things around for a 2-1 win.
Speaking after the game, goalscorer Justin admitted he was impressed by Arsenal’s mental toughness.
“[Arsenal’s] mentality is unbelievable,” Justin told TNT Sports. “What their coach has instilled in them since he’s been at the club, he’s been there so long now, and everyone works. No matter what the score is, they’re always fighting. That’s what we’re striving for.”
Leeds boss Daniel Farke agreed, saying: “Congratulations to Arsenal, it’s down to the mentality Mikel has implemented here. Arsenal is the most consistent team in Europe, one of the best in the world.
“Out of very little they were able to equalise. They used the momentum with another well-taken goal. We tried everything to find another answer to equalise the game, it was not to be.”
Given the 3-0 defeat to Brighton and going behind at home to Leeds, Arsenal definitely did have to show their resolve to take all three points from the game.
The Gunners will hope the pressure is now ramping up on Premier League leaders Manchester City, returning from an international break with over 100 guilty verdicts hanging over their heads and a trip to Anfield on the menu.
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