Leeds United’s fans have had their say on Saturday’s 5-0 hiding at Arsenal.
Leeds United suffered a heavy defeat in their second game of the new Premier League season at Arsenal - but what did the club’s fans think? Here is what our YEP Jury had to say on Saturday evening’s 5-0 hiding at The Emirates.
KEITH INGHAM
Well, a game to forget and there is little argument that the 5-0 battering by Arsenal shows just how far up the ladder Leeds will have to travel to even challenge teams like them.
It was an Arsenal team that hardly got out of second gear to brush their visitors aside. They could even afford to bring on a 15-year-old winger and still threaten to increase the score.
For the early exchanges Leeds gave as good as they got, Struijk forcing a superb save from Raya when the game was scoreless but hapless defending gave Arsenal the lead and it went downhill pretty fast after that.
3-0 down just after the break quickly became 4-0 and then 5-0 in injury time. Leeds hardly put a glove on their opponents in the second half despite new signing Noah Okafor getting his first outing in a blue shirt.
The attack still looks poor and players you’d expect to step up didn’t. That’s a disappointment.
Leeds will have to brush themselves down for a midweek Carabao Cup game with Sheffield Wednesday on Tuesday.
It’s still early days but Daniel Farke can’t have many more beatings like Saturday, or it could spell trouble for him.
There also needs to be at least two or three players bought in before the window closes.
Man of the match: Nobody stood out.
DAVID WATKINS
I thought we might get beaten at the Emirates… but I didn’t expect it to be quite so one-sided as that!
In the same way we dominated Everton, Arsenal did it to us! A couple of the goals were really soft though and four conceded in 14 minutes sealed the Gunners' superiority.
For half an hour Leeds showed some resistance and, without threatening the Arsenal goal, we were comfortable enough.
It was disappointing though to then concede from a corner now that we have such height in the team, even if Arsenal are the Premier League masters at it.
Allowing Saka space to blast the second straight through Lucas Perri just before the break then set the tone for the second half.
It was too easy for Gyökeres to waltz into the box to score Arsenal’s third and then Timber scored his second from another corner with more dire defending from Leeds. The rout was completed with a late Gyökeres penalty.
This was a reminder of the quality the top teams possess, remembering too that Arsenal unveiled yet another £60 million + player before kick-off in Eze.
This was not our real fight though, the challenge is to win points against the lesser teams.
Man of the match: Anton Stach.
Leeds United received their first Premier League reality check as Arsenal tore them apart.
The Whites started the game well enough despite a couple of early warnings that you do not get much time on the ball against a team of Arsenal’s quality.
During this period, Leeds chalked up their only on-target attempt when Pascal Struijk sent a powerful header goalwards from Anton Stach’s well-taken corner.
But just after the half hour, Arsenal struck with a trademark set piece of their own when Jurrien Timber rose to head the ball beyond the reach of Lucas Perri. On the stroke of half-time, Bukayo Saka shrugged off Gabriel Gudmundsson to present the rampant Gunners with their second.
Viktor Gyökeres started the second half as Arsenal carried on with their relentless onslaught. The Whites were looking distraught, weary, and ragged as Timber added another to pile on the agony.
The final part of United’s torment was provided by 15-year-old Max Dowman, who drew a penalty from the tiring Stach.
The spot kick was happily converted by Gyökeres before a chastened United were allowed to limp home. The only positive to take from a defeat like this is to try to learn some lessons from it.
Man of the match: Joe Rodon.
NEIL GREWER
This game was never going to be easy but the scoreline flattered Arsenal slightly in the sense that five attempts on goal yielded five goals.
Leeds survived for half an hour, and indeed could have taken the lead if Pascal Stuijk’s bullet header from a corner had been either side of David Raya.
But therein lies the difference between the sides, as Arsenal’s first corner resulted in a well-placed header finding the net from a typically well-executed corner routine with Lucas Perri given no chance.
And from then on in, it was plain sailing with Arsenal’s quality showing all over the pitch.
Perhaps Perri could have saved Sako’s goal just before half-time, and the goalkeeper’s distribution at times put Leeds under pressure but Arsenal were relentless.
So we learned that playing out from the back against top teams is dangerous and risky in the extreme but playing long is ineffective with small/weaker forwards.
Joel Piroe playing up top was a spectator.
So a conundrum for Daniel Farke to solve, but I am sure he knew this before the season started.
Man of the match: The magnificent away support.
ANDY RHODES
I doubt many of us expected anything from a trip to the Emirates but the manner of the defeat, no matter who the opposition, was tough to take.
Arsenal are widely expected to finish in the top three and the gulf in class was there to see on Saturday.
The Gunners have spent more than Leeds on just two players, but Daniel Farke will be hopeful of more additions to his side in the next week.
As Farke said, our season won’t be defined by games against Arsenal, but if we can pick the odd point up against the big boys as the season progresses, it will definitely help.
Next week’s game against Newcastle United at Elland Road will need to be as passionate as the Everton game.
Of course, Newcastle are a step above Everton, but the Whites will want to win as many points at home as they can.
If more players do come through the door it will help in the short term, but time will tell if Leeds have enough for the full season.
Man of the match: Willy Gnonto.
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