Arteta Arsenal
Mikel Arteta gestures on the touchline for Arsenal.
Ray Parlour has taken aim at Noni Madueke for failing to do his job properly in Arsenal’s comeback victory over Leeds.
The Gunners were lethargic in the first half at the Emirates and Leeds took a deserved lead in the 55th minute when James Justin fired Gabriel Gudmondsson’s fine cross to the back post past David Raya.
Arsenal responded quickly and clinically as Riccardo Calafiori drew the scores level just seven minutes later before Bruno Guimaraes drove his shot into the bottom corner after a beautiful team move to give Mikel Arteta’s side the three points.
The victory takes Arsenal level on points with Manchester City at the top of the table ahead of the Citizens’ crunch post-guilty verdict clash with Liverpool at Anfield on Sunday.
READ: Arsenal bewildered then brilliant to beat Leeds and go level in phony title race
But Parlour claims Madueke – starting his first Premier League game of the season in the absence of Christos Tzolis – will be “disappointed” after failing to track back for the Leeds opener.
“I thought Leeds were the better team up to that 60th minute when they made the substitution, until the equaliser, and they deserved it,” ex-Arsenal and England midfielder Parlour said in the Premier League Productions studio.
“You could see the fans really enjoying the goal and it was an excellent goal, it really was.
“You’ve got to really concentrate on just getting your connection right with the pace and Justin certainly got that right.
“Madueke has got to do better there. I played in the wide areas at times and you’ve got to track your runners as well. As much as you like going forward, you’ve got to do a good job for your team.
“He’ll be disappointed with what he sees there when he looks back at it.”
Madueke redeemed himself with a lovely cross to Ben White in the build-up to Calafiori’s equaliser.
“He [Madueke] is better going forward, we know that,’ Parlour said of Arsenal’s equaliser.
“This is a very, very important goal, they were just about to make the substitutions as well.
“It was a real deep cross at the back post and it is a brilliant header across. Calafiori gets into a dangerous area and he finishes it.
“It’s a little bit harsh if I say James Trafford maybe should have done better.
“It was a much-needed goal for Arsenal at that time because Leeds looked pretty comfortable before that goal.”
READ MORE: Mikel Arteta names Arsenal’s ‘best player’ in training after Leeds win
‘Magnificent goal’
On Guimaraes’ winner, Parlour said: “It’s a great flick from Declan Rice, he knows exactly what he’s doing to set him up, and this is a great strike from Bruno Guimaraes.
“He gets it hard and low, Trafford has no chance whatsoever and he will certainly enjoy that one. Another winning goal for him.’
On Rice’s flicked assist, Parlour added: “You probably do that most days in training and it looks brilliant but to do it in a match…
“As soon as Rice has done it he looks around so he knows it is in a good area for a player running in and that’s a magnificent goal, it really is.”