Leeds arrived at the Emirates unbeaten on Saturday lunchtime, and had Arsenal fans genuinely worried for an hour. While Saturday's lunchtime may have ended in a 2-1 defeat, we gave the champions a real scare when Justin put us ahead on 55 minutes, before Calafiori equalised on 62 and substitute Bruno Guimarães won it on 70. Arsenal had 14 shots to our 10 and 59% of the ball, but we matched them with five on target. We read the reaction on two of the biggest Arsenal fan sites, Just Arsenal and Arseblog. Arsenal fans were mostly relieved rather than pleased, and a lot of them gave Leeds credit.
Relief, not celebration at the Emirates
The general view was that Arsenal were poor until they went behind. One fan wrote that "we were awful up until the equaliser" and couldn't see them scoring even once after we went ahead. Another said the win came from a burst of brilliance that only arrived once Leeds had scored, forcing Arteta into changes. A third argued that the reigning champions shouldn't wait until the last half hour to start producing, though a fellow supporter replied that Arsenal were good from the moment Bruno came on, and another joked that enough ten-minute spells like that might even win them the league.
The biggest argument by some distance was over Saka's selection. On Arseblog, where readers vote on a rating out of 10 for every player, one comment saying he should be pulled from the starting lineup for a while collected 76 upvotes. Another, saying that any other player with that performance would have got a 4 out of 10, collected 120. Several fans said he has lost pace, one wondered about a knock, and on Just Arsenal another asked when he last looked like the player they all fell in love with. Others thought the criticism was harsh, pointing out that he is still intelligent and skilful and never gets a rest.
Guimarães was the hero for many, with one of the most popular Arseblog comments calling him a "cult hero" who has already earned Arsenal six points. Rice split opinion: some said he was off the pace for an hour, others called him magnificent, mainly for the flick that set up the winner. Several fans want a midfield trio of Merino, Bruno and Zubimendi to take the pressure off Rice and Ødegaard, while one thought a Rice and Lewis-Skelly pairing is too blunt and couldn't get out of its own half when Leeds pressed in the second half. Many also want Gyökeres to start ahead of Havertz, though one pointed out that he gets outmuscled in his hold-up play.
Another fan said the game showed Arsenal are not a great attacking side: resilient and strong in depth, but perhaps not good enough for Europe. Others blamed a quiet summer in the attacking market or Arteta's slow, sideways passing, and one Arseblog commenter compared the forward line to a second-tier side's. Some defended the balance, arguing that the weak attack is partly the price of the superior defensive numbers, because the full-backs can push on knowing a lost ball in wide areas is less likely to be punished. Another said Arteta prioritised capable cover for Rice and Saliba, and that 2-1 is as good as 4-3.
Some fans blamed the international break, with Guimarães reportedly jet-lagged after playing for Brazil in Australia and India and having had only two days of training. Another wasn't having excuses, saying the attack is simply terrible and Saka has been awful for a while.
How they saw Leeds
Arsenal fans' view of Leeds was fairly consistent: well organised, aggressive and hard to play against with Just Arsenal's match report saying Leeds were no pushovers. Leeds pressed aggressively from the opening minutes, restricted Arsenal's space and repeatedly caught them offside, and that at 1-0 Arsenal looked worryingly short of ideas. It also called Raya arguably Arsenal's best player and said Leeds deserved the lead, which came two minutes after he tipped Ao Tanaka's effort over the bar. ESPN reported a supporter shouting "Wake up" as the Arsenal players went down the tunnel at half-time, with the home crowd growing tense.
One fan said Leeds are a good side who deserve to be in the top five, and another thought we deserved something from the game. One said Brighton and Leeds had both used the high press to good effect, while another said it had now worked on Arsenal two games in a row and wondered whether Arteta can adapt. A third said it isn't new, as Arsenal buckled under pressing a few times last season, and they still have no Plan B. One Arseblog fan felt Arsenal look a worse attacking side without Saliba, who they said gives them resistance against the press. Another described Guimarães' winner as against the run of play, which says a lot about who was on top before it went in.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin received some praise for getting the better of his marker several times, letting Leeds relieve the pressure, and another criticised Madueke for letting our scorer run off his shoulder without moving. A third noted that Gyökeres had Trafford well out of his goal after pressing and winning the ball, but Arsenal failed to make it count. Not everyone thought it was all Leeds: one fan put the number of offsides down to a lack of intensity on both sides at a 12:30 kick-off.
Arsenal fans played well on the whole, but plenty said Leeds deserved something. We still lost, but a side that rattled the champions at the Emirates, with many of their own supporters saying so, can take something from this. Even from the home end, the verdict was that Arsenal got away with one. Our unbeaten run is over, but we pressed the champions into mistakes, took the lead on merit and gave their fans plenty to worry about. If we bring the same intensity to Elland Road against Manchester United next weekend, there's no reason this has to be a setback.
Related Leeds United’s unbeaten start to the Premier League season came to an end at the Emirates on Saturday lunchtime, as Arsenal came from behind to break the hearts of the travelling Whites supporters. ... All our news articles, comment and editorials including the LUFC Breakfast Debate.
Our forums and message boards where you can debate and discuss all things Leeds United with like minded fans. Related