For an hour at the Emirates, Leeds United looked every bit the side that had arrived unbeaten. Then the champions remembered who they were. Arsenal struck twice in eight minutes to win 2-1 on Saturday, joining leaders Manchester City on points and handing Daniel Farke’s team their first Premier League loss of the campaign.
Farke kept faith with an unchanged XI for a fourth straight game, and the visitors were sharper from the start. David Raya was busy, keeping out Jayden Bogle twice and Gabriel Gudmundsson once before the break. Ten minutes into the second half the pressure told: Gudmundsson left Ben White behind on the left and slid the ball across for James Justin to finish at the back post.
Arsenal’s way back came through Noni Madueke, picked on the left in place of the injured Christos Tzolis and the hosts’ liveliest outlet all afternoon. His deep cross in the 62nd minute was nodded back across goal by White, and Riccardo Calafiori bundled it in past a wrong-footed James Trafford.
Mikel Arteta then rang the changes, sending on three substitutes including Bruno Guimarães. The Brazilian dragged the tempo up a gear and, with 70 minutes gone, finished the move of the match: Martin Ødegaard found Declan Rice in the box, Rice flicked it back with his heel, and Guimarães steered it low into the corner. Ødegaard from close range and Bukayo Saka through on goal could have added more.
It was a fitting end to a week in which Arteta extended his contract to 2030, and a firm reply to the 3-0 defeat at Brighton before the international break. City can move clear again when they visit Liverpool on Sunday.
