Perhaps the time to put an end to speculation is drawing near. To stop wondering how another setback or another player’s absence could affect Arsenal’s run to the Premier League title.
Time and time again this season, holes have been opened in the heart of Mikel Arteta’s team. Time and time again, someone has stepped in to fill the void.
So it was here, once again, as Arsenal secured their seventh successive Premier League victory, the longest winning streak of any team this season and their best ever under Arteta.
Teams with shakier foundations could have reeled after Manchester City sent out an ominous statement of intent and illness sent Bukayo Saka to the bench.
The 21-year-old has been Arsenal’s beating heart this season, the player they have trusted more than any other, the first player in the division to reach 10+ goals and assists.
Gabriel Jesus scored twice for Arsenal in their return to the Premier League on Saturday afternoon.
Ben White scored Arsenal’s second goal against his former team after arriving late to convert a Leandro Trossard cross
Granit Xhaka completed the scoring when he headed in a clean cross from Martin Odegaard, kept offside by Luke Ayling.
His absence forced Arteta to reshuffle, only for Arsenal’s reshuffled forward line to dismantle Leeds and restore their eight-point lead.
Surprise surprise. Gabriel Jesus, making his first Premier League start since knee surgery, scored his first two goals in 18 games, the first from the penalty spot following a foul by Luke Ayling. He then combined with Leandro Trossard to put Arsenal up three.
In the middle, Gabriel Martinelli put in second of the leaders for Ben White. By the time Martin Odegaard selected Granit Xhaka to return home fourth, this had become tricky for Leeds and Ayling in particular.
He was penalized for Arsenal’s first. He was skinned by Arsenal’s second. He then took the blame for Arsenal’s fourth, putting Xhaka in playing position. A miserable return for the former Arsenal youngster.
This loss leaves Ayling’s current team out of the relegation zone on goal difference alone. Yes, Leeds’s struggles should perhaps temper any praise. They haven’t beaten Arsenal for two decades and Javi Gracia’s team arrives without several of their own key players.
Except that Arsenal’s habit of finding different heroes is notable only because it has become so predictable. They did not collapse when Jesus hurt his knee. Or when Martinelli’s form sank. They have managed, at various points, without Oleksandr Zinchenko and Thomas Partey. Lest we forget, William Saliba was missed here, too. But they keep rolling.
Nine more finals remain. Arsenal opened the gates and the Emirates bars at 12.30pm on Saturday at noon. Apparently the drinks were buy one get one free for an hour. For those who arrived on time for the first part of Liverpool’s trip to Manchester City.
Supporters also crowded into the pubs around the ground; staff watched from a crowded newsroom. Alas, lunchtime trading had peaked at 1pm, before City snuffed out any hope of another favor or free kick. And then, just before 2pm, more news came in to dampen the mood in north London: for the first time in 485 days, Saka was out of Arsenal’s starting XI.
Arteta was already missing defender William Saliba due to a back problem; It turned out that Saka was not feeling well. So he fell to the bench for the first time since December 2021. But if nerves had begun to contaminate optimism and excitement ahead of this 10-game run to the title, fans soon woke up to a breathless start. It took Leeds less than 10 seconds to force a first save from Aaron Ramsdale, the goalkeeper deflecting Rasmus Kristensen’s effort, before Martinelli found space to bring down the other end.
The clock had barely hit 40 seconds when his shot was deflected wide of the goal. Unfortunately, the face-to-face exchanges did not last. Soon, Arsenal took control of the ball and began attacking Leeds’ defensive foundations.
Rasmus Kirstensen’s goal gave Leeds hope after a fine counterattack before Xhaka headed Arsenal’s fourth.
Mikel Arteta’s side started slowly but took the lead through Jesús against the rhythm of the game before taking control
Clear opportunities did not come easily, mind you. Jesus wasted one: Xhaka intercepted him in the middle, the stretching header from him flew. For the first half hour Leeds were happy enough to wait for chances to attack.
The energy of Brenden Aaronson and the invention of Crysencio Summerville created some promising positions. The cruel irony? The visitors fell behind just as they threatened to come out of their shell. Summerville forced Ramsdale into another clever save and then moments later the 21-year-old fed Jack Harrison whose effort was also meant to be held out. From that save, Arsenal launched a lightning counterattack that sent Jesus down the left.
Before long, the tricky feet of the number 9 finished off a defender and then sent Ayling reeling as well. As the defender lay on the ground, his outstretched foot struck Jesus’ knee. Bad luck or smart game forward? Either way, VAR was never going to cancel out Darren England’s penalty.
However, for the home fans, a nervous wait followed. Because Saka’s injury meant Arsenal needed to find a backup penalty taker. Jesus picked up the ball and fooled Meslier from 12 meters.
Jesus was fouled by Luke Ayling in the box and stepped up to send Illan Meslier the wrong way from 12 yards out.
Arsenal star Bukayo Saka started on the bench after battling illness but was able to play for half an hour.
It could have been 2-0 at half-time, after Illan Meslier ran to clear his lines, only for his missed clearance to fall to Martinelli. His hooked effort, from 30+ yards, was coming in as well. This time, however, Ayling was the saving act for Leeds.
The former Arsenal youngster ran back to get the ball away from the goal. Only a stay of execution resulted. Two minutes after the break, Martinelli beat Ayling past before firing a cross that hit the far post, where White struck the ball just off the bar.
The game ended soon after – Jesus coming up short to take possession before feeding Trossard on the edge of the box. The number 9 then ran into the box to pick up the kick and score. He signaled a well-deserved rest, a fourth for Arsenal and a break for Saka before he headed across London to watch Anthony Joshua at ringside.
His teammates will return home with only one frustration: Kristensen’s deflected effort, with 16 minutes remaining, denied them a clean sheet.