Arsenal 5 Leeds United 0 – Shot down at The Emirates

Arsenal 5 Leeds United 0 – shot down at The Emirates.  The gulf between newly promoted Leeds and title contenders Arsenal was on brutal display today.  The pace, organisation, and physicality of Arsenal left Leeds behind.  Apart from a thumping header from Struijk that bizarrely could have put Leeds ahead they were not really in the game.

Leeds are not yet full strength. Akofor came on in the second half. But Bornauew, Bijol and Calvert-Lewin are yet to start.  We are still a couple of players short of a complete team.  Maybe by November we will be clicking.

The Everton home win was a huge boost to Leeds as no promoted team in recent times has won a game until November.  The Everton win was not an epic performance but showed how Leeds can be on the front foot, press high, control the game in a way they were more passive last season.  They were much more creative against Everton winning a stack of penalties in the first twenty minutes.

Farke called Arsenal as one of the best sides in the league and it would take a solide defeence to stop them; and that Leeds needed to try to play their own game.  Sadly, neither happened.  

It was obvious in the first half that the absence of Ampadu and the core team being made of the Championship players was being outrun by Arsenal. Arsenal were in total control for the first 20 minutes, and, once the first goal went in, they calmed down and started to patiently stretch Leeds till they found the gaps.

Arsenal then too the foot off the gas and a thumping header from Struijk nearly gave Leeds the lead.  Leeds had until then hadstopped Arsenal from shooting on target.

But Leeds were then undone by what Arsenal are specialists at.  And what Leeds struggle with.  Set pieces.  At the corner Arsenal players lined up at the back and ran forward for the ball with Leeds players failing to follow.  Timber was  there to calm Arsenal nerves and start the goal fest.

Rodon and Struijk simply could not pass out; Perri was forced to kick long and hey presto, Arsenal won possesion again. Tanaka, Gnonto and James were left chasing the ball and struggling with their pace.  The crosses to wide players stretched Struijk and Bogle to the limit.

Just before half time Saka broke past Struijk to have enough space to have one shot belting past Perri at close range. 2-0.

Leeds should have come out in the second half with more intent but were immediately undone by Gyokeres who won the long ball beating off Struijk and scored a quality goal on his own in a crowded box.  Leeds were now 3-0 down.

Within ten minutes of the second half Leeds were four goals down from another set piece corner and another goal from Timber as all the players were in the box and Leeds could not clear as the ball dropped striaght in.

The substitutes including Akofor and Nmecha looked to give Leeds some much needed stability but it was15 year old Dowman’s pace that led to the penalty that was the killer 5-0 score.

Leeds cannot compete easily against a club that can afford to randomly buy a £60M+ player (Eze) whilst our players are all under £15M.  But this was abject. Never really in the game.

Man of the match. None of the players coped today. Only James made an impression, with the ball he showed his pace.