Arsenal vs Leeds: 4 talking points as Aubameyang scores hat-trick

Arsenal stormed to a much-needed victory as Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang netted his first Premier League hat-trick in a 4-2 win over Leeds on Sunday. Here are the talking points.

Notable prior to kick-off has been Arsenal’s inability to score early on in matches. In fact, their two scored in the opening 15 minutes of matches in the top-flight this season was the fewest in the division.

Wanting to set that straight, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang grabbed the first goal of the contest 13 minutes in with a smart low finish, then adding to his tally from the penalty spot after Bukayo Saka was clumsily felled in the box.

Hector Bellerin rounded off a superb first half with a drilled effort beyond Illan Meslier just before the break, coming off the back of an excellent run from Saka and neat lay-off from Dani Ceballos.

4 talking points as Aubameyang’s hat-trick helps Arsenal beat Leeds 4-2 in the Premier League

The captain seemingly put the game to bed with a tap-in shortly after the restart, although a thumping header from Pascal Struijk presented Leeds with the route back into the game their persistence warranted.

A second goal would have cranked the nerves up and that’s exactly what happened, this time Bellerin was caught napping and Helder Costa slammed home. Arsenal dug in and defended late on while also striking the upright, in the end securing a vital three points ahead of their trip to Rome.

Is Pierre-Emerick Aubamayeng Back?

Three goals from the captain and he could easily have had more. This wasn’t just three well-taken goals either, Aubameyang was excellent in every department.

The first was a clever finish to fool the goalkeeper with all watching on expecting a trademark bending effort, the second being an unstoppable penalty. His third was easy enough after a delightful pass from Emile Smith Rowe.

His goals stand out, but so too does his overall display. Surrounded by technically gifted operators in the centre-forward role, the movements and link-ups in between the lines craft the space from which he can be dangerous. He is a low-touch striker, even if he dropped deep excellently against Leeds, and with players who can drag others out of position and condense spaces elsewhere on the pitch, he’s able to thrive.

The communication between Aubameyang and Emile Smith Rowe was fabulous, with the 20-year-old making the runs beyond down the left flank and Granit Xhaka providing the ammunition from deep.

Having the right bodies around him, those who want to assume possession all the time, allows the striker to focus solely on hitting the back of the net. He may have endured a dry patch, but he’s never forgotten how to perform his job role.

While combining well against Leeds, in this system and with this personnel, he doesn’t have to in order to be effective.