Arsenal vs Leeds: Why the 2-0 win is extra special

As Arsenal ran out 2-0 winners over Leeds United on Tuesday nobody was left peering through their fingers as the clock ticked down, nor were there any pulses rising above the medically recommended rate.

It was a good performance. That just about sums it up.

Bernd Leno kept Arsenal in it with two key saves in the first half, before the team went up the gears after the break and got the two goals their display warranted. Leeds were fairly mediocre for 80 or so minutes, whereas Arsenal did enough.

But beyond what Mikel Arteta’s men produced, it was a great win. An excellent win, in fact.

Arsenal weren’t spectacular in 2-0 Carabao Cup win over Leeds but keeping the momentum going with minutes for fringe players is hugely satisfying

Three games down, no goals scored and nine goals conceded. Everyone knows those numbers off by heart now. And while it’s too soon to be memorising what has transpired since, it is now eight games unbeaten in all competitions, with six wins, 15 goals scored and a place in the quarter-finals of the Carabao Cup penciled in.

This is a competition Arsenal should be gunning for. A total of seven matches to lift a piece of silverware. It is not the priority, but having a priority doesn’t mean everything else loses importance on the way, it’s just comes down to how you distribute.

What Arteta did on Tuesday was distribute the minutes out to those in need of them. And, despite making nine changes (it would have been 11 were it not for absences) to Leeds’ four, Arsenal got through the match unscathed: a win, a clean sheet, no damaging injuries and one more step towards silverware.

Factor in all those elements and the win is extra special, even if the performance wasn’t, although it wasn’t expected to be a carbon copy of the Aston Villa win. There is a reason the vast majority of those players are nowhere near the first team; nobody is pounding on the door rightfully demanding their place in the Premier League side.

A fairly average Arsenal team, featuring a host of players either on their way out or who need to be on their way out, came out on top against a relatively strong looking Leeds side, their form notwithstanding.

If Arsenal had lost this game then those who are barely getting a sniff – the Gabriel Martinelli’s of this world – are the ones who would have suffered the most. So to avoid that eventuality and open up the prospect of hopefully three more matches until Manchester City inevitably win the competition is most pleasing of all.

Squad unity is pivotal. Just look at the reaction to Calum Chambers’ goal. These factors outside the realms of tactics and stats wouldn’t be possible without more; more matches for fans; more minutes for players; and more chances to boost confidence. There is a feel good factor around the club, one extended after Tuesday.

It may have been an OK performance, but it was a great win.