Arsenal 2-1 Leeds: 3 talking points as Gunners strengthen top four bid

Arsenal has moved one step closer to playing Champions League football next season with a nervy 2-1 win over Leeds at the Emirates.

The Gunners took the lead with just five minutes gone. After Leeds keeper Illan Meslier received a back pass, the 22-year-old dawdled on the ball and allowed Eddie Nketiah to nip in and take it off his foot to send Arsenal on their way.

The hosts’ lead would be doubled just five minutes later. After a great run down the left, Gabriel Martinelli made his way into the box and produced a superb cut-back to find Nketiah, who hit his shot first time across goal and into the bottom corner.

It only got worse for Leeds just before the half-hour mark when Luke Ayling produced a nasty tackle on Martinelli. After initially being shown a yellow, VAR intervened and made referee Chris Kavanagh take a second look. After a quick glance, Ayling’s yellow was upgraded to red, with Arsenal now firmly in control.

Arsenal 2-1 Leeds: 3 talking points as Gunners strengthen top four bid ahead of Premier League clash with Tottenham

It was a truly dominant first 45 minutes with Leeds not able to muster a single shot as the Gunners swept them aside to head into the sheds two goals and a man up.

After being dominated for the whole second half, Leeds managed to half the deficit with 66 minutes on the clock. A corner whipped in found its way to the back post, and Diego Llorente was on hand to lash it home.

The Gunners were able to see out the remaining half as Leeds huffed and puffed, but they held on for a vital win to go four points clear of Tottenham ahead of the north London derby.

The game provided plenty of talking points, and here they are.

1. Eddie Nketiah Answers the Call Yet Again

We are starting to run out of superlatives for Nketiah. Again on Sunday he showed why he has a future at the Emirates beyond this season. His movement, link-up play and, most importantly, his finishing, were all features of his game.

His two goals were well taken as he put the fans’ minds at ease.

Nketiah was a threat all day, although more specifically in the first half, and provided an outlet for his side with his willingness to consistently make darting runs in behind or to come forward and be involved in the build-up

The 22-year-old is getting an extended run in the side and now he is showing what he is capable of. Tireless work ethic from the first minute embodied his whole performance, which was once again top notch.

It was another superb outing for the Englishman as he fired Arsenal one step closer to their Champions League dreams. Does Arteta need to push harder for this contract extension?

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