Arsenal 2-1 Leeds: 4 positives and negatives

There is only so much more of this the heart can take. Worst of all, the most emotionally sapping Arsenal game is still to come. The heart will have to endure more.

What should have been the closest resemblance to a spring walk through the local park was anything but. Scoring twice inside the opening ten minutes tends to constitute a degree of ease. Playing with one more player than the opposition for 60 minutes, and at home, almost certainly does.

But it wouldn’t be Arsenal unless they found a way to make a position of such command almost unbearable to watch. There were people at the Emirates hiding in the toilets.

Eddie Nketiah’s remarkable resurgence saw him get in on the act twice, the first the reward for a tenacious and determined start and the second the reward for Arsenal’s excellent start collectively.

Arsenal 2-1 Leeds: 4 positives and negatives as Gunners take one step towards top four place ahead of Tottenham derby clash

Then Luke Ayling lost his head and got sent off, Raphinha probably should have followed him, and Mateusz Klich thought he’d join in on the act by doing his upmost to wind Granit Xhaka up. That doesn’t take a great deal of effort, mind you.

Talk emerged of trying to slap Leeds for six or seven to make up the goal difference on Spurs, chat that proved to be horribly premature. Never, ever, take anything for granted.

While Arsenal still saw the vast majority of the ball for most of the game heading into the closing stages, the blistering pace of Daniel James meant the points were never sewn up. What had the potential to be one of the most relaxing Sundays of the season turned into a nail-biting affair, all of the Gunners’ own doing.

Points are points, though. At this stage of the season with victory over Tottenham in the derby enough to secure Champions League football for 2022/23, they’ve never been more precious. Let’s take a look back on the good and the bad from a nervy 2-1 Premier League win.

Positive #1 – Energy Saved for Large Spells

From around the moment Ayling got sent off up until Leeds scored in the 66th minute, this was smooth sailing for Mikel Arteta’s team. Leeds had lost the will to live and came out in the second half effectively acting as training cones for Arsenal’s attacking patterns.

Takehiro Tomiyasu ended up in the half-spaces, Granit Xhaka practically played as a No.10/centre-forward, and the ball could be calmly pinged around just waiting for the first sign of miscommunication in the Leeds defence.

For about 40 or so minutes, if not more, this was a training exercise. Ahead of facing a Tottenham side – who played the day before – in what feels like the biggest game since the FA Cup final (even more so than Villarreal, really) any chance to take the foot off the pedal is most welcome.

And perhaps, in some peculiar way, the way the game ended might be more suitable preparation for Thursday. Arsenal were cantering to victory, barely breaking a sweat, and had the game persisted in that manner then the inevitable cauldron of emotion and ferocity at Spurs might have been a significant difference.

But that could be stretching.

Additionally, Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli didn’t complete the full 90 minutes so they weren’t pushed that little bit more. Ignoring the result and the torture that ensued in the latter stages and it was fairly beneficial preparation.

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