3 positives & negatives from the 4-1 rout against Leeds United

Positive #3: A response to Manchester City

After Liverpool initially took the lead, Manchester City’s remarkable 4-1 triumph against Jurgen Klopp’s side was a statement victory in the title race. All eyes shifted to Arsenal, and whether the team could handle the pressure that playing after your rival brings.

The answer was a resounding yes. The performance was yet another sign that this crop of players have the mentality needed to deal with the pressure of a title race. Of course, the bigger test will be next weekend, when the team travels to Anfield, a stadium in which we have a particularly poor record of late.

Whether or not we get the three points remains to be seen, but one thing is for sure, the occasion is unlikely to get the better of Arteta’s men.

Negative #3: Eased off at 3-0

One thing I would have liked to see in this game was the side push for the fourth and possibly fifth goal before Leeds scored. Prior to Rasmus Kristensen’s consolation goal, the players had begun to take their foot off the gas, ever so slightly, but it was enough to allow the visitors a potential route back into the game.

There is merit to the argument that had we pushed harder for the fourth goal, to begin with, then Leeds would have scored anyway, so this is admittedly less of a negative and more of a preference.

Ultimately though, the positives far outweigh the negatives in the aftermath of this game, and it was yet another highly impressive performance from the team.