Gabriel Martinelli scored twice for Arsenal as Mikel Arteta’s team sentenced Leeds to more misery at Elland Road.
The Gunners reinforced their best four credentials with a comfortable 4-1 win, which saw them go four points ahead of West Ham and five points ahead of Manchester United. But it was another night to forget for Leeds, as their poor defense saw them reach 11 goals conceded in just two outings, following Man City’s 7-0 thrashing midweek.
Unsurprisingly, Arsenal named an unchanged team from which they beat West Ham last time out. Leeds manager Marcelo Bielsa brought in right-back Cody Drameh for his first Premier League start, with Mateusz Klich and Joe Gelhardt also entering the injury-stricken starting lineup.
The tone of the game seemed to be set within five minutes. Arsenal midfielder Martin Odegaard twice found space in good positions. The first time he played in striker Alexandre Lacazette, he was well kept out by the busy Illan Meslier.
Leeds did not learn their lesson and just two minutes later Odegaard gave the ball to Thomas Partey in the area. He tried to catch Meslier in his first place, but the Frenchman was up to the task.
Gabriel Martinelli scored his second goal in as many games for Arsenal. Leeds gave up the ball in a precarious position, a recurring theme for the game, which allowed Bukayo Saka to run to defense. The home team recovered the ball, but midfielder Adam Forshaw was unable to clear, allowing Martinelli to capitalize. The Brazilian found the net with a confident shot.
Leeds’ only attack of the first half came in the 25th minute. They broke from an Arsenal corner, with Raphinha sent down the right flank. He cut in to get away from Kieran Tierney, but he could only drag his effort with his right foot wide.
Xhaka and Martinelli join Arsenal
Martinelli’s brace was secured shortly after. Stuart Dallas ran towards Leeds, only to hand the ball to Granit Xhaka. The Swiss international brought Martinelli in with a great pass, but the star seemed to lose control of the ball. He regained his balance to beat Meslier with a lovely chip.
Bielsa’s problems continued when winger Jack Harrison had to be replaced by young talent Crysencio Summerville due to injury.
Saka then joined Martinelli on the score sheet just before halftime. He picked up the ball and once again ran to his marker and entered the penalty area. Leeds got it back but couldn’t clear, giving Saka a chance to beat Meslier on his left. The shot deflected from Klich’s boot.
After the break, Xhaka dropped Raphinha with a dangerous tackle on the cheater’s ankle. There was a brief VAR check for a red card, but referee Andre Marriner was told not to consult the monitor.
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That challenge raised tensions and Gelhardt received a yellow for a late one on the impressive Takehiro Tomiyasu.
The right-back went down later in the game and was replaced by Cedric Soares, although it is unclear if this was due to the entry of Gelhardt.
Saka remained a threat and played a good one-two with Martinelli before sending his low shot just wide in the 68th minute.
The Leeds fans finally had something to yell at about 15 minutes from the end. Gelhardt won a penalty after being eliminated by former Leeds player Ben White. That allowed Raphinha to shoot into the top corner from the resulting penalty.
Emile Smith Rowe came off the bench to score Arsenal’s fourth goal and put the game to bed with six minutes to go. Odegaard sent a delicious chip his way, and the impressive Englishman slammed into the half volley.
The result put Arteta’s men on 32 points from 18 games. Their next game is against Sunderland in the Carabao Cup on Tuesday.
Leeds, meanwhile, remain in 16th place with another defeat. They are just four points ahead of the bottom three and travel to Liverpool on Boxing Day.
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