Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta said his side delivered a statement win after beating Leeds 4-0 at Elland Road to get their Premier League title challenge back on track.
The Gunners led 2-0 at the break through Martin Zubimendi’s header and Leeds goalkeeper Karl Darlow’s own goal before wrapping up their first win in four league games with second-half efforts from Viktor Gyokeres and Gabriel Jesus.
After following up goalless league draws against Liverpool and Nottingham Forest with last week’s home defeat to Manchester United, Arsenal were under pressure before a ball was kicked at Elland Road and Arteta was delighted with his side’s emphatic response.
The Spaniard said: “We’re very happy, obviously. A very impressive performance, a very impressive result.
“And in the context that we’ve done it. We knew about the difficulty of the game and the opponent that we’re facing, with a recent form and the style of play that they have at the moment, the energy that the stadium brings.
“And then the fact that after three results that didn’t go our way in the league, we really wanted to show how much we wanted it. And I think we said something on that today.”
Arsenal made light of Buyako Saka’s withdrawal in the warm-up and Arteta saluted late replacement Noni Madueke, who had a hand in both his side’s first two goals.
He provided a superb cross for Zubimendi’s opener and it was the England winger whose whipped-in corner was fumbled by Darlow for their second.
“He was ready, because you cannot do that in two minutes,” Arteta added. “The way he prepared, the way he’s waiting for opportunity. I think he paid off today, because he made a real impact.
“We thought before the game it was going to be a long game. We were going to have to navigate through different moments in the game, and we were going to need everybody fulfilling their roles and I think the players executed that incredibly.”
Leeds slipped to just their second defeat in 11 league games, but are left looking back over their shoulder after their bid to climb further clear of the relegation zone stalled.
Head coach Daniel Farke had no complaints with the result nor his players after another chastening defeat to the Gunners this season.
Farke, whose side lost 5-0 at the Emirates Stadium in August, said: “Congratulations to Arsenal. They deserved their win today. We have to accept that the better team won this this game.
“We were also realistic before we faced the best side currently in Europe.
“There are reasons why this team is sitting top of the table in the Premier League, with eight wins out of eight (in the Champions League).
“You need a perfect day in order to give yourself a chance, and also a bit of luck. Sadly, we didn’t have our very best day.
“We have to accept their quality today. We have to say congratulations. They were better and there’s not too much to over interpretation into this game.”
