The international break was not good for either Norway or Martin Ødegaard who only got one win in the Nations League and a minor injury to the captain who was uncertain for play. – Well he was back on the pitch and was substituted in the 90th minute.
Read on Radiosporten: Antonio Nusa is called up for title fight in the Premier League!
Premier League, Round 6
Arsenal 2 – 1 Leeds
Full-time
Arena: Emirates Stadium
Referee: Paul Tierney
Objectives:
- Riccardo Calafiori 62′
- Bruno Guimarães 70′
- James Justin 55′
Arsenal came from behind to beat Leeds 2-1 at the Emirates Stadium, with substitute Bruno Guimarães scoring the winning goal just five minutes after coming off the bench.
James Justin had given Leeds a deserved lead early in the second half, but Riccardo Calafiori equalised before Guimarães completed the turnaround and secured all three points for Mikel Arteta’s side.
The result saw Arsenal recover from their 3-0 loss to Brighton before the international break, while Leeds suffered their first Premier League defeat this season.
Arsenal dominated the ball – but struggled to create chances
Arsenal had a lot of possession in the opening phase, but struggled to convert control into dangerous chances against a well-organised Leeds defence.
Daniel Farke’s visitors looked comfortable without the ball and managed to cause problems when they broke forward, with Dominic Calvert-Lewin as the focal point of attack.
Leeds were arguably the better team in the first half. They limited Arsenal’s attacking players and frustrated the home crowd while the Gunners struggled to find a way through.
Bukayo Saka and Noni Madueke tried to create width, but the hosts lacked their usual sharpness in the final third, while Leeds continued to threaten on the counter-attack.
The teams went into half-time trailing 0-0 – giving Arteta a lot to rectify after a difficult first half.
Leeds broke the deadlock – before Arsenal took control
Leeds turned their strong performance into a meaningful result ten minutes into the second half when Justin opened the scoring account.
Gabriel Gudmundsson hit a low cross into the box, and Justin was on hand to put the ball past David Raya – 1-0 to the visitors, and Arsenal were facing their second straight league defeat.
The goal forced Arsenal to respond, and just seven minutes later they were back on level.
Ben White provided an assist when Calafiori came on a run and volleyed in from close range in the 62nd minute, past James Trafford to make it 1-1.
The equaliser changed the momentum of the game, and Arsenal suddenly looked more threatening as they pushed for another goal.
Arteta responded by making a triple change in the 65th minute – Guimarães, Viktor Gyökeres and Jurriën Timber came on in an attempt to turn the game in their team’s favour.
The changes had an almost immediate effect.
In the 70th minute, Declan Rice found Guimarães on the edge of the penalty area, and the Brazilian midfielder fired a low shot into the net – completing Arsenal’s turnaround.
It was an impressive intervention from the substitute, who had been on the pitch for just five minutes before scoring what turned out to be the winning goal.
Match statistics
| Arsenal | Leeds | |
|---|---|---|
| Objectives | 2 | 1 |
| xG | 2,14 | 0,74 |
| Ball possession | 58 % | 42 % |
| Total shots | 13 | 11 |
| Shots on target | 5 | 5 |
| Shots outside | 5 | 3 |
| Corners | 3 | 4 |
| Free kick | 12 | 20 |
| Offside | 7 | 4 |
| Yellow cards | 1 | 4 |
| Rescues | 4 | 3 |
| Passing | 513 | 352 |
| Completed Passes | 435 | 276 |
| Passing accuracy | 85 % | 78 % |
Leeds tried to respond – but Arsenal held off
Leeds tried to respond, and Farke introduced fresh attacking options, including Brenden Aaronson and Harry Wilson, as the visitors searched for an equaliser.
However, Arsenal looked increasingly comfortable after taking the lead, and continued to threaten at the other end.
Martin Ødegaard almost made it 3-1 at the end after excellent work by Rice near the set-piece. The midfielder managed to punch the ball in front of goal, but the chance ended with Trafford securing the ball after a deflection.
