Premier League: Arsenal vs Leeds Player Ratings

Round 24. Arsenal vs Leeds. Mikel Arteta needed a win to keep his European dream alive against Bielsa’s Leeds side, who sat 1 point above Arsenal in 11th. An Arsenal win would see Arteta and his men only 6 points off the Top 4 (5 points off Top 6).

Thankfully, the Gunners outshone Leeds in a 4-2 win, after going 4-0 up after 50 minutes. A terrific performance that was highlighted by certain individuals.

Mikel Arteta – 8

Arteta got the result – at the end of the day, there is little more you could ask for. He put out a good side, including the same regular back four including Gabriel (Leno, Bellerin, Luiz, Gabriel, Cedric). Dani Ceballos returned in the defensive midfield alongside on form Xhaka. The attack only kept 1 constant – Bukayo Saka. Aubameyang replaced Lacazette at striker, Saka on the right, Smith-Rowe replacing Pepe and Martinelli on the left, with Martin Odegaard making his awaited debut at CAM. Arteta’s tactics allowed the Gunners to maintain possession and play a free-flowing style of football that was a pleasure to watch.

Leno – 7

Bernd Leno didn’t have a very busy game. He was rarely called upon to make saves but did well to maintain possession and command the backline. Unfortunately, he could not come away with the clean sheet, however there was not much that he could do about either goal.

Bellerin – 8

Hector Bellerin had a great game. Maintained possession well and moved the ball around nicely. He was solid in defence but only lost a point in rating due to the two goals conceded. Bellerin was a menace offensively, managing to bag himself a goal and continuously threaten the Leeds defence.

Luiz – 7.5

David Luiz also had a good game. The only negatives that rose were him being beaten in the header contest which resulted in the first goal, as well as somewhat questionable defending leading to the second goal. Apart from that, Luiz again controlled possession and pulled the strings from the heart of the backline. He also put in a solid shift in terms of tackles and blocks.

Gabriel – 7.5

Gabriel played a good game, but it felt harsh to place him above Luiz. Similar to his Brazilian counterpart, Gabriel also held possession well and was still a solid presence in defence. He did well to silence the recently on form Patrick Bamford (as referenced in 5 Strikers Who Could Possibly Replace Lacazette) The conceded goals damaged his rating slightly, however, it was another good performance from him, who is beginning to string together a solid streak of games post-injury.

Cedric – 8

Cedric had his typical game. A solid presence in defence, whilst also providing support in attack up the left-hand side. He found the ball in dangerous situations multiple times and nearly scored a long-range shot (he did ignore an open Ceballos and Saka however). Cedric is cementing his spot in left back for the time, but when Tierney returns, I would love to see him in his preferred position at RB.

Xhaka – 8

Granit Xhaka again played an influential role in the defensive midfield. Similar to his recent games, he was terrific defensively in the way that he recovered possession and won the ball back. He withheld possession terrifically and again was a wall in the midfield. He also managed to bag an assist for the first goal of the match.

Ceballos – 8.5

Now this was extremely refreshing. With the introduction of Partey, Ceballos has lost out on minutes in the red shirt. However, back in the starting lineup, Dani Ceballos managed to do what he did best. He constantly picked up the ball and carried it throughout the midfield and the rest of the pitch. He was lively in the way that he recovered possession and immediately pushed the tempo and worked the ball forward. Ceballos also managed to nutmeg a Leeds defender to assist Bellerin’s goal to elevate Arsenal to a 3-0 lead.

Saka – 8.5

Wow. Just wow. Bukayo Saka never fails to impress. The only thing preventing him from a 9 rating is the lack of a goal contribution, however, he most certainly made up for it. Unlucky to miss out on a penalty initially, Saka tracked down and tackled Meslier, being taken down shortly after and winning the penalty. It was once more a terrific display from Saka and an absolute pleasure to see him pick up the ball and seem nearly untouchable whilst dribbling at the Leeds defence.

Odegaard – 7.5

I cannot wait for this guy to finally get on the stat sheet! He had a quieter game, however, he held possession well and managed to show his class in attack. The only thing missing from his performance was a goal contribution. Trust me though… it’s coming.

Smith-Rowe – 8.5

Emile Smith-Rowe. Another absolute superstar coming out of Hale End. Playing at left mid for the first time, he fulfilled the role and was once again vital in the Arsenal attack. In the way that he didn’t have the same pace and dribbling as Nicolas Pepe, or the same finishing ability of Martinelli, Smith-Rowe looked right at home. He controlled the ball so well and pulled the strings in the attack, constantly being a menace to the Leeds defence. Smith-Rowe again assisted a goal, making it a total of 4 since he found a regular starting position (Boxing Day) – the most of any other player in the Premier League since that time.

Aubameyang – 9

Aubama who? Aubama what? AubamaBLOODCLATyang! It was amazing to watch the Gabonian talisman return to his old self. A brilliant finish for his first, a cool, calm and collected penalty for his 2nd, followed by a neat header for his 3rd. In this game Aubameyang scored his 200th goal in the Top 5 Leagues and also bagged his first ever Arsenal hattrick. He nearly had more when his first time finesse shot rattled the crossbar. An outstanding game – more of those and I am feeling very confident that we could see a late season charge up the table.

MATCH AWARDS:

Goals:

- Pierre-Emrick Aubameyang x3

- Hector Bellerin x1

Assists:

- Granit Xhaka x1

- Dani Ceballos x1

- Emile Smith-Rowe x1

Man of the Match: Pierre-Emrick Aubameyang (9)

Need I say more?