Paul Merson says Arsenal’s emphatic victory at Leeds will be remembered as the match that clinched the Premier League title.
With the Gunners on a three-game winless run at Elland Road, doubts were beginning to emerge about the Gunners’ pursuit of a first title in 22 years.
But Arsenal reaffirmed their credentials with an easy win and are back at the top of the table with a seven-point lead, ahead of Manchester City and Aston Villa, which will be broadcast live on Sky Sports on Sunday.
Sunday, February 1st 12:30pm
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Sunday, February 1st 4pm
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Merson believes the way Arsenal passed the test at Leeds will explain why they will be crowned champions in May.
“Arsenal were fantastic,” former Gunner Merson said on Saturday’s Soccer Show.
“There was a lot of pressure on them because I thought if they lost there would be a lot more scrutiny, but with a win at a really difficult venue, Elland Road, they went seven points clear again.”
“Sometimes it was like boys versus men,” he added. “Arsenal blew Leeds away, it was an A+ performance.
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Watch for free: Premier League highlights between Leeds and Arsenal
“I cannot stress enough what a great result and performance it was.
“Elland Road were shaky at the start of the game, but once Arsenal got into the game they dominated all over the pitch.
“This team is absolutely phenomenal. Noni Maduke came on in place of Bukayo Saka and got two assists. Five players have played: Gabriel Martinelli, Ebelesi Eze, Martin Odegaard, Gabriel Jesus and Riccardo Calafioli, but which team doesn’t have them?”
“Man City have to go to Tottenham and win. For me that was the game in which Arsenal won the Premier League.”
“Every game is a cup final.”
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Arsenal’s Declan Rice faces tough questions from former Spurs player and manager Tim Sherwood
Arsenal’s goalless league draws against Liverpool and Nottingham Forest, followed by a defeat at home to Manchester United last week, suggest they are under pressure to win their first domestic title since 2004.
But although they beat Kairat 3-2 in midweek to secure their eighth successive win in the Champions League and reach the last 16, there were no signs of nerves in West Yorkshire.
“After watching the last three performances, we knew how big a game today was going to be,” Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice said on Saturday Football.
“Winning 4-0 is a big win for us.
“We can control what we can control and we just have to keep winning games and keep pushing and what happens is what happens.
“So far we are top of the Premier League and have won eight out of eight games in the Champions League. We can’t complain about our position. We are in a really strong position and as players we know we have a really good team.”
“Every game is a cup final. We have a long four months ahead of us, but we are ready. Let’s keep up the good work.”
Tuesday, February 3rd 7pm
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Arteta: “Arsenal have shown how much they want success”
Noni Madueke celebrates with his team-mates after Leeds’ goal is converted from a corner kick by Karl Darlow.
Gunners manager Mikel Arteta said his side had made a statement with a win against Leeds to get their Premier League title challenge back on track.
Arsenal took a 2-0 lead late in the first half thanks to own goals from Martin Zvimendi and Leeds goalkeeper Karl Darlow, before second-half goals from Victor Goqueres and substitute Gabriel Jesus put Mikel Arteta’s side back on track.
The Gunners have won eight games in a row against Leeds and remain unbeaten in 16 games since 2003, but have not lost at Elland Road since November 2000.
“Of course we are very happy,” Arteta said. “It was a very impressive performance, a very impressive result.
“And in the context that we did it. We knew the difficulty of the game and the opponent we were facing, the recent form and the style of play at the moment, the energy that the stadium would bring.
“And the fact that we really wanted to show how much we wanted it after three results in the league that didn’t go our way. And I think we said something about that today.”
Falke: We played against the best team in Europe
Manager Daniel Farke was full of praise for Arsenal’s performance at Elland Road, suggesting the Gunners are the best team in Europe, despite Leeds losing just two of 11 games in all competitions.
“Congratulations to Arsenal. It was a well-deserved victory today. We have to accept that the better team won this game.
“We used to be realistic too. We played against the best team in Europe right now. There’s a reason why this team has won eight out of eight games in the Champions League and is sitting at the top of the Premier League. You need a perfect day, but you also need some luck. We didn’t have the best day.”
Gabriel Jesus added Arsenal’s fourth goal.
“They were on top of their game from the beginning to the last moment. We have to accept their quality today, but there is not much that can be interpreted from today.
“Karl is disappointed with the situation (regarding the own goal). But the important thing is that today we did not find a solution to create chances and score goals.”
“Set-pieces are a big theme for them. There are too many away. They have to defend every corner properly. It’s always going to be a long afternoon when you concede two goals like this against the best team in Europe.”
Analysis: Arsenal embrace the hustle and bustle of title contention
Sam Blitz of Sky Sports at Elland Road:
Mikel Arteta held a meeting with Arsenal players this week following last weekend’s defeat to Manchester United. The Arsenal manager said the meeting was “fantastic” and the topic was how the team would deal with noise.
Arsenal were in a slump. The best defense in the league was leaking goals, the attack was faltering, and debates arose over who should be center forward and who should play behind him in attacking midfield.
Injury topics then resurfaced as they lost Bukayo Saka in the lead-up to the Leeds game and Mikel Merino was also absent. They even changed their travel plans to Leeds at the last minute on Friday.
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Here’s the moment Bukayo Saka was injured during the warm-up before the Arsenal vs Leeds match
Recently, Arsenal were on the verge of collapse due to a number of issues, but on the contrary, they have managed to overcome some thorny issues. After this meeting, centre-forward options Victor Gokeres, Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus all scored, resulting in seven goals.
Leeds’ defense was solid once again, with just one shot on target. Martin Odegaard came on as a substitute and played a big role in the third and fourth goals at Elland Road. Substitute Noni Maduke’s performance showed that Arsenal will not be adversely affected by Saka’s attack and that they are not as reliant on him as they were last season.
Yes, it’s just Kairat Almaty and Leeds, but when it comes to Arteta’s team, the opponents are almost irrelevant. Their biggest threat to the title is themselves – it is often quipped that only Arsenal can stop Arsenal from winning the title.
After some clearing talks, the Gunners seem to have accepted the noise and are enjoying playing football again.
