Arsenal were in cruise control against Leeds after a dominant first-half display in Sunday’s Premier League contest at Emirates Stadium.
The visitors got off to the worst possible start in north London, with an embarrassing blunder from goalkeeper Illan Meslier gifting a goal to Eddie Nketiah inside five minutes.
The ex-Leeds loanee struck again shortly afterwards after fine wing play from Gabriel Martinelli, with things only getting worse for Leeds as Luke Ayling was sent off for a woeful two-footed challenge on the Brazilian.
Referee Chris Kavanagh initially showed just a yellow card, only to change his decision after being encouraged by VAR to consult the pitchside monitor. Ayling will now miss the remainder of the season through suspension.
The one-way traffic continued after the interval, but Arsenal could not find a third goal before Diego Llorente struck to halve the deficit with Leeds’ first shot of the day. However, the hosts held on despite a couple of late scares.
A fourth successive victory for Arsenal this afternoon saw Mikel Arteta’s fourth-placed side open up a four-point gap over rivals Tottenham ahead of Thursday’s pivotal north London derby showdown.
Meanwhile, battling Leeds ended the day in the relegation zone with only three matches left to play this season after their defeat was coupled by Everton winning again at Leicester. They face Chelsea at Elland Road next.
