Brazilian connections
Before the match, Leeds United and Arsenal’s players were civil with one another. Raphinha was keen to share pleasantries with his compatriots in the capital.
The Gunners’ starting Brazilians, Gabriel and Gabriel Martinelli, were happy to share a few words and embraces with Raphinha in the final few seconds before the match started. The former was a team-mate of Raphinha’s at Avai in their home nation before they made their leaps for Europe.
Like Raphinha, Martinelli has duel Brazilian-Italian citizenship and been around the national team’s set-up at a similar time to the Leeds man in recent months.
READ MORE: Massive Leeds United dressing room disappointment as Jesse Marsch warns against finger-pointing
Nketiah tries to keep it respectful
For a striker who scored twice inside 10 minutes against a former club fighting relegation, Eddie Nketiah has a strange way of showing his support for Leeds. The former loanee was clinical in pouncing upon Illan Meslier’s early error before finding space to finish inside the box for his second.
As the 22-year-old wheeled away from the opening goal he held his palms up in some faint attempt to soften the blow of his goal against a former club. Traditionally, Nketiah goes for the figurative phone in the ear when he’s giving it full beans.
Cooper’s tunnel role
The captain was set to play when Jesse Marsch spoke about him on Friday and then he even travelled to the capital this weekend before being left out of the squad altogether. Despite that absence, Cooper wanted to play a key role from the sidelines.
As Luke Ayling trudged off the pitch after his red card, it was Cooper waiting in the tunnel to take him to the dressing room. A tap in the small of his back and someone to keep his chin up.
Lacazette fall-out
One of the more heated moments of Sunday’s game came after Luke Ayling’s two-footed slide on Martinelli in the corner by the away fans. While Chris Kavanagh initially brandished a yellow card, VAR soon had him heading for the monitor and an overturned decision.
While VAR was reviewing the footage, there was one altercation on the touchline between the two camps. While Alexandre Lacazette was warming up he ended up in a mouthy confrontation with one Leeds staffer.
Tom Robinson, a first-team sports scientist at Thorp Arch, was pictured exchanging words with the French striker while Pascal Struijk tried to calm Lacazette down.
Ayling knew it was coming
At full speed, it was hard to really get the full measure of Ayling’s Martinelli challenge. There were the predictable protests from the Arsenal players, but once the yellow came out there was some belief that was it dealt with.
However, as soon as we saw replays on press-box monitors it was clear this was going to be the end of Ayling’s match. The right-back knew it without even seeing replays as he handed over the armband to Kalvin Phillips before the decision even came from VAR.
