In short, the Arsenal performance was the worst of the season. After watching a cold dreary 1-0 away win at Bodo/Glimt in midweek, I genuinely thought it not possible for a result to be claimed in a less enjoyable fashion. I was wrong.
Yet the three points Arsenal won at Elland Road yesterday might be the most important of the season come its end. A game we categorically did not deserve could prove all the more earned come May.
football.london attempts to list both the winners and losers from that chaotic ninety minutes, not including the forty it was delayed for due to a power cut causing the VAR to fail. A crazy afternoon, but one that could be worth its weight in gold come the end of the season.
READ MORE: Leeds United vs Arsenal highlights: Gabriel red card chaos, Bamford missed penalty, 40-min delay
Winners
Arsenal
I cannot start anywhere else and yes, I know it is cheating but there is no doubt that Arsenal as a whole are the ultimate winners of this clash. Far more than just the three points, but avoiding losing the momentum a draw or loss would have caused.
Factually, these games will happen in a season. Games whereby you are simply outplayed, and it isn’t your day. But if you are able to pick up an unlikely victory in these painful matches it can take you one, two or even more places up the table come May.
Not to mention the result at Anfield on Sunday night where Liverpool beat Manchester City 1-0, which sees Arsenal move four points clear at the top of the table after winning nine of their opening ten top-flight matches for the first time in their history.
Aaron Ramsdale
The No. 1 goalkeeper has come under some criticism this season. Whether it be for conceding against James Maddison in the Leicester clash or his distribution sometimes not matching last season’s expectations, there’s been an air of doubt in his game.
However, at Leeds, he was brilliant. Calm, secure and confident when he needed to be.
He recognised after the game that his side had underperformed but knew the importance of his performance. It could be one which catches the eye of Gareth Southgate.
Gabriel Martinelli
Once again, I thought that Gabriel Martinelli was absolutely sensational. Bukayo Saka will get the headlines for his goal, and what a finish by the way, but the energy, the running, and the defensive work rate of the Brazilian was top class.
This was, as I have hammered home, not a good display from the Gunners. But still, Martinelli managed to shine and show exactly why the left-wing position has been locked down for the long term.
In between
Gabriel Magalhaes
I was ready to categorise Gabriel Magalhaes as a winner in this game. However, once again, an error could have cost the Gunners dearly and a rush of blood to his head nearly did.
Defensively he was excellent. Coped well with pressure, cleared his lines and stayed calm. However, to risk the game with a moment of madness at the end was rash and careless.
It isn’t enough to drop him into the ‘loser’ category but what he did at the end makes him far from a winner. Therefore, he sits somewhere ‘in between’ and still needs to learn, which I have confidence he will.
Losers
Thomas Partey
I thought this was going to be one of those games where Thomas Partey’s performances are so good that it slips under the radar. It was anything but that.
Sometimes, Partey has a game like yesterday where his passing betrays him and subsequently the team. Too many times the Ghanaian midfielder gave the ball away in either dangerous or advantageous positions.
There’s no doubt that when Partey isn’t available we miss him hugely; I am convinced that were he at Old Trafford, Manchester United wouldn’t have had a hope. But at Leeds, it was a poor display.
Takehiro Tomiyasu
Operating at left-back for the second successive game after his defensively brilliant performance against Liverpool, this was not the same Takehiro Tomiyasu we saw just over a week ago. He looked nervous, gave the ball away cheaply and nearly cost the Gunners a goal in the first half after losing the ball deep in Arsenal’s third.
I had hoped Kieran Tierney would enter the fray sooner, but Mikel Arteta instead opted against it. Perhaps fitness was the reason and Tomiyasu did look more comfortable when moved over to the right after Ben White came off.
Up against Xavi Simons of PSV on Thursday, Tomiyasu might be minded to keep his place. But with Southampton the following Sunday, Tierney would be my pick to reclaim his spot, depending on Oleksandr Zinchenko’s availability, of course.
Leeds United
I can’t not give a shoutout to yesterday's genuine 'losers'. I admired so much of what I saw from players like Brenden Aaronson and Luis Sinisterra.
Jesse Marsch remains a manager needing to convince the majority he is the right man for the job but despite the result, the performance was crucial for the American.
Marsch described Mikel Arteta as the most underrated coach in the league. He might be right, but continuing the legacy of Marcelo Bielsa and keeping Leeds up will be a serious achievement to be admired.
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