Daily Mail 19/1/11
Leeds 1 Arsenal 3: Classy Samir Nasri is just knockout in lead role
By Matt Lawton
Captain for this cracker of a Cup replay and the classiest player on the pitch, Samir Nasri even attracted praise from Arsenal's opponents last night.
As well as the applause he received from Leeds fans as he left the field, he was the subject of a message from Manchester United's most prolific tweeter.
Rio Ferdinand declared him his 'player of the season so far' and quite right too given how consistently impressive the young Frenchman has been.
There had been flashes of brilliance in the past, not least in the form of some truly spectacular goals. But Nasri is fast maturing into the complete package: an industrious, inventive attacking midfielder very much realising the potential identified by Arsene Wenger.
Last night he scored his 14th goal of the season, a fine return for a midfielder in May, never mind January. But Nasri is about so much more than that. It is the passing and the movement, and the boundless energy, that makes him such a joy to watch and a total nightmare, one imagines, to defend against.
Leeds might have Premier League ambitions but if Nasri represents the level they have to aspire to they will now regard it as an extremely daunting challenge. Evidence, if ever manager Simon Grayson needed it, that the task of keeping them in the top flight will be every bit as tough as getting them there.
Nasri masterminded Arsenal's victory at an electric Elland Road with a masterful display that was all the more memorable for the fact that it was delivered, for the most part, in the absence of many key players. Both these teams have other priorities.
Grayson will consider the race for promotion far more important than another cup run, particularly after the way his side so nearly collapsed after that stunning cup win against Manchester United last season. Wenger too has his own challenges. The Premier League title race and the Champions League, not to mention the second leg of a Carling Cup semi-final with Ipswich and what amounts to an excellent chance of ending that long wait for another trophy.
For that reason, Wenger decided to leave Cesc Fabregas, Robin van Persie, Theo Walcott and Jack Wilshere on the bench and Nasri responded by taking charge. Perhaps even demonstrating to Denilson that leadership is about more than screaming and shouting if the comments attributed to him yesterday about Fabregas have been translated accurately.
If there was tension inside the Arsenal dressing room, and Fabregas said on his twitter page that it was not an issue, there was no evidence of it here.
Arsenal had a train chartered to take them back to London last night and they certainly appeared to be in no mood to let this game go to extra time.
Nasri struck after just five minutes, thanks to the clever dummy from Marouane Chamakh that allowed him to receive the ball from Andrey Arshavin, hold off Ben Parker and guide a delightful shot beyond the reach of Kasper Schmeichel.
Had it not been for Schmeichel, Chamakh would have doubled Arsenal's advantage a few minutes later. In meeting Nasri's free-kick Chamakh produced a super header.
But the young Dane produced a one-handed save his father would have been proud of.
Arsenal really were dominating this encounter, their fast, fluent football proving difficult for Leeds to contain. Denilson threatened and then so did Nicklas Bendtner and Nasri, while Arshavin was just inches away from meeting a cross from Chamakh for the simplest of close-range finishes. The television replay suggested the slightest touch from Paul Connolly just did enough to deny the Russian.
A second Arsenal goal eventually followed in the 35th minute, Grayson no doubt frustrated by Andrew O'Brien's failure to clear the danger after Bendtner had actually lost possession with a poor first touch.
O'Brien succeeded only in passing to Bacary Sagna, who replied with a stinging strike that Schmeichel, while getting a hand to it, could not parry away.
Some Leeds fans started to leave at that moment but they must have still been inside the stadium when they heard the deafening roar that followed a goal even more stunning than Sagna's. From more than 35 yards out, Bradley Johnson beat Wojciech Szczesny with an absolute thunderbolt of a shot. Top corner, just brilliant, and quite a riposte.
Wenger was incensed, but not with his players. He was complaining that Arshavin had been fouled by Robert Snodgrass during the buildup to the goal, but with the background noise nobody was listening.
It sparked a decent period for this determined, defiant Leeds team. A Leeds team that came so close to eliminating Arsenal with that terrific display at the Emirates. Max Gradel was excellent last night, as was Jonathan Howson.
From Arsenal, however, there was always a threat, with Nasri more often than not creating the chances. Because of him Alex Song went close, as did Arshavin.
That said, Davide Somma would have equalised had he not met a cross from Snodgrass with his knee.
But when Wenger then sent on Fabregas and Van Persie, the goal that took Arsenal beyond Leeds' reach soon arrived. A neat pass from Fabregas was followed by a cross from Bendtner that Van Persie converted with a fine header.
All that was left was the ovation for Nasri.

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