Leeds United 0 Arsenal 4: Darlow clanger and defensive nightmare as hosts suffer at hands of champions-elect again — Yorkshire Post 31/1/26

By Leon Wobschall

DETAILS are decisive, remarked Daniel Farke ahead of this game and never was a truer sentence spoken.

Leeds United’s mask slipped twice from a defensive perspective when the game was live in the first half against the team whom you simply cannot afford to do that against in top-of-the-table and set-piece kings Arsenal.

Martin Zubimendi was left unattended to guide in a clinical header to ease the Gunners’ early nerves on 27 minutes and just over 10 minutes later, an atrocious concession doubled the Londoners’ advantage when Karl Darlow horribly punched the ball into his own net.

A killer third would arrive on 69 minutes.

Again, Leeds defending was poor with the recalled Viktor Gyokeres finishing well for his third goal against United this term.

Gabriel Jesus added a late fourth as Leeds’ rearguard palpitated as the half wore on in worrying fashion. It was not the preparation you would wish for ahead of a big home game against Nottingham Forest.

All told, Arsenal have now scored 24 goals in their past seven outings against Leeds, who lost for the first time in six home matches here.

After the highs of winter this far, this was far more sobering.

If Leeds wanted a pre kick-off boost, they were seemingly afforded it with the news that Gunners’ captain Bukayo Saka had picked up an injury issue in the warm-up and had to step out of the starting line-up.

That said, it was a boost with a small b, given the staggeringly strong bench options at Mikel Arteta’s disposal. Madueke, a fellow England international, was promoted from the substitutes’ list.

And so it proved. Events showed that it was hardly a fillip at all, quite the opposite in fact.

Madueke was Arsenal’s go-to man during a first half which had its travails for the league leaders until things settled down.

The winger set up the Gunners’ opener three minutes before the half-hour mark with a spotters’ badge of a cross and his wicked inswinging corner delivery horribly exposed Darlow for the second on 38 minutes.

Both reflected badly upon Leeds, which was a shame given that they had given Arsenal a bit to think about before the dual concessions. The first was poor and the second was atrocious.

The Gunners may have been having a tricky time of it of late, but their set-piece quality has never been in doubt. Here was a case in point.

Leeds made one change and it was an important one from their perspective, with Gabriel Gudmundsson back on the left flank after missing the trip to Everton. Sebastiaan Bornauw reverting to the bench.

In welcome winter sunshine, Leeds - who started with James Justin on the right of a back three with Joe Rodon being the middle man - gave Arsenal something to think about early.

Their organisation, competitiveness and zeal for the battle was impressive, as befitting Leeds’ form since early December. No top-flight rival had lost fewer games.

A tame shot from Zubimendi was Arsenal’s first effort and it felt token. There was unease among the visiting contingent. They were soon calmed.

All the while, Arsenal’s corner count was starting to creep up - seven in total by half-time - and Leeds, on message initially, blotted their copybook.

First, a Madueke corner from the right was only half-cleared. Declan Rice recycled the ball found Madueke, hovering with intent. He manufactured half a yard before delivering a sweet cross which was flicked in clinically by Zubimendi.

Leeds had players in close proximity, but didn’t track the Spaniard, with a bit of culpability thrust into the direction of Ilia Gruev and Dominic Calvert-Lewin who didn’t pay attention to the midfielder.

It got worse, when Darlow, with Calvert-Lewin and Justin in front of him at the near post, got into an almighty flap and ended up punching Madueke’s corner into his own net.

Farke made a double change at the interval with Sean Longstaff and Noah Okafor on for Justin and Gruev, with Leeds switching to a back four.

Their early tempo at the start of the second half, attacking the Kop, was encouraging and what was needed and a chance arrived with Pascal Struijk’s header held by David Raya.

Leeds had more go-forward, with Arsenal content to wait to pounce on the break and not needing to push things.

Home supporters were still up for things, but just needed something to really sink their teeth into.

The key development came at the other end and was a killer.

Struijk was beaten out wide to the ball by Gabriel Martinelli, whose juicy cross found Gyokeres, who got in front of Jayden Bogle too easily to finish well.

The rain started to lash down and there was potential for it to start raining goals.

A fine reaction save from Darlow prevented Gabriel Jesus from adding a third, tipping over his header following Jurien Timber’s cross.

A fourth would arrive when Jesus spun Struijk and finished tidily following a pass from fellow sub Martin Odegaard.