Leeds United 0 Arsenal 4: An old and familiar concern resurfaces for Leeds as bitter rivals save the day — Yorkshire Post 1/2/26
By Leon Wobschall
IT was a result involving another London club – as opposed
to Arsenal – which ultimately had bigger ramifications for Leeds United on
Saturday.
Supporters knew it, the media knew it. Daniel Farke, who
misses nothing, also knew it.
When the Leeds manager conducted his post-match press
conference, relegation rivals West Ham were winning at Chelsea in the late
kick-off.
At the end of a hard day against a team who cast aside talk
of a title wobble with the sort of proper performance you associate with
champions, Farke will have felt a shiver when he glanced at the TV screens in
the press room – showing live footage of events at Stamford Bridge.
Even more so after the Hammers’ second goal. Fortunately,
things changed and how.
Farke knows full well that Leeds staying out of trouble is
down to Leeds and no-one else. But sometimes, you need a little help along the
way.
Third-from-bottom West Ham’s 3-2 loss means that they still
trail Leeds by six points as opposed to three.
It took the sting out of the sort of defeat many feared when
United embarked on a daunting run of fixtures at the start of winter.
That it took until the final day of January to arrive is a
barometer of Leeds’ progress. This was just their third reverse in a 12-game
block which had encompassed games against 10 of the top 11 by the close of play
on Saturday. It constituted their only thorough beating as well.
In terms of progress from Leeds’ 5-0 ‘welcome to the Premier
League’ drubbing at the Emirates in August, there was little on the day.
Initially, they made life uncomfortable for an Arsenal side who had lost Bukayo
Saka in the warm-up. It was temporary and for the visitors, it was a case of
normal service being resumed. Certainly on the set-piece front.
Leeds had to be perfect and hope that Arsenal, who came into
the game without a win in three, were off it. It was false hope.
By the end, the final whistle was a relief in truth. As
things were starting to get messy.
Farke spoke about not ‘over-interpreting’ a 4-0 result
against the division’s most consistent side. There were still some unwanted
imperfections.
It was an afternoon which provided fuel to the doubters who
suggest Leeds, for all their good work of late, still have a problem in goal.
For a team in the bottom six mix, that’s an active concern.
When the game was live, Karl Darlow made the sort of blooper
which had sadly been too commonplace at Elland Road over the past few decades.
Rachubka-esque as one Leeds wag put it afterwards.
With Lucas Perri placed on the naughty step after Newcastle
and Ilian Meslier nowhere to be seen due to last season’s chargesheet, Darlow’s
indiscretion for Arsenal’s second goal was hardly reassuring.
Leeds’ uncharacteristic failure to attend to the finer
points of defending were also damning on the day. Details are decisive, warned
Farke beforehand, but his players weren’t listening for once.
Noni Madueke, Saka’s outstanding replacement, filled his
boots.
His cross to pick out Martin Zubimendi for the opener was a
beauty. Leeds’ failure to track the midfielder, with Dominic Calvert-Lewin and
Ilia Gruev looking the ones most culpable, was sloppy. The header wasn’t.
That was in the second phase of play following a corner.
Soon after, Arsenal’s record as set-piece kings par excellence was reinforced
in a moment Darlow would like to forget.
Madueke’s delivery from the right was inswinging and
vicious. That said, Darlow, with Calvert-Lewin and James Justin in front of
him, was far from commanding - he limply punched the ball into his own net at
his near post and that was that.
Going the other way, Leeds’ xG expected goals was a derisory
0.15.
No Saka maybe, but Arsenal’s power was awesome – as was
their bench.
There were more Leeds mistakes. Pascal Struijk and Jayden
Bogle did not cover themselves in glory ahead of Viktor Gyokeres making it 3-0
from Gabriel Martinelli’s cross.
