Leeds United cannot brush Arsenal beating or new concern under the carpet — Graham Smyth's Verdict — YEP 1/2/26

By Graham Smyth

Leeds United have raised their standards and expectations too high to simply hide behind Arsenal's quality and brush a 4-0 beating under the carpet.

Daniel Farke was in no mood to linger in his post-match interviews, keen to move on to games that better represent Leeds' actual fight this season - games like Nottingham Forest at home on Friday night. But having shown themselves to be a problem for just about everyone else at Elland Road this season, Leeds could reasonably have been expected to do a bit better than they did in Saturday's meeting with the Premier League leaders. And even if a hangover is to be avoided at all costs given the identity of the next opponents and the magnitude of the next game, the Gunners' salvo left Farke and the Whites with much to ponder.

Arsenal suffered a double blow even before the game. On Friday they suffered the ignominy - nay the horror - of having to travel to Yorkshire on a coach, when fog ruled out a flight to Leeds Bradford Airport. Then in the warm-up Bukayo Saka limped down the tunnel, bringing Noni Madueke into the starting line-up. The reality is that they could have travelled by canal boat, lost a handful of players to sea sickness and still rocked Leeds United, such is the strength of their expensively-assembled squad. It was going to take Leeds' best day and Arsenal's worst to keep all the points in LS11.

There were few signs of the disaster to come in the opening stages, even if the pressure came early. Arsenal's first corner was won on 90 seconds and it took a couple of phases after Jayden Bogle's initial header before Leeds could consider the danger to have passed. But by the 10 minute mark Leeds could say they had enjoyed as much of the play, if not more and then they went and created the first chance. Anton Stach initially won the ball and took Leeds forward on the left and then Joe Rodon smashed into a challenge to feed Ethan Ampadu, whose left-foot rocket cleared the bar.

It took Arsenal 15 minutes to have a pop at goal, Martin Zubimendi's trundling effort barely troubling Karl Darlow. Slowly but surely they started to apply pressure. It wasn't the kind of football that tears a team apart, it was a gradual assumption of control. Corners and throws in the final third. Balls into the box for Leeds to defend. Where Leeds needed to be sharp, they were a little scruffy. Clearances going up in the air instead of forward. Corners conceded when they perhaps didn't quite need to be. And though Leeds were able to survive them initially, they were sleepwalking head first into a vice. The visitors' pressure was always going to force a crack. Madueke jinked away from Gabriel Gudmundsson's foot and swung in a beautiful cross that an unmarked Zubmiendi headed home.

If Leeds had a hand in their own downfall for the opener, they held responsibility in both hands for the second. It was the hands of Darlow that gifted Arsenal a 2-0 lead. Madueke's corner begged the keeper to come and punch but with Dominic Calvert-Lewin in his way he failed to get anything like the necessary contact and simply helped the ball into his own net. Where Leeds needed their stopper to be commanding in a six-yard box being bombarded with dangerous deliveries, he was anything but. Darlow was hardly aided by a defence that never really got to grips with Arsenal's front post invasions, but his face said much about where he felt the blame really lay.

Arsenal's face said much about the first half too because they had been untouched since Ampadu's effort. By this point in Chelsea's visit they were sporting a collective bloody nose. Leeds were not laying a glove on Arsenal. Brenden Aaronson and Calvert-Lewin had little service or support to work with and long balls forward were simply mopped up by the Gunners backline. Something had to change at the break and Farke went with substitutes Sean Longstaff, Noah Okafor and a 4-3-3.

The impact was instantly more promising than what went before. Gudmundsson had someone to play with out on the left in Okafor and burst forward to whip in a dangerous ball that was put behind for a corner. On the other flank Jayden Bogle stormed onto Okafor's pass to win another corner, which presented a headed chance for Pascal Struijk and at long last a save for David Raya to make.

The switch made Leeds more open too and a ball in behind Rodon put Vikto Gyokeres in a fantastic position to kill the game, before Rodon reappeared to make a vital block. But with more possession and presence Leeds asked a few questions of their visitors and invited Elland Road back into the game. Gudmundsson's nutmeg invited a challenge that earned Jurrien Timber a yellow. This was the time to make something count, to turn territory into a tangible route back into the game. Instead, Leeds were dealt a lesson in efficiency. Arsenal needed just a single attack to stretch their lead. Struijk, who had defended manfully up to this point, was drawn out wide by Gabriel Martinelli, failed to stop the cross and then Gyokeres beat a static and wrong-sided Bogle too easily. The ball beat Darlow and the game was gone.

Farke obviously wanted to go out on his shield and continued to throw on attackers, yet for all Facundo Buonanotte's desire to get on the ball, he couldn't get on the same page as his team-mates. Willy Gnonto couldn't make himself a factor. Joel Piroe couldn't get a touch. And necessity opened Leeds up to further danger against a side now able to wriggle out of the pragmatic constraints of their first half discipline. Declan Rice drove forward into acres of space. Eberechi Eze was on to elongate the torment. And Gabriel Jesus was on to showcase his quality and the sheer depth of Mikel Arteta's options. He held off Pascal Struijk with one hand, dragged the ball back and then curled it beautifully beyond the beleaguered, beaten Darlow.

The rain and the deluge of opposition goals had sent many for the exits before full-time but those who were left gave their team a rousing reception, as much in recognition of this being only a second defeat in 12 outings as anything else. Leeds have been competitive in a way that has taken them above the drop zone and given them a chance of staying there. But what they hold in their hands after an impressive pre-Arsenal period is still so delicate. The situation between the sticks is a concern. Farke is on his second goalkeeper of the season and now both have made costly mistakes. Where to next? Darlow has been largely steady but his mistake was arguably worse than the ones that cost Lucas Perri his place in the team. Neither man has covered themselves in glory in terms of distribution. A relegation scrap is not the time or the place for a crisis of confidence between the sticks.

The transfer window closes on Monday and the relaxed attitude emanating from Elland Road on that front will either be justified or vilified when the season's outcome is known. There are needs in this squad that could do with being addressed and no guarantees that they will be prior to Monday's 7pm deadline. No signing brings guarantees. No signings would guarantee criticism from sections of the fanbase and inflame worries over depth and injuries.

Losing to Arsenal does not a bad side make. Losing badly to Arsenal is not even that huge a disgrace. They battered Atlético Madrid, Spurs, Villa and cruised to victories over Bayern Munich, Inter Milan and plenty of others. It can and should still be disappointing that Leeds conceded the first two goals so cheaply and gave themselves a mountain to climb rather than a chance of points. It can still be regarded as a backwards step for a team that was building momentum. There are lessons to learn from it and even if it does not inform transfer decisions it must act as fuel ahead of the next big battle on Friday night. How Leeds respond as a team and a club will be telling.