Below-par Arsenal produce champion recovery - analysispublished at 15:18 BST
15:18 BST
Harry Poole BBC Sport journalist
Image source, Getty Images
In contrast to the tumult and change afflicting their main title rivals this season, Arsenal's position as favourites to win back-to-back league trophies for the first time since 1935 is founded in the club's stability.
Already the current longest-serving manager in the English top flight following Pep Guardiola's departure at Manchester City, Mikel Arteta would surpass a decade in charge of the Gunners should he see out the new contract which he signed this week.
While Arsenal were far from the level Arteta has come to expect from his team on Saturday, their revival over the final half hour meant they have still lost back-to-back Premier League games only once under the Spaniard since the start of 2024.
The Arsenal boss will now hope this recovery, over one of the league's in-form outfits, will mark a return to the performances which preceded Brighton.
The hosts showed early intent but struggled for rhythm during a frustrating first half, and had David Raya to thank for the goalless half-time scoreline.
But Riccardo Calafiori's equaliser released the tension, and Arsenal's superior squad depth ultimately told as Guimaraes proved hugely influential following his introduction, finishing off a wonderful team goal to complete the turnaround.
'A hugely important win for Arsenal'published at 15:11 BST
15:11 BST
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Former Newcastle United striker and Match of the Day pundit Alan Shearer, speaking after Arsenal beat Leeds United 2-1 on Saturday: "Arsenal moved the ball a lot better in the second half. I thought it was all a bit slow and passive and a bit lethargic in the first half with too many sideways passes - not enough penetration.
"Once Bruno [Guimaraes] came on and moved it a bit better, he scored a great goal. Declan Rice, I thought, was very good in the second half.
"I'm not concerned over Arsenal's recent performances. I think especially early games after an international break, everyone's just got back probably Wednesday or Thursday. They still haven't had time to recover.
"I just think it was a hugely important win. It didn't matter how they did it after what happened at Brighton three weeks ago. They had to come back into it and get a win. And they've managed to do that here."
Former Liverpool midfielder and Match of the Day pundit Danny Murphy: "Declan Rice stood up when someone needed to get on the ball and make things happen, to carry possession. He had some great defensive moments as well. Last ditch tackles, plus a couple of great headers and interceptions. He looked like he was well rested after the international break.
"Maybe that's a blessing for Arsenal. Rice was back to [his] athletic and quality best. We know he's got it in abundance late in the game. Maybe if you look at the Brighton loss, it wasn't quite there."
Arsenal 2-1 Leeds: What Arteta and Guimaraes saidpublished at 15:07 BST
15:07 BST
Media caption,
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta, spoke to TNT Sports after his side's victory against Leeds United: "Before the game we talked about two things. One, the challenge ahead because Leeds had not lost in the Premier League and it was going to be really tough. And second one, to restore our identity and be ourselves again, regardless of the context of the match.
"We weren't pleased against Brighton and today was an opportunity to put that right. We certainly reacted in the manner we expected."
On Leeds: "They are extremely well organised, they have very physical [players], they are committed in everything they do."
On Arsenal's equaliser changing the game: "When you play 12:30 at home and you go 1-0 down, you have to restore a lot of things. The energy is one of them. We had a incredible response, you could sense the crowd, the energy changed immediately. The finishers come in and made a huge difference to help us win the game."
On the substitutions: "We bring a lot of leadership on in those three players. Goal threat, players that can win duels, can play forward and penetrate against this high press."
On Bruno Guimaraes' goal: "The timing, the connection and the execution of it, it was a beauty."
Arsenal goalscorer Guimaraes spoke to TNT Sports: "It feels unbelievable. I felt in the last game against Brighton we were not at the level. Today the mentality was bouncing back.
"This is my first official game at home. It feels unbelievable to score and it's an important goal, three important points. Great finish and I am very happy.
On scoring two goals for Arsenal so far this season: "Great feeling. For me it is important to give my best and give a little bit of a headache to the manager. I'm just happy to score my first goal here, an important goal."
On having a point to prove to Arteta: "Yes, I have been proving [myself] in the Premier League for the past five years so of course it's a new challenge for me, its always important to play. The most important thing for Bruno is to go to the pitch and play the best football, I am very happy with that today."
On another victory for Arsenal: "We know the Premier League is very tough. Leeds have a great team, it was a tough game, I'm glad we can get the three points. Every time we get the three points is very welcome for us."
Did you know?
No defender has been involved in more Premier League goals than Arsenal's Riccardo Calafiori this season (three – one goal, two assists). The Italian has as many goal involvements in six games this season as he managed in 26 appearances last term.
Arsenal 2-1 Leeds: How the players ratedpublished at 14:57 BST
14:57 BST
Arsenal starting XI:
David Raya: A smart save to stop Jayden Bogle and then an even better one to deny Gabriel Gudmundsson soon after. The cross for the Leeds goal evaded him though. 6
Ben White: His header set-up Riccardo Calafiori for the equaliser. Caught offside a couple of times when Arsenal were building good attacks in the first half. The Leeds goal came down his side. 6
Ezri Konsa: Involved with the physical battle against Dominic Calvert-Lewin. 6
Gabriel Magalhaes: It was not the usual convincing performance from the Arsenal back four or Gabriel. 6
Riccardo Calafiori: Scored the equaliser after Arsenal went behind. Tried to make things happen with his adventurous runs but the Arsenal attack did not click. 7
Declan Rice: Tried to inject some energy into the Arsenal as they struggled to create in the first half. A clever assist for Bruno Guimaraes winner. 7
Myles Lewis-Skelly: Back in the Arsenal starting line-up after being dropped for Guimaraes. Not his best day. 6
Martin Odegaard: Tried to get on the ball to make things happen and had a tame effort saved by James Trafford. 6
Bukayo Saka: The winger caused Gudmundsson some problems early but never capitalised on the opportunities. Missed a big late chance to add a third. 6
Noni Madueke: Given the chance to start on the left wing in place of the injured Christos Tzolis. Some good deliveries but not enough of a threat throughout the game. 6
Kai Havertz: Included from the start after picking up a hamstring injury on international duty. Did not look at full match sharpness. 6
Arsenal substitutes:
Viktor Gyokeres (on 63, Havertz): Brought physicality to the attack. 6
Bruno Guimaraes (on 63, Lewis-Skelly): Came on, changed the game and scored the winner. 8
Jurrien Timber (on 63, White): A calming presence in the backline. 7
Piero Hincapie (on 82, Calafiori): Brought on to see out the win. 6
Merino (on 90, Odegaard): No time to impact. 5
Subs not used: Arrizabalaga, Zubimendi, Eze, Dowman.
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Arsenal v Leeds United: Key stats and talking pointspublished at 19:17 BST 9 October
19:17 BST 9 October
Matt Jones BBC Sport journalist
Having had three weeks to stew on their loss to Brighton, Arsenal will be itching to get going in the Premier League again. Unbeaten Leeds United are their opponents in the Premier League on Saturday (12:30 BST) at Emirates Stadium.
The Gunners were uncharacteristically out of sorts at Amex Stadium before the international break, as their perfect start to the season was ended in spectacular fashion by a 3-0 defeat. Mikel Arteta, who signed a new contract this week, will want to see his side bounce back like champions.
Leeds will pose a big challenge, though. After a summer of solid transfer business, they have started the campaign well, winning two and drawing three of their first five fixtures. Daniel Farke's side have the joint-best defensive record in the league too and will fancy their chances of springing a surprise.
Gunners to get back at it?
The 3-0 reverse at Brighton was Arsenal's biggest Premier League defeat since May 2023 against the same opposition. Arteta said it was a "big lesson", so supporters will be expecting a response.
In fairness to the Gunners, the nature of the defeat was out of sync with the defensive standards they have set under the current head coach. They only lost by more than one goal once in the whole of last season, against Manchester City in the Carabao Cup final.
So how do they do it? They need to take more care in possession to start. Against the Seagulls, the Gunners lost possession in their own final third nine times, which was the most for them since December 2023. Leeds are second for pressed sequences in the Premier League so far this season, with 63, and will fancy their chances of potentially pinching possession back in dangerous areas too.
While so far this season teams with less than 50% of possession have won more games than teams with 50% of the ball, Arsenal have pivoted towards a controlled style of play with the ball.
In Leeds, they do at least have historically accommodating opponents. Arsenal have won nine of their past 10 Premier League games against the Whites, including the past seven by an aggregate score of 24-5.
Whites keeping it tight
Farke's side can go to the Emirates with nothing to fear, though, and will take confidence from the robustness of the squad they have assembled.
They have been superb at the back, with goalkeeper James Trafford and defender Tarik Muharemovic adding extra steel since their summer arrivals. As a team, they have limited their opponents to just 0.09 xG per shot, a tally only the Gunners can better with 0.08.
Where Leeds may also be able to match Arsenal is from attacking set-pieces. They lead the Premier League for the percentage of their shots (46.7%) and xG (41.0%) which have come from non-penalty set-pieces, with three of their seven goals coming from dead-ball situations.
Arsenal scored a massive 29 goals from set-pieces on their way to the title last season, with their inswinging corners a defining feature of their play. But five games in, Arteta's side have yet to score from a dead-ball situation.
Sutton's predictions: Arsenal v Leedspublished at 18:01 BST 9 October
18:01 BST 9 October
Brighton were brilliant when they beat Arsenal before the international break - the Seagulls really harried and hassled the champions and went toe-to-toe with them.
I don't think Leeds will go about things the same way, but they will still provide a stern test.
Daniel Farke's side are really solid but also carry a big threat too, and they are a very different proposition to the side Arsenal thumped 5-0 at Emirates Stadium at the start of last season.
So, this game will tell us a lot about where Arsenal are and how they have recovered from that Brighton defeat.
I'd still back the Gunners to find a way to win, especially because they are at home, but it will be a lot closer than last time. Leeds don't concede goals as freely any more.
Indispensable Lewis-Skelly thrives in new systempublished at 16:26 BST 9 October
16:26 BST 9 October
Umir Irfan Football tactics correspondent
Image source, Getty Images
Myles Lewis-Skelly has made that holding midfield link position his own for reasons including his calmness under pressure, his hold-up strength, his ability to dribble past players one-v-one and his willingness to take risk - when deciding to dribble past a player or play direct passes for his attackers.
His effectiveness here has been noticed too by England boss Thomas Tuchel who, during this international break, has emulated Mikel Arteta's use of Lewis-Skelly.
For England it has been Elliot Anderson taking up the 'Declan Rice role' in the back three.
Given the demands of this role, part of the reason Arsenal may have struggled against Brighton was that Bruno Guimaraes took up this holding midfield position instead of Lewis-Skelly.
Fabian Hurzeler has drilled his Brighton side to play with high intensity, both on and off the ball. To play around their press requires superb technique, good positioning, the right timing of movements and an understanding of where team-mates may be.
These are things Guimaraes will get to grips with, given the time Lewis-Skelly has already had in this role, but being used in there against an effective Brighton man-to-man press was always going to be a difficult challenge.
Brighton's pressure meant Arsenal hesitated on the ball, forcing them to make decisions they normally wouldn't.
"You could see from the first throw-in, it was so clear. We put ourselves in trouble one, two, three times," Arteta said.
"We need to get out much quicker than that, and that's one of the biggest lessons we have to take from the game today."
After playing looser passes, Arsenal, known for their duelling, were beaten by a Brighton side that swarmed around the ball.
Arteta on injuries, contract extension and the return of Premier Leaguepublished at 15:22 BST 9 October
15:22 BST 9 October
George Booth BBC Sport journalist
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has been speaking to the media before Saturday's Premier League game against Leeds United at Emirates Stadium (kick-off 12:30 BST).
Here are the key lines from his news conference:
Arteta confirmed Declan Rice has had "a few issues" since returning from the World Cup in the summer, but the midfielder will be available to feature against Leeds.
Winger Christos Tzolis will be "out for a few weeks" with a muscle injury, while forward Kai Havertz is a doubt for Saturday because of a "muscular injury" and defender Ezri Konsa is also "carrying some issues".
On his contract extension, which was confirmed earlier this week: "I said from the beginning that me and the club wanted the same thing, but I loved the way it was handled."
On the Premier League returning after the international break: "We have been three weeks with no football for us, without club football. We play in front of the Emirates, in front of our people. The atmosphere we have created in recent months has been unbelievable."
Arteta said Arsenal "will respect the process" after Manchester City were found guilty of breaching the Premier League's financial rules: "It is still an ongoing process that is not resolved because it has been appealed. My position and the club's position is not to make any further comment until it is resolved. There is a lot of noise around it. There is nothing in our hands and the only thing we can do is focus on everything that we can do. That is where we put the energy."
Dowman 'can be what he wants to be' - Wilsherepublished at 09:26 BST 9 October
09:26 BST 9 October
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Former Arsenal midfielder Jack Wilshere says teenager Max Dowman can "be what he wants to be" after impressing from a young age in the academy.
Dowman, 16, was only 13 years old when Wilshere gave him an opportunity to play for his under-18 side and has since gone on to break into Mikel Arteta's first team.
Last season, he became the Premier League's youngest goalscorer, aged 16 years and 73 days, as well as becoming the first 15-year-old to play in the Champions League.
"I don't want to put too much pressure on him, but he played in my team at 13 and we were playing against Southampton," said Wilshire on the Stick To Football podcast. "They had a good academy.
"We had lost some players to the under-21s so I said: 'I am going to bring Max in.' I said I will call his dad. I met Max in the car park. He got out of the car, and he was taller than me already, at 13.
"He was on the bench, we were winning 2-0, and I said to my assistant: 'Let's get Max on.' I stood next to him on the touchline and I said: 'Look, you are playing against players who are five years older than you. Don't get into a duel, take one or two touches, move it around.' He picked up the ball, dribbled round five players, squared it and we went 3-0 up.
"I looked at my assistant. I have never seen anything like it.
"He went on with us and developed a bit more, and physically his numbers were a joke. The metrics they use now - the high-speed running, sprints, total distance - were Premier League level and he was 14. He can be what he wants to be."
How similar will the table look at the end of the season?published at 07:00 BST 9 October
07:00 BST 9 October
Chris Collinson BBC Sport statistician
Just five games in, it might seem a bit early to pay much attention to the Premier League table - but it's probably more settled than you think.
If we look at the Premier League after five games last season and where teams ultimately ended up, the final table was already starting to take shape as 13 of the 20 sides finished within four places of where they sat even at this early stage (65%).
Eventual champions Arsenal were second, Sunderland were already seventh - where they finished eight months later - and two of the three sides that were relegated were already in the bottom three.
The eventual champions have been in the top two at this point in the past four campaigns, suggesting - potential punishments aside - it will be Manchester City or Arsenal that lifts the trophy.
The top end of the table overall has sometimes settled surprisingly quickly in recent years. The top eight after five games in 2024-25 finished as the top eight at the end of that season (although not in the same order), while the top six in 2019-20 and top seven in 2016-17 were also in place at this early stage.
While being top after five games has not meant much in recent seasons, being bottom certainly has.
Tottenham could well be in trouble once again as the side bottom of the Premier League after five games has been relegated in six of the past seven seasons.
Being bottom this early did not used to be such a bad omen. Between 2013-14 and 2018-19, only one of the six sides that were propping up the table after five games ended up going down - Newcastle in 2015-16 - while Crystal Palace finished as high as 11th in 2017-18.
Looking at the relegation battle more broadly, at least one of the teams in the bottom three at this stage has been relegated in the past eight seasons - so one of Tottenham, Fulham and Coventry City are very likely to be heading to the Championship in May.
The pool of contestants for this season's relegation battle may already be decided too because the three sides that ultimately went down in the past three seasons were all in the bottom six after five games, which would add Bournemouth, Aston Villa and Crystal Palace to the mix.
The last sides to be outside the bottom six at this point but relegated were Leeds United and Southampton in 2022-23, who were both in the top half (seventh and ninth). With their teams currently in eighth and 11th place, Hull City and Ipswich Town fans will hope that is still the case at the end of this campaign.
While the season may well have barely begun, the Premier League table is already starting to take shape.
'The best rivalry that the Premier League has ever developed'published at 17:17 BST 8 October
17:17 BST 8 October
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The rivalry between Sir Alex Ferguson's Manchester United side and Arsenal during the first eight years under Arsene Wenger is the best the Premier League has seen, according to author Dominic Hougham.
Wenger arrived at Arsenal in 1996 and between then and 2004, United won five league titles and the Gunners picked up three.
"I love this rivalry," Hougham told BBC Radio Manchester. "This one had a fair bit of needle.
"There are so many iconic moments that this rivalry spat out over eight seasons and I do truly believe there has never been anything to rival this.
"You had two of the greatest managers the Premier League has ever seen, in their primes. You had two teams right at their peak, and for eight seasons they literally dominated the league."
Hougham has written The Greatest Rivalry: Arsenal, Manchester United And The Battle That Defined An Era.
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