Arsenal vs Leeds United Player Ratings: 9/10 for Martinelli, Nketiah; Ayling & Meslier get 2

Arsenal moved four points clear of Tottenham after a comfortable victory over ten-man Leeds United at the Emirates.

Eddie Nketiah’s brace secured a huge victory for Arsenal, who moved four points clear of top-four rivals Tottenham. Ten-man Leeds United found it difficult to get going, although ensured the Gunners were in for a nervy finish. The result puts the north Londoners in pole position for Champions League qualification, which they can seal with a win in midweek against Tottenham.

The defeat sent Leeds United into the relegation zone after Everton secured a much-needed victory over Leicester City at the King Power Stadium. With a clash against Chelsea next, the Whites find themselves in a delicate position, as another loss would put them in a difficult spot to escape.

Arsenal began proceedings by creating pressure on the visitors. A terrible error from Illan Meslier allowed Nketiah to close in on him and nick the ball of the keeper’s feet and put into the empty net. The early advantage boosted the confidence of the home side, who seemed poised to score another.

The second goal arrived before ten minutes on the clock as Nketiah added another to his name. Gabriel Martinelli did brilliantly on the left, and his cut-back found the striker in a promising position to score from. Things looked bleak from that point for Leeds, as it felt they might concede far more than just two strikes.

Things went from bad to worse as Luke Ayling was shown a straight red card after a two-footed tackle on Martinelli. The Leeds captain let his team down in the moment of need and will now miss the remainder of the season, adding to Jesse Marsch’s woes.

With a numerical advantage, Arsenal led waves of attack in the Leeds box and came close to scoring on more than one occasion. In the second half, the Gunners dominated possession and created plenty of chances, although were in for a nervy finish. Diego Llorente became the first player to score off a corner against the north London club this season, as his goal gave Leeds some hope.

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Since then, there were a few half chances for Marsch’s side. But in the end, Arsenal marched on and took a four-point lead over Tottenham in the table, who they meet on Thursday night. Here’s how the players rated as Arsenal beat Leeds United at the Emirates.

Arsenal

Aaron Ramsdale – 6/10

Ramsdale had nothing to do all game apart from picking the ball out of the net in the second period after Llorente’s goal. He did well with his handling when Arsenal were under some pressure late in the game.

Cedric Soares – 7/10

An attacking presence on the right side, Cedric took full advantage of Leeds’ misfortunes and ran down the channel well. He was supportive of his teammates in the final third and was defensively sound when called into action.

Rob Holding – 7/10

Holding and his partner Gabriel played very high up the pitch and were never bothered by any potential Leeds attack. He was barely troubled by the opposition and was tight to players that needed marking.

Gabriel – 7/10

The Brazilian was playing even higher than Holding and proved to be a passing outlet. A first-half yellow card meant Gabriel had to be careful with his challenges, although he was barely troubled by the Leeds attack.

Takehiro Tomiyasu – 8/10

Even though it may have seemed Tomiyasu had a quiet game, the defender was enormous from left-back. The Japanese defender played more final-third passes than any other player on the pitch and did not misplace a single pass.

Mohamed Elneny – 7.5/10

Elneny was always looking to progress the ball when in possession. He had a solid game and never made any errors that put his team under any sort of pressure. He keeps improving and will be needed for the final three games of the season.

Granit Xhaka – 7/10

Xhaka was a great outlet and played in a bit more advanced position than usual. He did well to control proceedings on the left-side channel and gave Arsenal a base to operate with. The team might have had a bit of a nervy ending, but the Swiss star was always available to calm things down.

Bukayo Saka – 7/10

Saka wasn’t at his best but did cause problems down his flank as he constantly went ran at the opposition defenders. He had one close-range shot saved by Meslier and was taken off in the second half with the north London Derby in Arteta’s thoughts.

Martin Odegaard – 8.5/10

Odegaard continued to be the leader of this Arsenal side in the attacking half and also pressed well when needed. There were some brilliant one-touch moments from the Norwegian, who continued to create chances at regular intervals, although none were converted to goals.

Eddie Nketiah – 9/10

Nketiah surely gives Arsenal something different at the top and this has been developed after a consistent run of games for the striker. He took advantage of Meslier’s lack of concentration to score the opener, while he was in the right place to slot home the second. This was a match-winning performance from the academy graduate who was treated to a standing ovation.

Gabriel Martinelli – 9/10

Martinelli had his best game for some time as he terrorised the right side of the Leeds defence. Got an assist to his name and was involved in the Ayling red card. He should have scored at least twice, only to once lift his shot, while the other went wide. Otherwise, the Brazilians had a field day against the opposition.

Substitutes

Nicolas Pepe – 4/10

Pepe had a brilliant chance from the halfway line and was lambasted by Arsenal’s assistant coach after the game. Had he taken his shot and scored, it could have calmed some nerves and put the game beyond any doubt.

Emile Smith Rowe – 6/10

Smith Rowe replaced the knackered Martinelli and got into the action straight away. He kept hold of the ball when needed and even distributed it well.

Alexandre Lacazette – N/A

Barely any time on the pitch to get a rating.

Leeds United

Illan Meslier – 2/10

A terrible performance from the French keeper who let Arsenal score very early in the game. Meslier’s awareness of the ball inside the area was severely tested by Nketiah, who took full advantage to score the opener. The stopper did make a few notable saves but overall had a nervy afternoon.

Luke Ayling – 2/10

Ayling let his team down in a big way after a terrible opening ten minutes and a straight red card to his name for a needless tackle on Martinelli. The Leeds captain will now the remainder of the season, leaving his side high and dry in the relegation run-in.

Robin Koch – 4/10

Koch moved to right-back to cover for Ayling and looked nervy when under pressure from the attackers. Martinelli had a field day on that flank, and the defender was lucky Arsenal did not add to their tally after the two early goals.

Diego Llorente – 5/10

The best player in the backline, and probably on the pitch for Leeds, as the defender’s goal midway through the second half gave some much-needed hope to the away supporters. At the back, he was trying his best to contain a volatile situation, while also making a goal-line clearance in the first half.

Junior Firpo – 3.5/10

Firpo was troubled by Arsenal trio Cedric Soares, Martin Odegaard and Bukayo Saka while often leaving the defence exposed. He displayed a good work rate, although was generally poor on the day and might count himself lucky as Saka wasn’t at his best form.

Kalvin Phillips – 4.5/10

With Arsenal attacking from the front, Phillips was pinned back for most parts and was an anonymous figure in the first half. He grew in stature somewhat in the second half as Leeds were able to gain a level of control in the last part of the game.

Mateusz Klich – 3/10

Klich had an irrelevant afternoon, as he was a mere spectator in the first half. A needless yellow card made things difficult for him and easier for the manager to hook him off at half-time.

Raphinha – 4/10

Raphinha struggled to stay relevant and failed to get the attack going. With Leeds under tremendous pressure after the two early goals, there was hardly any motivation to attack from the front as the team were more inclined to not let in more goals in the face of Arsenal’s relentless attacks.

Daniel James – 3/10

James had no impact on the game despite leading a good press. He failed to get in the action, let alone start attacks for his side.

Jack Harrison – 4.5/10

Harrison was one of the bright sparks in the attack for Leeds, especially in the latter part of the match, when Arsenal were somewhat pinned back by a late charge from the Whites.

Joe Gelhardt – N/A

Gelhardt was sacrificed following Ayling’s red card, and before that, he did not have any impact on the game.

Substitutes

Pascal Struijk – 5/10

Since coming on following Ayling’s red card, Struijk was the best defender for Leeds, making some important contributions to keep the scoreline intact.

Lewis Bate – 5/10

Despite the team being under pressure and the inexperienced Bate slotted in well for Klich and did a decent job in midfield.

Rodrigo – 4/10

He should have done better with a late chance that may have earned Leeds a precious point.