Arsenal defeated Leeds United 4-1 to retake the lead in the Premier League standings by eight points thanks to two goals from Gabriel Jesus. Jesus scored a goal in both halves for Arsenal at Emirates Stadium to commemorate his first start since November. Ben White and Granit Xhaka also scored goals for Arsenal.
Mikel Arteta’s team didn’t back down as they easily earned their eighth straight league victory despite Manchester City applying pressure with their 4-1 triumph over Liverpool earlier on Saturday.
Aaron Ramsdale made a quick reflex save from Leeds’ Kristensen in the first minute. This gave the league leaders a scare in the battle against Leeds. Ramsdale was required once more after Jesus crossed over to the other end, where he denied Crysencio Summerville after a deft one-two with Marc Roca and stopped Jack Harrison from scoring from a close angle.
But, 10 minutes before halftime, Arsenal scored their first goal. They survived the storm when Jesus calmly rolled home from the penalty spot after being brought down by Luke Ayling. After the restart, the hosts increased their lead by double. White, who was a fixture during Leeds’ Championship-winning campaign three years ago, arrived at the far post to convert Gabriel Martinelli’s mouthwatering cross. Eight minutes later, after combining well with Leandro Trossard, Jesus scored his second goal.
Oleksandr Zinchenko’s deflection on Kristensen’s shot in the 76th minute gave Leeds a chance to tie the score. However, Xhaka’s touchdown on Martin Odegaard’s superb cross gave Arsenal the victory.
cc: Sportingtribune
