David Raya – 7
Solid performance in goal to pick up another clean sheet. Great save to keep the score at 0-0 early on and his distribution was particularly impressive at times.
Best moment: Undoubtable that save from Struijk in Leeds’ only real attack of the game.
Jurrien Timber – 9
What can you say about this performance?! Two goals and an assist from a right back who’s not really known for his attacking prowess. I don’t think he got beat once going the other way either.
PLAYER OF THE MATCH
Best moment: Tough to pick just one in such an amazing all round performance but I’ll go with the team headed finish for the first goal. A deft touch to guide the ball into the far corner and give us an early lead.
William Saliba – 7
A few shaky moments here and there but we’ll put them down to early season rust. There were also some typical Saliba moments where he just effortlessly nullified attacks without breaking stride.
Best moment: Put in one really good slide tackle to thwart a rare Leeds attack that got a great reception from the home fans.
Gabriel – 7
Similar to Saliba above. Some shaky moments but I’d see he was probably the best of the two centre backs on the day. Some nice passing at times as well and he also helped out with the press on occasion as he helped push us up the pitch a bit.
Best moment:
Riccardo Calafiori – 7
Much improved in defence this season. He seems a lot less rash than he did at the same time last season. Always a threat going forward as well and linked nicely with Madueke at times. Unpredictable as ever which always makes for an interesting watch!
Best moment: Produced a lovely early ball for Gyokeres first goal in Arsenal colours. We didn’t feed Gyokeres with too many of these balls into the channels so it was nice to see Calafiori take the impetus and try something a bit different, which allowed Gyokeres to play to his strengths.
Martin Odegaard – 7
Looks much more like the Martin Odegaard of old in these early games of the season. Just seems so much lighter on his feet and is shooting a lot more. Pressed tirelessly as always and had a few pot shots Didn’t manage to find the killer ball to open up that Leeds defence but was always busy and kept us moving until his withdrawal with a shoulder injury that he was unable to run off.
Best moment: Nice shot in the first half that he dragged wide. Probably should have done a bit better but he made the space brilliantly and it was so nice to see him pull the trigger instead of looking for the pass, as with much of last season.
Martin Zubimendi – 7
In the first half I thought he looked really rusty and not at all the player that I thought we were getting from everything I’d seen and read about the player. Seem to get harried off the ball too easy and struggled to find space. Second half was a completely different story as he looked the part of midfield metronome.
Best moment: Aggressive pressing which lead to a great chance for Gyokeres which he snatched at. Not an element of his game that I’d heard a lot about but his pressing is definitely one of the major strings to his bow.s
Declan Rice – 7
Still seems to be feeling his way into the season for me. The work rate was there as always but we’re not seeing the same driving runs that make him such a joy to watch. Passing was good, as was his pressing, so by no means a bad performance but it feels like we’re still not seeing the very best of Declan Rice yet.
Best moment: Played an underrated part in Saka’s goal by with his pressing. Zubimendi will get the plaudits for intercepting well to win the ball back but this would not have been possible without Rice instantly closing down the space after Nwaneri was disposed. Is there such a thing as a pre-press assist?
Bukayo Saka – 7
Was uncharacteristically quiet in the first half as a lot of the play went down our left side. Couldn’t let Madueke and co. have all the fun though as he smashed in a fine goal on the stroke of half time. Looked much more lively at the start of the second half but then succumbed to a worrying looking injury.
Best moment: An easy one – that powerful finish for our second goal of the game and Saka’s first of the season. Starting to become a bit of a trademark finish from him.
Viktor Gyokeres – 7
Seven feels like quite a low rating for someone who scored two goals on their first start at their new home but aside from the goals, there’s still work to be done here. A willing runner all game and two well taken goals, especially the first, but he still needs to find his rhythm with this Arsenal team and likewise, they need to adapt to his strengths as well Promising start though.
Best moment: Text book Gyokeres run into the channel before cutting inside and finishing at the near post.
Noni Madueke – 7
Lively. A really good start to his Arsenal career. Always positive, looking to beat his man or link up with Calafiori. Went down a few blind alleys here and there but that’s to be expected for someone who plays the game in such an aggressive way. Didn’t quite come off for him, in terms of getting on the scoresheet or creating a goal for one of his teammates. Another really positive start though. Definitely showed that he could have a home on the left of Arsenal’s frontline, which might be the path of least resistant with the star boy Bukayo Saka the clear first choice on the right.
Best moment: Had quite a few similar moments of positive play that ultimately didn’t lead to a goal but I think the first moment when he stood up his man before going on the outside set the tone of what was to come from his performance on the day and hopefully his Arsenal career going forward.
Substitutes:
Ethan Nwaneri – 7
It’s never easy to be introduced into a game in the way Nwaneri was but you couldn’t tell as he put in a really encouraging display. Always looking to make something happen and played some lovely balls across the pitch to open up the play down the left. Finished the game with 100% passing accuracy which given the way he plays the game, is really impressive. With his fellow Hale Ender, Max Dowman, breaking records every week it seems, it’s easy to forget that Ethan is still only 18!
Leandro Trossard – 6
A few nice touches, including a lovely bit of skill before an inch perfect cross field ball to find Dowman in acres of space. Plenty of promise but no real end product as he was introduced long after the game was as a contest was over. A nice option to have from the bench.
Max Dowman – 7
There’s fearlessness and then there’s Max Dowman. I’ve watched Max Dowman for club and country quite a lot over the last 12 months and each time he’s never looked any different. No nerves, no sense of occasion, rushed decisions. He just plays the game like he’s down the park with his friends. I thought Madueke was really positive in the time he was on the pitch but Dowman is on another level. Always looking forward and trying to make something happen.
Nice bit of skill to win a rather soft penalty but it was his running with the ball, as usual, that caught the eye. Wasn’t deterred by failing to beat his fullback on occasion as he just came back time and time again. What on earth have we got on our hands here?!?
Cristhian Mosquera – 6
Wasn’t on the pitch for too long but showed some nice touches and composed play during his brief debut. No sign of nerves, you wouldn’t have thought Mosquera was making his debut.
Myles Lewis-Skelly – 6
Solid cameo from the bench. A few driving runs into midfield but no fireworks this time. It was a real privilege to be at the game to see Myles, Ethan and Max all on the pitch at the same time.