Arsenal took another major step towards ending a 19-year Premier League title drought after running out 4-1 winners over Leeds United this afternoon.
Mikel Arteta’s men watched their only realistic challenger and defending champions Manchester City brush Liverpool aside 4-1 before kick-off. That aforementioned win — highlighted by a brilliant individual performance from Jack Grealish who inspired the Mancunian juggernaut who fell behind — reduced the Gunners‘ lead to five points which they’ve since increased by three albeit Pep Guardiola’s chasers still have a game in hand.
There was one change for the hosts with Bukayo Saka making way for Gabriel Jesus, who last started in a 0-2 win at Wolves before the World Cup break, and you have to go even further back for his last goal head into today’s contest: an effort in their 3-1 home win over Tottenham at the start of October, eight appearances ago. This personal run came to an end just after the half-hour mark after Luke Ayling recklessly brought the Brazilian down. Martin Ødegaard handed over penalty duties and the ex-City forward effortlessly converted the spot-kick.
The events that unfolded would have brought a smile to Arteta’s face. “He is very close to that (100 per cent). In the last 10 days he has really made a big step forward,” he said in his pre-match press conference on Friday. “You can see that he is looser, he is not thinking about it. You can see that he is already creating in training the chaos that he is capable of creating in unique moments. He is in a really good place now.”
Gabriel Jesus' game by numbers vs Leeds:
59 minutes played
48 touches
4 duels won
4 shots
2 shots on target
2 goals
1 chance created
1.75 xGLike he was never away. ?? pic.twitter.com/4SzMM24V5R
— Play Squawka Selector for Free (@Squawka_Live) April 1, 2023
Leeds, who are in a battle to maintain their Premier League status, could have felt hard done by after starting promisingly and putting Arsenal on the backfoot prior to Jesus breaking the deadlock. Crysencio Summerville in particular standing out. The fleet-footed Dutch winger enjoying a fascinating battle with Ben White down Arsenal’s right flank. Jack Harrison and Rasmus Kristensen also had shots on goal when the game was goalless. Kristensen’s effort coming inside the opening minute, which undoubtedly gave Arteta an uncomfortable Bournemouth flashback, but the Dane eventually found himself on the scoresheet albeit with a consolation effort.
And that’s because similar to what happened in the early game, Arsenal came out flying to start the second half, White and Jesus (again) doubling Arsenal’s lead before putting the contest beyond their visitors from Yorkshire who should have been prepared. Arsenal has now scored 17 goals in the first 15 minutes of the second half, more than any other team in the Premier League this season. Granit Xhaka would restore Arsenal’s three-goal lead in the final ten minutes.
A seventh consecutive league win (their longest such winning run since between August and October 2018) — during which they’ve scored 23 times while only conceding only five goals — brings the finishing line ever much closer though Arteta will not be counting his chickens. City is getting stronger and there are some tricky away games on the horizon as we head into what Sir Alex Ferguson once described as squeaky bum time.