Leeds 0-4 Arsenal: ‘Dominant’ Elland Road win has won Gunners the Premier League title, says Paul Merson | Football News

Paul Merson says Arsenal’s dominant win at Leeds will be seen as the game that won them the Premier League title.

Questions were beginning to be asked about the Gunners’ bid for a first title in 22 years as they went into the game at Elland Road following a run of three league matches without a win.

However, Arsenal reaffirmed their credentials with a comfortable victory that puts them seven points clear at the top of the table, ahead of Manchester City and Aston Villa, both of which were shown live on Sky Sports on Sunday.

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Merson believes the way Arsenal passed their test at Leeds shows why they will be crowned champions in May.

“Arsenal have been exceptional,” said former Gunner Merson. Football Saturday.

“There was a lot of pressure on them because I thought if they were beaten the scrutiny was going to increase a lot. However, they still went seven points clear with a win at a really tough place at Elland Road.”

“Sometimes it was like boys against men,” he added. “Arsenal just knocked out Leeds. It was an A+ performance.

“I can’t stress how good this result and performance was.

“Elland Road were great at the start of the game, but once Arsenal got into the game they dominated all over the pitch.

“The team is simply phenomenal. Noni Madueke replaces Bukayo Saka and gets two assists. There were five players who came on in Gabriel Martinelli, Eberechi Eze, Martin Odegaard, Gabriel Jesus and Riccardo Calafiori – which team are they not in?

“Man City must now go to Tottenham and win. For me, this is the game that helped Arsenal win the Premier League.”

“Every match is a cup final”

Arsenal followed goalless draws against Liverpool and Nottingham Forest with last week’s home defeat to Manchester United, suggesting they were feeling the pressure in pursuit of their first domestic title since 2004.

But they made it eight straight Champions League wins in midweek to reach the last 16, beating Kairat 3-2, and there were no signs of nerves in West Yorkshire.

“From the last three performances we knew how important the day was,” Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice told Soccer Saturday.

“Winning 4-0 is a huge victory for us.

“We can control what we can control and we have to keep winning games and keep pushing. What will be will be.

“So far we are first in the Premier League and have won eight out of eight in the Champions League. We cannot complain about our situation. We are in a very strong position, we know that as players we have a very good team.

“Every game is a cup final. We still have four long months ahead of us, but we are ready. Let’s continue and try.”

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Arteta: Arsenal showed how much they want to succeed

Gunners boss Mikel Arteta says his side secured a victory at Leeds to get their Premier League title challenge back on track.

Own goals from Martin Zubimendi and Leeds goalkeeper Karl Darlow put Arsenal 2-0 up at the break before second-half efforts from Viktor Gyokeres and substitute Gabriel Jesus put Mikel Arteta’s side back on track.

The Gunners have won eight in a row against Leeds and remain unbeaten against them in 16 matches, dating back to 2003, while they have not lost at Elland Road since November 2000.

“We are obviously very happy,” Arteta said. “A very impressive performance, a very impressive result.

“And in the context in which we did it. We knew the difficulty of the game and the opponent we face, with recent form and the style of play they have at the moment, the energy that the stadium brings.

“And then the fact that after three results that didn’t go our way in the league, we really wanted to show how much we wanted it. And I think we said something about that today.”

Farke: We faced the best team in Europe

Daniel Farke praised Arsenal’s performance at Elland Road as Leeds suffered just a second defeat in 11 games in all competitions, suggesting the Gunners are the best team in Europe.

“Congratulations to Arsenal. Deserved victory today. We have to accept that the better team won this match.

“We were also realistic before, we were facing the best team currently in Europe. There is a reason why this team is top of the Premier League, with eight wins out of eight in the Champions League. You need a perfect day, but also a bit of luck. We didn’t have our best day.

“They were there from the first to the last second. We have to accept their quality today, there is not much to interpret today.

“Karl is disappointed with the situation (regarding the own goal). But the key was that today we didn’t find the solutions to create chances and score goals.

“Set pieces are an important issue for them. We have a few too many on the outside. We have to defend all the corners with precision. If you concede two goals like this, against the best team in Europe, it will always be a long afternoon.”

Analysis: Arsenal embrace the noise of the title race

Sky Sports’ Sam Blitz at Elland Road:

Following last weekend’s defeat to Manchester United, Mikel Arteta held a meeting with his Arsenal players this week. The match was “beautiful”, according to the Arsenal manager, and the subject was how his team would deal with the noise.

Arsenal’s form was declining. The league’s best defense was losing goals and the attack was dwindling, with debates over who should be the center forward and who should play behind him in attacking midfield.

They then lost Bukayo Saka in the warm-up at Leeds and with Mikel Merino also out, the topic of injuries reared its head again. They even had to change their last minute travel plans to Leeds on Friday.

Many problems have threatened to derail Arsenal recently, but they have instead overcome their difficult period. After that encounter, seven goals were scored – center forwards Viktor Gyokeres, Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus all scored.

Their defense strengthened again, with Leeds limited to just one shot on target. Martin Odegaard came off the bench and played an important role in goals three and four at Elland Road. Noni Madueke’s display showed that Arsenal cannot be seriously affected by a hit from Saka, and that they are not as reliant on him as in previous seasons.

Yes, it’s just Kairat Almaty and Leeds – but the opposition is almost irrelevant in Arteta’s side. Their biggest threat to the title is themselves – it is often joked that only Arsenal can stop Arsenal from winning the title.

After some clear talk, the Gunners appear to be accepting the noise and enjoying their football again.