Leeds United did not come to the Emirates Stadium to play to the script. A gutsy first 55 minutes was rewarded by James Justin’s goal before Arsenal looked to the bench and turned the screw.
For all of Leeds’ good work and talent, there is only so much Farke could do about that. But his players can take heaps of confidence from the game; play like that against any team and they will hard to beat. Farke had previously alluded to the fact that pressing would be important, having watched Brighton & Hove Albion’s dismantling of the Gunners. Leeds were sublime for an hour in this respect.
The likes of Ao Tanaka, Anton Stach and Ethan Ampadu all got their foot in and the phase-work in harrying the champions worked for tbefore the leveller. The defence was active but not overly troubled.
Tarik Muharemovic had kept Bukayo Saka quiet, Nico Elvedi won mostly the battle with Kai Havertz. But Mikel Arteta, in testament to his reign, was able to choose which superstar to bring in from the touchline.
The 2-1 defeat is Leeds’ first loss this Premier League season. And yet it might not have been a defeat at all.
Missed chances
In the first 45 minutes, it was Leeds who had the greater chances. Noah Okafor’s ninth-minute effort whisked just wide of the post via a deflection. Anton Stach then saw his back-stick volley inexplicably blocked by his own man, Jayden Bogle.
David Raya, six yards away, was mightily relieved. Bogle soon after produced a lovely flick and prod towards goal, forcing a corner.
Gabriel Gudmundsson also had an opportunity, firing from a tight angle from the edge of the six yard box at Raya, doing everything right but not being able to get past the goalkeeper. Even Ethan Ampadu almost looped a header over the goalkeeper after a punch.
At half-time, the xG was level at 0.41 – Kai Havertz flicking over an effort and putting one into the gloves of James Trafford, but that was it. There was always a sense Leeds could end up rueing these chances.
Farke said after full-time he was “heartbroken” by the result, gutted that his players would walk away with nothing after a battling performance.
“I told them at half-time that if we keep going, to have a bit more clarity and belief in our offensive actions, we will win this game.” They duly took the lead, deservedly.
But Arsenal turned on the style and those chances were indeed to be rued. When you have opportunities against a top team, you need to take them. Leeds, however good they otherwise were, didn’t.
Trafford’s tricky day
Birthday boy Trafford has brought so much to this Leeds team and has rarely put a foot wrong. But could he have done better for Arsenal’s equaliser?
“It was not a mistake,” said Farke. “It was just a bit unlucky because on a world-class day, he has the chance to put it over the crossbar, but was not to be. But it was definitely not a mistake.”
Trafford meanwhile almost conceded a third late on when he came far out of his goal but lost the duel with Viktor Gyokeres and fell to the ground when tracking back. Luckily Leeds survived, not that it impacted the result.
Trafford’s cool persona will mean he will undoubtedly not be fazed by these moments and is sure to put them behind him ahead of Manchester United next week. But it is a reminder of two things.
The first is that he is not yet the complete package. Having turned 24 yesterday, he still has growth to go. Yet at the same time, Trafford cannot make these errors too often. A club record £45million transfer fee says so.
History suggests this will be a blip, and there is little worry this is any kind of chink in his armour. But if he is to become England number one by Euro 2028, these errors must indeed be kept to a minimum.
Justin underscores theory
Justin is turning into one of Leeds’ best ever bargains, certainly of the Farke era. The defender was magnificent going both ways against Arsenal, his Premier League experience shining through.
He helped James Bogle stand up Noni Madueke, nullifying his threat, in the first third and of course he delivered a sumptuous strike in the final third in the second half, having got forward frequently anyway.
His initial £8m fee is a steal. This could rise to £10m with add-ons and he surely will activate the necessary clauses – yet even still, L
eeds have another jewel in their transfer crown.
