Leeds arrived at the Emirates for our F.A. Cup 3 rd round tie bearing the baggage of Dirty Leeds from the 60’s and 70’s, that Alan Clarke header in the cup final of 1972, that Viduka goal that killed our title challenge in 2003 and multiple other sores. Would the Gunners continue their recent sequence of victories against these northern cloggers including at the same stage in 2012 when a certain loan player, one T. Henry, scored the only goal of the game to deliver a classic 1-0 to the Arsenal? Or would the shambles that we watched under Unai Emery render us easy victims for the top team in the Championship. A club transformed by Marelo Bielsa into a high energy, pressing team that looks odds on to rejoin the Premiership next season after 16 years?
Mikel Arteta predictably rang changes in the team that ran itself into the ground against Chavski and dominated Manure for 45 minutes then defended their lead so stoutly. However, his team selection surprised most. Predictably Martinez replaced Leno in goal. We started with three centre backs. Nelson was thought to replace Maitland-Niles at right wing back with Kolasinac making another impressive recovery from an ankle knock to play through the pain once again. In midfield Özil and Xhaka kept their places after good performances in their last game and Guendouzi replaced Torreira. Up front, we had Pepe and surprisingly, Lacazette who appeared to have given everything against Manure and might have been rested. Mikel explained that Aubameyang was not selected as he was ill. Not a game for the kids then? Mikel wants this one.
When the teams lined up, their error was clear for those who deduced from the team-sheet that we were playing three at the back. We played a back 4 with Sokratis at right back. Nelson was wide left in a fluid 4-4-2/4-3-3 with Özil in his most effective roving role. Is this an indication that Mikel can be deliberately Delphic?
Leeds were without doubt, the better team in the first half. They started at a ferocious pace pressing us all over the pitch and forcing us to concede possession with painful frequency. They had 64% possession, moved the ball swiftly and sweetly and had 15 attempts on goal to our one. Their first chance was a header from an unmarked Bamford from a free kick after 3 minutes and that set the tone. Had it not been for several excellent saves by Martinez and profligacy from their strikers we would have been at least two goals down at half time and could not have complained. Notable was a 14th minute shot from Bamford that struck the bar after a lovely right-sided move carved us open. In truth we looked somewhat more like an Emery team particularly in fruitless play from the back, rather than the organised outfit we have seen since Mikel arrived. Holding in particular seemed to have colour blindness when passing to another shirt though after 6 minutes, on the first of many occasions, he did make amends with the critical block on Bamford’s goal-bound shot. Hopefully that’s simply ring-rustiness as I don’t recall passing being a problem before his long cruciate lay-off. Positives for Arsenal were early dribbles by Pepe and by Nelson though sadly coming to naught. Our single first half attempt on target was a fine shot from Pepe from 20 yards from an interception by Xhaka after 7 minutes while we still remembered how effective a high block could be. After 30 minutes and several Leeds chances we finally began to assert ourselves and from our first corner Luiz put a free header just wide. Yet it was a brief assertion, as again at 32 minutes, an Ayling cross was met by an Alioski header/Sokratis shoulder requiring Martinez to make a superb Seaman-esque save to his right and at 35 minutes Leeds played the ball around our defenders in the box setting up a chance near the penalty spot that Guendouzi snuffed out; not his only good defensive contribution in the box late in the first half. Had those chances been scored VAR might have ruled the first out for a push and the second for offside but I would not have bet ‘the Holic pound’ on those decisions.
On review, we weren’t really as disorganised defensively as an Emery team; there weren’t acres of unchallenged space in midfield for the opposition to waltz into and there was a greater sense of organisation and determination about the defence but Leeds were certainly more committed and at times looked as if they had an extra man. They pressed our men in possession and completely blocked our forward progress. Our own press was markedly less effective than in the last two games and they played round us with some ease. One of the imponderables of the first half was how Xhaka escaped a yellow card after several fouls beginning with a pull-back after 16 minutes. Surely Mr Taylor hadn’t left his cards in the dressing room? Xhaka’s performance certainly upset BBC co-commentator Danny ‘Spud’ Murphy! At half-time there were several questions. Would Leeds regret their missed chances? Could they keep up their press? Could Mikel improve us in the second half?
There were no changes at half time but the second half was a very different story from kick off. Someone had clearly said something! Pepe had a ‘sighter’ from 30 yards after 20 seconds which proved a declaration of intent. At 46 minutes, Nelson hared through the middle from half-way but slipped in the box as he turned and lost possession. In midfield and defence we were swarming round Leeds players and regaining the ball promptly. Our changed demeanour was so marked that even Spud Murphy noticed within 3 minutes. When Xhaka ‘won’ a free kick at the edge of their box at 49 minutes, Lacazette curled an excellent effort onto the bar. It had become all about Arsenal and our press. The crowd woke up too. Guendouzi regained possession in their half at 51 minutes and Özil set up Lacazette at the edge of the box and his shot stretched their keeper low to his left. Thirty seconds later Pepe regained the ball in their half and slipped it back to Guendouzi who drove forwards and curled a left foot shot just past the far post from 25 yards. In midfield we were now winning the ball where we had been chasing shadows before, Özil was running the game and Pepe, Lacazette and Nelson were driving forward at every opportunity.
At 53 minutes, Xhaka carried on his form, sliding from behind and completely taking out a Leeds player whilst missing the ball. Spud Murphy was outraged. Astonishingly Mr Taylor was not but his ‘Get Out of Jail Free’ cards were running out. In Leeds’ first attack, Bamford shot from 20 yards but it was safely gathered by Martinez. Perhaps the game hadn’t turned completely? However almost immediately we scored. After Luiz had a dodgy moment sorting his feet out under pressure, Holding passed to Pepe on halfway, who turned his marker, drove at the defence and slipped the ball to Lacazette on the right of the box. Lacazette cut the ball back to Pepe who had continued his run into the box but a Leeds defender slid in diverting it into the path of Nelson who bundled it past the keeper from the middle of the 6-yard box. 55 minutes, 1-0 to the Arsenal! An impressive 10 minutes, quadrupling our attempts to 8 and trebling attempts on target to 3.
There remained the odd moment of sloppiness like when Özil was robbed in our own half but we looked much more organised and assured when out of possession. Whether due to more confidence or a tiring Leeds press, we also began playing our way out more effectively from defence to attack. We looked far hungrier and more determined and regularly stopped them getting out of their half, doing to them what they had done to us in the first half. We were snapping into tackles inside their half and Xhaka got away with what the commentators reckoned a fourth yellow card with a crunching late tackle in the 63 rd minute. We had a legitimate shout for a penalty at 65 minutes when Lacazette appeared to be taken down trying to turn a defender and shoot close to their penalty spot. Mr Taylor and VAR said “No!”
The first yellow card came shortly later when Klich tackled Xhaka heavily. What irony! That set Spud Murphy off again! Martinelli came on for a heartily congratulated Reiss Nelson at
66 minutes and was immediately tackling vigorously. Two minutes later Kolasinach received the only Arsenal yellow card for a tug back on Costa who had passed him 6 yards from the
edge of the box. The resultant free kick flew over.
Lacazette had been excellent all half in harassing Leeds defenders in possession. When he once again dispossessed a defender at 74 minutes to set up another attack he was prevented joining the attack by the grounded defender holding his legs. While Martinelli’s shot was blocked (he should have slipped the ball to Guendouzi arriving in the box), Lacazette appeared to kick out at the defender as he tried to free himself. The spectre of a VAR-generated red card for violent conduct was raised but rejected after too long. Sokratis misdirected a free header from the resultant corner. Martinelli then wriggled through several central defenders and his hard, low shot brought out a good save from the Leeds keeper. That boy is going to be a star!
At 1-0, with our defenders’ proclivity for individual errors, I’m not as confident as I was 20-30 years ago but Leeds’ infrequent forays were being expertly snuffed out by swarms of red shirts working together to regain possession. A nice example of the teamwork was Sokratis, Ozil and Pepe working together to dispossess their left winger and Pepe backheeling the ball against him to win the goal kick. Willock came on for Özil who was cheered off in the 77 th minute for an excellent 32 minutes work, having had the fewest touches of any player in the first half. Kolasinac drove into the 6-yard box but his shot was blocked. A second Arsenal goal felt imminent but Sokratis launched a volley into space from the resultant corner.
From his arrival, Martinelli caused the Leeds defence persistent problems with his quick feet and directness and finally Dallas got a yellow card for shirt holding. Sokratis emulated Martinelli’s skills on the right wing adding some brute force and eventually taking the ball up the line to the corner flag before collapsing at the feet of three Leeds defenders whilst taking several kicks for his trouble. The resultant ruck was more purses than handbags. After far too long VAR deemed the conduct non-violent. At 90 minutes Leeds broke on the left but were thwarted by a superb challenge in the box by Sokratis. Saka came on for Pepe at 90 minutes, playing at right wing rather than left back for a change but got no touches. Five minutes added time were remarkable only for our free kick 25 yards from goal that prompted some hilarity between Luiz and Xhaka and a hilariously poor effort from Luiz.
1-0 to the Arsenal, as the old song goes. Arsenal finished with 16 attempts to 18 for Leeds. All but two of ours in the second half, all but three of theirs in the first. A classic game of two halves, ‘arry. On the final whistle Sweet Caroline was replaced with something quite unfamiliar to me that sounded like a song from a 50’s Western.
The post-match interviews were very revealing. Lacazette, coughing like a drain, won the Man of the Match award. He was asked what the manager said at the break:
He shouted a lot. He was not happy because we knew that they were going to play like this but we did not respect all he said!
In his interview, Mikel observed:
I think we’ve seen two different teams, one in the first 30 minutes and another after 30 minutes in the first half. I tried to give them advice to tell them exactly what they were going to face and after 32 minutes we started to win one duel, I think. Against this team is impossible. They make you look like a small team. When we changed our attitude, our desire and we changed, obviously, a few things at half time in our organisation, we were completely different. I think sometimes they have to experience themselves on the pitch how tough and how hard it’s going to be……but it’s good for us to learn that at that level how you suffer on the pitch and when you do it together at that intensity it’s completely different……I saw them react when they lost against Chelsea and I saw them react when they won just one game so I have to be on them!
I must hold my hands up here. I thought Mikel Arteta could well prove to be an excellent
coach but might be too nice to sort out the shambles in the Emery dressing room. I was
wrong. I have very good feelings about this man. Another test has been passed here. With
distinction. This is a game that we would almost certainly have lost with Emery in charge. I
am optimistic about our future again.
