[Ratings & goals] Arsenal 2-1 Leeds: Martinelli stars

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Arsenal made hard work of beating 10-man Leeds United but hung on to secure a vital 2-1 victory at the Emirates Stadium this afternoon.

It was a dream start for Arsenal as we scored an early goal when Eddie Nketiah did well to close down Illan Meslier and score from close range as the Leeds goalkeeper took too long to clear.

Nketiah doubled Arsenal’s lead minutes later as he swept home with a lovely first time finish following some excellent work from Gabriel Martinelli down the left flank.

Leeds were then reduced to 10-men when Luke Ayling was sent off in the 27th minute for a horror two-footed lunge on Martinelli.

We had chances to kill the game but couldn’t find the third goal, and Leeds grabbed a goal back from nowhere when Marcos Llorente find home at the far post from a corner in the 67th minute.

Arsenal struggled to up their game to find another goal and we ended up having to hang on in the final few minutes to secure a 2-1 win.

Here are my ratings:

Ramsdale  6/10 | Barely had anything to do. Will have been disappointed not to get a clean sheet.

Tomiyasu  7/10 | Got 90 minutes under his belt and was solid at left-back today. Did little going forward. May have been partially at fault for leaving Llorente free for the Leeds goal.

Holding  6/10 | A relatively quiet afternoon as Leeds offered very little going forward.

Gabriel  6/10 | Silly early booking for a late tackle. Needs to cut that out of his game. But was otherwise sold.

Cedric  6.5/10 | Did well enough but flung far too many hopeless crosses/balls into the box.

Elneny  6/10 | Steady performance again from the Egyptian. Didn’t put a foot wrong. Perhaps slowed play down a bit at times.

Xhaka  7/10 | Dictated the game for long periods and was played a lot higher up the pitch at times. Played a few lovely balls.

Saka  7/10 | Was excellent in the first half when he was all over Firpo. Faded after the break when Arsenal’s intensity dropped.

Odegaard  7.5/10 | Some lovely tricks on display from the skipper and his passing was wonderful to watch. Such a slick footballer. Could have scored a third in the second half.

Martinelli  8/10 | Great run set-up Nketiah for his second goal and was a constant problem for Leeds. Our main attacking threat and he really deserved a goal today.

Nketiah  8/10 | Superb work rate to close down the Leeds keeper and snatch the opening goal. Terrific first-time finish for the second goal and his all-round play was excellent again. Really stepped-up since coming into the side.

Subs:

Pepe  5/10 | Very poor in his 30 minutes on the pitch. Barely touched the ball.

Smith Rowe  N/A | On too late.

Watch the goals here:

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One Comment

1. 

   Silentstan

   May 8, 2022 at 4:38 pm

   Martinelli 8/10? They guy who couldnt hit a cows arse with a banjo!

   Reply