Bruno Guimarães completes Arsenal comeback to end Leeds’ unbeaten run

Arsenal came back from a goal down to defeat strong opponents and reset their form after a lengthy international break. The Gunners were not great against Leeds, and the defence continues to look more vulnerable than last season, but the impact from their bench and the belief that roared through the team after they forced an equaliser suggested they have acquired the resilience of champions. Or as the home support put it: “we know who we are.”

The Gunners had five Englishmen in their starting line-up, the first time that had happened since 1999. Daniel Farke, meanwhile, selected the same Leeds side as he had for the previous three matches. Some had predicted a goal-fest, others another upset for the champions. There was a real sense of uncertainty as to the outcome as this match began.

The first half was a tight affair, but one that allowed both sides to hope for more. Leeds were typically resilient, but able to get up the pitch in two touches. Arsenal were too intricate and, at times, alarmingly vulnerable, but also close to unpicking the visiting defence.

Leeds had the best chances, with deliveries from either side of the field appearing to unsettle Arsenal’s redoubtable back line. In the 25th minute, a Gabriel Gudmundsson delivery was well met by Jayden Bogle but blocked, inadvertently, by Anton Stach. Two minutes later, Bogle was denied again, this time picking up the loose ball from an Ao Tanaka cross and firing at Raya from a tight angle. With just a minute remaining of the half, the Arsenal goalkeeper produced a carbon-copy save to deny Gudmundsson himself.

Arsenal could not have complained had they gone in a goal down at the break. There was some frustration in the ground too, where it appeared that flashbacks of stodgy performances of old were occupying the minds of the crowd. There were things that were working, such as the selection of Noni Madueke – one of four changes – who was having the better of James Justin on the left-hand side. Madueke’s deliveries deserved better from his forwards, Kai Havertz especially, who directed a header straight at James Trafford from eight yards out with the goal at his mercy in the 21st minute.

With no changes at half-time, the second period offered an opportunity for one side to impose themselves and Leeds duly accepted the invite. For the first 15 minutes they dominated play, overpowering Arsenal in midfield and running beyond their full-backs. Justin and Tanaka had both seen long-range efforts go narrowly wide before the visitors got the opener at last, Justin firing home after Gudmundsson had run off Ben White and delivered a low cross from the left that Raya could not cut out.

That was the 55th minute, and Noah Okafor nearly doubled the lead three minutes later but could not get the final touch to a Bogle cross. Little did the visitors know that it would ultimately prove to be their last opportunity. Within three minutes, the game had snapped into a new direction.

Arsenal grabbed an equaliser in the manner Leeds had been threatening for so long. A deep cross from Madueke was met at the back post by White, whose header eluded Trafford and was bundled home by Riccardo Calafiori for his second Premier League goal of the season.

Then, before play restarted, Mikel Arteta made a triple substitution and unleashed Bruno Guimarães. If Arsenal had had a familiar look to this point, if there had been echoes of familiar weaknesses, then the Brazilian put paid to all that. Not only snapping into tackles, not only moving the ball at pace, he was desperate for everything to go faster, more aggressively, with sharper intention. Nine minutes after coming on, he had scored the winner.

It was a goal that deserved to decide the contest and reflected the best of what the Gunners had been trying to achieve. Again, play developed down the left, but here it was Saka swapping in for Madueke and playing a one-two with Odegaard. The captain then poked a short pass to Declan Rice who – with Bruno now covering him – had ventured into the opposition area. Rice backheeled the ball first time to the edge of the area and there was Bruno waiting, poised, to steer the ball unerringly into the corner of Trafford’s goal.

Further chances fell to the Gunners, including Odegaard from just two yards out and Saka, who failed to execute a one-on-one with Trafford, but the misses did not ultimately matter, such was the transformation in this game. Leeds, for their part, left the field looking shocked.