Arsenal kept the title hopes very much alive after a rousing second half performance against Leeds over the weekend; but things could have been very different had the Whites not gifted the Gunners the lead.

Leeds started brightly, and were by far the better team over the opening 30 minute, but then came disaster. Attacking on the left hand side of a packed out penalty area, Gabriel Jesus turned Luke Ayling inside out, leaving the 31 year old in a heap on the floor. Then came a moment of sheer madness, as he (Ayling) raised his left leg allowing Jesus to brush against it, before throwing himself to the floor.

The ref pointed to the spot, and Jesus himself dispatched the spot kick; their first strike on goal. Arsenal doubled their lead just after the Interval, after they caught Leeds napping at the back. Zinchenko linked up well with Martinelli, leaving Ayling totally exposed, deep on the left. He skinned the Leeds left back before firing a ball across the Leeds penalty area for the on-rushing Ben White to stab home from close distance, completely knocking the stuffing out of the visitors.

Trossard combined well with Jesus for the Brazilian to claim his brace on 55 minutes, before Leeds mounted a mini revival. Harrison showed his class with a fine run into the Arsenal penalty area. He tee'd up Kristensen on the edge of the 'D' (via a defection off Xhaka). The Dane found the back of the net via a defection off Zinchenko to give the Whites some hope. These aspirations were soon extinguished when Xhaka headed home with six minutes left to restore their three goal advantage.

To rub salt into the wounds, Bournemouth, Crystal Palace and West Ham all picked up wins at the weekend, whilst Nottingham Forest and Wolves shared the spoils, leaving Leeds perilously close to the drop zone. Currently, only goal difference separates them from the bottom three.

	Line Up		Nat	Match Events
		Meslier, Illan Goalkeeper
		Ayling, Luke Defender
		Koch, Robin Defender
		Struijk, Pascal Defender
		Firpo, Junior Defender
		Kristensen, Rasmus Defender
		Roca, Marc Midfielder
		Harrison, Jack Midfielder
		Sinisterra, Luis Midfielder
		Aaronson, Brenden Midfielder
		Summerville, Crysencio Midfielder
	Subs		Nat	Match Events
		Cooper, Liam Defender
		Bamford, Patrick Forward
		Moreno, Rodrigo Forward
		McKennie, Weston Midfielder
		Rutter, Georginio Forward
		Gyabi, Darko Midfielder		Unused Sub
		Robles, Joel Goalkeeper		Unused Sub
		Greenwood, Sam Midfielder		Unused Sub
		Gray, Archie Midfielder		Unused Sub

	References
	LEEDSTATS: Leeds United Season 2022/2023
	Sheridan Dictates: Season Statistics 2022-23
	Leeds United Programme Guide: Season 2022/23