Arsenal player ratings against Leeds as Gabriel Jesus wreaks havoc and Gabriel Martinelli was fantastic
How the Gunners individually went through their Premier League clash with Leeds at the Emirates Stadium, where Gabriel Jesus and Gabriel Martinelli stand out.
Aaron Ramsdale: Some good first half saves when called up. An option to fold when his backline also needed him and was always on. 7.
Ben White: He didn’t have the best first half after mysteriously disappearing at the start of the warm-up. At the beginning of the 2nd half, however, we start with a well accomplished goal. Now his highest scoring season ever. 7.
Rob Holding: Another solid game to replace William Saliba. He defended Leeds’ front row well most of the time and wasn’t involved in too many one-on-one duels. 7.
Gabriel: It’s almost a given now that Gabriel will put in a solid performance for Arsenal. Impressive in possession and defense. To say that Leeds tried to attack further down the right. 6.
Oleksandr Zinchenko: At his usual tricks as he took the field while Arsenal had possession, but not as influential as when he was at his best. He turned away to deflect Kristensen into goal, which is disappointing. 6.
Thomas Partey: He had a hard time influencing the game enormously, especially in the first half when Leeds filled the center of the pitch. Fairly well owned. 6.
Granit Xhaka: He tried to advance more as he recently did in the first half but was well marked by Kristensen. Compliments to him that Leeds intended to stop threatening him straight away but when the gaps appeared late in the day he was able to punish them with his third goal in three Arsenal appearances. 7.
Martin Odegaard: Another whose threat has largely been suppressed by Leeds’ work to properly defend the core areas. He took advantage of the space by showing up late to make an assist on his final kick of the game. 6.
Leandro Trossard: seven assists now for the Belgian since his arrival in January. He’s just excellent. Perhaps not at his most influential best on the right wing, but that just goes to show how versatile he is and what an asset he is on the side. 7.
Gabriel Jesus: The exact Premier League return the Brazilian was hoping for. Missed a chance early on but bounced back to score two goals despite being able to dive for a penalty. Brought the chaos Arteta wanted.8th.
Gabriel Martinelli: A real threat down the left with his direct run that Luke Ayling couldn’t live with. A superb assist for Ben White’s goal. 8th.
Substitutes –
Bukayo Saka: Perhaps a sign of the quality of Arsenal’s strength in depth that they did well without him. I would still expect him to be back at Anfield despite the illness.
Jorginho: He kept possession at the base of midfield. The game was won when he entered. 6.
Emile Smith Rowe: It came too late to affect the game. n/a
Kieran Tierney: Arrived too late to affect play. n/a
Fabio Vieira: He came on too late to influence the game. n/a
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David James makes new Premier League title prediction with Arsenal and Manchester City
Former Liverpool goalkeeper David James has claimed Erling Haaland could be an obstacle in Manchester City’s bid to beat Arsenal in the Premier League title race this season.
James thinks the distribution of goals across the team might be more beneficial to a team’s chances of winning the league than having one player score all the goals. Haaland has been City’s top scorer this season with 28 goals in 26 league appearances.
Phil Foden is second with nine goals in 24 Premier League games. Arsenal, on the other hand, have three players who have scored 10 or more La Liga goals this season – Gabriel Martinelli (13), Bukayo Saka (12) and Martin Odegaard (10).
James told Topratedcasinos (h/t Metro):
“The reality is that the top scorers don’t win the league. Man City have the top scorer… but I think that hurts the team’s productivity. If you look at Arsenal, Bukayo Saka is their top scorer, but Gabriel Martinelli and Eddie Nketiah all shared the goals, just like City did last season when they won the league.
The former England keeper added:
“Now that Man City have this number nine, I think it would have been more beneficial to spread the goals this season than to have this dominant player. I still think Arsenal are the favorites to win the league.
Manchester City’s Erling Haaland (R)
James concluded:
“It would almost take a catastrophic failure on Arsenal’s part for City to win the league. Obviously City are playing against Arsenal, which gives them a great chance, but it is up to Arsenal to lose.”
The Gunners have 69 points from 28 games so far this season, eight more than runners-up Manchester City who have a game in hand. James’s aforementioned comments, meanwhile, are true up to a point.
The top goalscorers of the last nine Premier League seasons have not come from teams that have won the Scudetto. Arsenal vs Manchester City showdown at Etihad could be crucial in PL title race
Arsenal’s bid for their first Premier League title since the 2003/04 season could culminate in their league game against Manchester City on April 26.
The fact that Cityzens will be playing at Etihad automatically gives them an edge in the game. The North London giants haven’t beaten City in the Premier League since December 2015.
Manager Mikel Arteta will be hoping his former club drop a few points ahead of the clash of the two teams at the end of April. The Sky Blues are also active in the UEFA Champions League and the FA Cup. The Gunners, meanwhile, have only the league to focus on after being knocked out of all cup competitions this season.