HE’S AUBA THE MOON
STRIKER NETS HAT-TRICK AS ARSENAL DUMP LEEDS
BACK in the team, back in the goals. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s first start since January 18 heralded a feast as Mikel Arteta’s men returned to winning ways. Having been given compassionate leave to care for his sick mother, the Arsenal captain made up for his absence in emphatic fashion as his hat-trick helped the Gunners climb into the top half of the table.
Thankfully his mother is on the mend — her son’s goal ratio has also improved significantly after this.
It’s 11 for the season for Aubameyang now — yesterday’s treble putting him back at the top of the club’s goalscoring charts.
But after what has been a below-par season for their star striker so far, Aubameyang’s return to form could mean something far more substantial than the three points he secured here.
Credit to Leeds, even at 4-0 down — mainly down to Illan Meslier’s calamitous display — they kept punching.
They halved the deficit by full-time and had referee Stuart Atwell pointed to the spot when Patrick Bamford fell in the box under Cedric Soares’ rash challenge in the closing stages, perhaps they’d have completed the most unlikely of comebacks.
But that would have been tough on Arsenal, who were far superior following two successive losses. Their performance was bright and purposeful, certainly a marked difference from their workmanlike offerings this season.
Aubameyang’s return provided them with a greater threat in attack; and the technical ability of Martin Odegaard in the No 10 role — making his first start since arriving from Real Madrid — instantly provided the invention they’ve been lacking.
Aubameyang fired Arsenal into a deserved 13th-minute lead. The passing in the build up was crisp and incisive; the striker eventually receiving the ball from Granit Xhaka. Aubameyang still had plenty to do. But he bypassed Luke Ayling before firing past Meslier.
Marcelo Bielsa would have pointed the finger at his keeper for being beaten at the post he should have been covering.
Similarly, had Bamford gobbled up a decent headed opportunity seconds prior to the opener, it may have been a different story. But that was neither here nor there. Arsenal were en route to victory.
That’s not to say Leeds were overawed, they had no reason to be, of course. But this was a bad day at the office. Kalvin Phillips’ absence through injury was certainly a blow — but even the England international would have had difficulty in stemming Arsenal’s flow. Jack Harrison’s effort from Raphinha’s pass provided a glimmer of hope — but Arsenal weren’t going to let Leeds off the hook.
They thought they were awarded a 34th-minute penalty when Liam Cooper bundled Bukayo Saka over in the box, only for Atwell to overturn his own decision after Andre Marriner, on VAR duty, suggested he reviewed the footage.
Arsenal, however, didn’t have to wait long for a spot-kick. Again, it was Saka who was being a nuisance. Meslier should have cleared his lines when receiving the ball from Cooper but instead he dawdled. And then dawdled some more.
Saka certainly wasn’t in the mood to do likewise as he hijacked Meslier’s attempts to clear in the 40th minute. There was no reprieve for Leeds this time as Atwell, for the second time, pointed to the spot. Aubameyang made no mistake, sending Meslier the wrong way. Arsenal added a third before half-time and again there were serious reservations about Meslier’s goalkeeping. Saka, inevitably, was at the heart of it by finding Aubameyang, whose cross created havoc in the Leeds area. Eventually, Dani Ceballos played in Hector Bellerin, who squeezed an angled shot inside Meslier’s near post. The gap between the Leeds keeper and the upright hardly seemed big enough to fit a size-five football through. But Bellerin somehow found it. Meslier and his manager Bielsa were completely and utterly forlorn. Half-time brought some respite for Leeds
following this most harrowing of first-half experiences. Bielsa responded by hauling off Harrison and Mateusz Klich in place of Tyler Roberts and Helder Costa in the hope of some improvement.
But it only got worse for the visitors. Two minutes was all it took for Aubameyang to complete his hat-trick, as he nodded home Emile Smith Rowe’s cross at the back post.
Once more Leeds were their own worst enemies — Costa’s first telling contribution was to be dispossessed by Soares deep in his own half to allow Smith Rowe and Aubameyang to combine.
Game over? Not quite. Leeds pulled a goal back through Pascal Struijk’s bullet header in the 58th minute before Costa fired home fellow substitute Roberts’ cross in the 69th minute to make things interesting.
But the damage was done. Aubameyang and Meslier saw to that.
ARSENAL (4-2-3-1): Leno 6; Bellerin 7, Luiz 6, Gabriel 6, Soares 6; Xhaka 7, Ceballos 7 (Holding 89); Smith Rowe 7 (Willian 62), Odegaard 7 (Elneny 78), Saka 8; Aubameyang 9.
Subs not used: Ryan, Chambers, Mari, Pepe, Martinelli, Lacazette.
Booked: None. LEEDS UNITED (4-1-4-1): Meslier 3; Shackleton 5, Ayling 6, Cooper 5, Alioski 5 (Huggins 53); Struijk 7; Raphinha 6, Dallas 6, Klich 5 (Roberts 46), Harrison 5 (Costa 46); Bamford 5.
Subs not used: Casilla, Hernandez, Davis, Gelhardt, Cresswell, Jenkins. Booked: Struijk, Dallas. Man of the match: PierreEmerick Aubameyang. Referee: Stuart Atwell.