SEVEN CLEAR, AND SINGING IN YORKSHIRE
Bubble, bubble, toil and trouble,
Arsenal fire four and could have been double (Well, maybe not, but it rhymes!)
Seven points clear again. No drama, no wobble, no mercy. A slick, swaggering dismantling of Leeds United at Elland Road restored our cushion at the summit of the Premier League, and did it with the kind of authority that tells a chasing pack to stop checking the rear-view mirror.
This was supposed to be tricky. An in-form Leeds, beaten once in eleven, Elland Road rocking, narrative ready-made. Then came the gut-punch in the warm-up: Bukayo Saka pulling up, plans torn up before kick-off. Enter Noni Madueke. Exit doubt.
MADUEKE THE MAN
Thrown in cold, Madueke spent the opening twenty minutes getting his bearings while Leeds huffed and puffed. A speculative Ethan Ampadu effort flew over, a Martin Zubimendi grass-cutter skimmed the turf, and then—click—control.
On 27 minutes, Madueke made the moment. Declan Rice recycled a half-cleared corner, Madueke bought himself a yard on the right, and whipped in a cross begging to be attacked. Zubimendi obliged, ghosting in to glance a header past Karl Darlow. Silence fell. We'd arrived.
Eleven minutes later, Madueke turned the volume down again. A vicious, flat corner swung into the mixer, chaos ensued, and Darlow—clattering into Dominic Calvert-Lewin—could only watch the ball ricochet off the post and into his own net. Elland Road groaned. We grinned. Two-nil, and utterly deserved.
GYÖKERES KEEPS ROLLING
The second half began with intent. Viktor Gyökeres was a sliding block away from pulling the trigger five minutes after the restart, Jurrien Timber nodded the corner over, and Leeds' crowd tried to summon something—anything. David Raya remained largely untroubled.
Then, on 69 minutes, we iced it. Martin Ødegaard split the lines, Gabriel Martinelli roasted Pascal Struijk (twice), and the cross was perfect. Gyökeres bullied his way through and steered home from close range. Seven straight wins at Elland Road, stretching back 25 years. Tradition respected. Job done.
JESUS ADDS THE GLOSS
With the game safe, we went hunting. Gabriel Jesus—on for Gyökeres—went close, then closer, Darlow pulling off a sharp stop. Third time was the charm. Ødegaard again threaded the needle, Jesus held off Struijk, turned, and flashed a finish inside the post. Four in four against Leeds. Nearly five, too, but a looping header was hacked off the line.
Four goals. Clean control. Statement made.
FACTS THAT HIT HARD
- January 2026 has delivered away wins at Bournemouth, Portsmouth, Chelsea, Inter and Leeds—five away wins in a single month for just the second time in our history (last: April 2000, also featuring a 4–0 at Elland Road).
- We've now scored 4+ away goals at Leeds five times in the Premier League—joint-most any side has managed away to a single opponent.
- Leeds' five-game unbeaten home run? Ended. Just their second loss in eleven.
- Corners are our weapon: 14 goals from them, more than anyone. Headed goals? 10—level with Tottenham.
- Five own goals already this league season; only 2009/10 brought more.
- Gyökeres: four goals in six, now our outright top scorer with 11.
- Zubimendi: five goals this season—just one shy of his final two seasons at Real Sociedad combined.
- Declan Rice, aged 27y 17d, becomes the fifth-youngest to reach 300 Premier League appearances.
WHAT'S NEXT
Back to north London on Tuesday for the second leg of our Carabao Cup semi-final against Chelsea, holding a 3–2 lead. Saturday brings Sunderland to the Emirates in the league, before a Thursday night trip to Brentford.
Seven clear. Ruthless away. Title pace.
On we go.
No comments:
Post a Comment