For the most part, Mikel Arteta kept the same team that disappointed so bitterly against Manchester United just one week ago.
They redeemed themselves here.
Elland Road is a tough place to go and even more so when you consider the form of Leeds: their win versus Fulham and draws against Man United, Sunderland and Liverpool (the latter two coming away from home) prove that they are no pushovers.
It looked a real banana skin for Arsenal on Saturday, especially as the team had claimed just a couple of points from their last three league games. Lose here and fans (myself included) would have really gone full crisis mode.
3 standout performers from Arsenal’s thumping 4-0 win against Leeds United at Elland Road
But the Gunners bounced back in style, showing their worth as champions-elect by putting Leeds to the sword with a top-class performance.
Here are three standout performers from their 4-0 win.
1. Noni Madueke
Noni Madueke made the most of his surprise inclusion | Stuart MacFarlane/GettyImages
Perhaps it was meant to be.
Injury to Bukayo Saka just before kick-off saw Noni Madueke get a late promotion to the first eleven and he seized his chance.
Early signs failed to convince as he jinked and jived his way through the Leeds defence only to come up short with his final ball; that sort of wastefulness was evident last week and is arguably the most glaring shortfall in his game.
But he found his range before long. That cross for the Martin Zubimendi opener was simply perfect while his set-piece delivery sparked terror in the home defence, its teasing height and pace forcing Karl Darlow into an instinctive, panicked punch even though there was no one but his own man in the vicinity.
Those two contributions went a long way towards sealing the three points and that is exactly the sort of impact Arteta expects from his star-studded depth – the loss of such a key figure made next to no difference.
Arteta and Berta know their stuff.
2. Declan Rice
Declan Rice helped Arsenal to keep the Leeds midfield quiet | Stuart MacFarlane/GettyImages
There were no camera moments for Declan Rice, no long-range hits or last-ditch tackles to deny the home team a route back into the game.
Instead, he went about his work silently and efficiently. Rice popped up all over the pitch to disrupt the Leeds rhythm, clearing the ball whenever they broke into Arsenal’s half and moving it quickly to get his team on the front foot; it led to the sort of fast, one-touch football that had seemed to desert them of late.
As if it was in doubt, this performance underlined his ‘leader’ status inside the dressing room: recent displays have not been good enough and he took responsibility here to ensure Man City would gain no further encouragement in the title race.
Rice said himself post-match that “every game is a cup final” and, on the pitch, he is proving as good as his word.
3. Gabriel Martinelli
Gabriel Martinelli looked sharp coming off the Arsenal bench | OLI SCARFF/GettyImages
Can you be a standout when you only played for 30 minutes?
It turns out yes, you can.
Gabriel Martinelli came on for Madueke and lived up to his implicit ‘finisher’ tag with a truly brilliant cameo.
He brought an energy that the tiring Leeds backline found difficult to live with and produced a piece of magic to seal the win; tying Pascal Struijk up in knots before delivering an inch-perfect cross with his weak foot to assist Viktor Gyokeres.
His contribution was out of the top drawer and represented excellent end product, something which he is so often accused of lacking. It is just the latest eye-catching impact from a player who is having a fine personal campaign after a few years of mediocrity and the least he deserves for his hard work to improve.
Arteta always knew that he had the mindset to step up; hopefully there will be plenty more displays like this before the season ends.