Arsenal 5-0 Leeds: Premier League – as it happened

David Hytner was at the Emirates tonight. Here’s his report. Thanks for reading this MBM.

Mikel Arteta’s turn to speak to Sky. “A really positive afternoon to start the season off at home … the team played really well … really confident … five goals and a clean sheet is a really good start … [Max Dowman’s debut] was a special moment, you could sense it … it’s how he reacts and deals with the situation … he wins a penalty on his debut at the Emirates, that’s incredible.”

He also gives an update on the injuries to Martin Ødegaard and Bukayo Saka. Ødegaard “looks like a shoulder … he’ll have a scan tomorrow” while Saka “felt something in his hamstring … the other side … not great news.”

Leeds manager Daniel Farke speaks to Sky. “It was always difficult … travelling here without our most important player [Ethan Ampadu] … then of course you wish to have Arsenal after a Champions League game or something … not their first home game of the season and on the back of a big win at Manchester United … all of their new signings were paraded before the game … the stadium was buzzing … they are on it … five shots on target, five goals … it is difficult when they are so effective … they were the better side and deserved to win … we know this is not a season-defining game for us.”

Viktor Gyökeres speaks to Sky. “I’m really happy with the result … it was very nice to score two goals as well … there is always pressure … I know I will take my chances sooner or later … today I took two of them … it was a short pre-season for me … not too many weeks training … it was important for me to get 90 minutes … get the rhythm … get to know the team even more … I felt more comfortable … you can see that.”

Jurriën Timber talks to Sky Sports. “A special day … a nice first home game of the season … you felt the energy of the crowd … the team played really well … a clean sheet again also important … scoring two times and assisting, I’m going to enjoy this day … I don’t think I’ve done that [before] to be fair! … a beautiful day … my family is here … my brother, my girlfriend, some friends … everyone can see the potential [Max Dowman] has already … playing against grown men … a joy to watch … hopefully he will have some amazing years with us … we have to get perspective about things that didn’t go well … next week we have an amazing game at Anfield so have to get ready for that.”

Viktor Gyökeres opens his Arsenal account with a fine solo goal and a confident penalty, while 15-year-old Max Dowman announces himself to the Premier League with a cameo brimful of sass and style. A man-of-the-match performance from two-goal Jurriën Timber, too, plus a belter from Bukayo Saka. A great day for Arsenal … but one soured slightly with injury worries for Martin Ødegaard and Saka. Leeds meanwhile will put this one down to experience. “With the trip to Anfield next week, even a one-game absence for Saka would be particularly keenly felt,” writes David Howell. “Something about having your title hopes damaged in a game you absolutely dominate feels very, very Arteta indeed somehow.”

All of this, with Eberechi Eze still to come.

Gyokeres, who scored 27 of 28 penalties in Portugal with Sporting, is one from one with his new club! He whips the spot kick into the bottom right, and it’s a two-goal haul for Arsenal’s new striker!

90 min +3: Dowman dribbles in from the right and is clipped by Stach. The referee points to the spot. What a debut the young man is having!

90 min +2: Rice stands around at the back with the ball at his feet. Leeds don’t press him. Both teams desirous of hearing the final whistle.

90 min +1: The first of five additional minutes passes by.

90 min: Lewis-Skelly is flipped into the air by Byram. Rice sends the free kick into the box, left to right, but Gabriel can’t get any power on his header from a tight angle. Perri claims.

88 min: Rice dribbles around the Leeds box in the hope of teeing up Dowman, but can’t manage it. Arsenal in exhibition mode now.

87 min: Stach strides down the middle of the park. He’s got Aaronson to his left, and Byram to his right, but clanks his pass into the nearest defender. That just about sums up Leeds’ day.

86 min: Arsenal ping it around the back, just because they can. Leeds chasing shadows.

84 min: The Leeds fans remain in fine voice. Marching on Together.

83 min: Byram comes on for Bogle. “What a crazy game this is,” writes Stephen Bradfield. “Arsenal have just paid £60m for a player – Eze – whose first club was Arsenal.”

81 min: Nwaneri takes the resulting free kick, near the right-hand corner flag. Struijk heads it out to the edge of the box. Dowman meets it, slicing powerfully wide left of the goal. Had that been on target, it was in, because Perri wasn’t in the picture at all. Dowman showing absolutely no nerves whatsoever! Showing for everything. What an impression he’s already made.

79 min: Trossard probes down the left but can’t nip between Bogle and Aaronson. He turns tail and Arsenal switch the play, Dowman driving along the right wing, and nearly fighting his way past Gudmundsson. The Leeds defender drags the young lad down, and goes into the book for protesting the award of a foul.

77 min: Should 15-year-old Dowman score today, he’d become the youngest scorer in English top-flight history. That record’s currently held by Ipswich Town’s Jason Dozzell, who was 16 years and 57 days old when notching for the Tractor Boys against Coventry City in 1984. Max still has a bit of time to play with.

75 min: Trossard picks out Dowman with a crossfield pass. Dowman cuts in from the right and reaches the edge of the D, before flashing a shot over the bar.

74 min: The slew of substitutes, along with the scoreline, means this game now has a vague feel of pre-season drift. The home fans are enjoying themselves, though.

72 min: Nwaneri barrels down the middle of the park with great speed. He fizzles out just before reaching the Leeds box, Stach refusing to budge. Nwaneri is 18 years and five months old, an aged husk of a man compared to young Max.

70 min: Okafor nearly gets the better of Mosquera down the left. Nearly. Not quite. Leeds have still only had five touches in the Arsenal box.

68 min: Zubimendi pings a pass down the right for Dowman to chase. Much excitement in the crowd as the race is run, but Gudmundsson holds his line and wins it.

66 min: Leeds make a double change, replacing Gnonto and James with Okafor and Aaronson.

65 min: Dowman becomes the second youngest player in Premier League history. He’s 15 years and 235 days old; his team-mate Ethan Nwaneri is the only lad ahead of him on the list, having made his debut in 2022 when 15 years and 181 days old.

64 min: Arsenal make a triple change. Madueke, Calafiori and Timber depart; on come Mosquera, Lewis-Skelly and 15-year-old Max Dowman. Huge cheers greet the young man, of whom much is expected.

62 min: Madueke crosses from the right. Leeds again slip into Keystone Kops mode, falling over and failing to clear. The ball drops to Calafiori, who hoicks wildly over the bar. Leeds in danger of getting routed here.

60 min: Arsenal, the job already done, stroke it around the back awhile. They’ll certainly want to take any remaining heat out of the game, having already suffered a couple of worrying injuries to Odegaard and Saka.

58 min: VAR has a look, just in case Saliba handled, but there’s no problem there. The goal stands. Leeds respond with a double change, sending on Longstaff and Nmecha for Tanaka and Piroe.

Madueke’s low shot is deflected wide left of the target. The resulting corner isn’t dealt with by Leeds at all. Rice curls into a crowded six-yard box. Timber wins a header. Saliba and Struijk both stick out a chest at the ball. The ball drops again to Timber, who leaning back pokes home with his studs. Scrappy, messy, but they all count!

54 min: Saka had reared up mid-dribble. The feared hop and skip that suggests a possible hamstring problem. He was feeling the underside of his left thigh. As he leaves the pitch, he has a word with Mikel Arteta. Both men look a little concerned. Hopefully more precautionary than anything serious, but time will tell.

53 min: A pained look in Saka’s eye as he gingerly feels his left leg. He blows out his cheeks in frustration as he slowly limps off. Another few shakes of the head. Trossard comes on in his place.

51 min: … but the joyous mood is suddenly dampened when Saka goes down. He sits on the turf shaking his head sadly. This doesn’t look promising.

50 min: That’s got the crowd going, a fine solo effort that’s celebrated with a mixture of joy and relief. The former Sporting Clube scoring sensation has lift-off.

Gyokeres didn’t do much at Old Trafford last week; he didn’t do much in the first half today. But he’s suddenly sprung to life, and in some style! He chases a long pass down the left and enters the box. He takes a couple of touches before powering his way past Struijk and swivelling an unstoppable drive into the bottom left! His Arsenal career is go!

47 min: Saka dribbles his way past Gudmundsson down the right but overhits his cross. Calafiori tries unsuccessfully to keep the move going on the left flank.

46 min: Arsenal are immediately on the front foot, their press forcing Tanaka into conceding a throw deep in Leeds territory. Calafiori launches a long one into the mixer but the visitors clear their lines easily enough.

Arsenal get the second half started. No changes.

Half-time entertainment. Crystal Palace bid farewell to their FA Cup final hero.

Arsenal have had two attempts on target. Two goals. The sort of clinical behaviour that wins titles.

45 min +3: That’ll have cheered Mikel Arteta’s mood. Saka sprinkling some necessary stardust on an otherwise middling performance.

Out of nowhere, an absolute belter! Rice steals the ball off Gruev, 30 yards from the Leeds goal, and feeds Timber, who slips Saka into the box down the inside-right. Saka’s got Gyokeres in the middle, waiting for a tap-in, but instead goes for goal himself, roofing a fierce shot across Perri from a tight angle! The keeper, ostensibly covering his near post, had no chance, such was the ferocity of the shot. Wow!

45 min: There will be three additional first-half minutes.

43 min: Arsenal may be leading, but their manager isn’t happy. He’s throwing a lot of semaphore shapes in his technical area, and telling his players what’s what.

41 min: Nope, and when the ball’s hoofed clear, Madueke gets the better of Stach in a footrace down the inside-left channel before hammering a shot goalwards. Perri parries, then the whistle goes for a generous free kick to Leeds, Madueke having gently put a hand on his opponent’s shoulder. Stach got away with some timid play there.

40 min: Bogle barges his way down the right flank. He has his foot trodden on by Calafiori, who is fortunate not to go into the book. But it’s a free kick, and a chance for Leeds to line up on the edge of the Arsenal box. Can they hoist the hosts by their own set-piece petard?

38 min: Odegaard can’t continue. He makes way for Nwaneri and trudges off looking glum.

37 min: Madueke crosses from the left. Rodon half clears. Zubimendi meets the dropping ball and volleys it towards Holloway Road.

36 min: That goal came at a good time for Arsenal, with their fans getting a little agitated as the team ran out of ideas in open play. Now they’re in full voice: 1-0 to the Arsenal, as the old classic goes.

Rice sends a fierce in-swinger into a crowded six-yard box. Timber meets it, glancing the ball across Perri and into the right-hand side of the net. Simple as that! It’s not breaking news, but they’re damn good at corners.

33 min: Calafiori wins a corner down the left. Time for one of Arsenal’s famous set-pieces. And …

32 min: Odegaard has the chance to play in Zubimendi down the right, but turns tail and sends the ball back to his defenders. Soon enough the ball’s at Raya’s feet. A few grumbles from the home fans, who may be wondering what happened to that fast start.

30 min: Calafiori has the chance to release Madueke down the left but overcooks the pass, the ball sent carelessly out for a goal kick. On the touchline, Mikel Arteta frowns quite a lot, and he’s not the only one. “This is all a bit tame from Arsenal,” writes Charles Antaki. “Perhaps the players have been up all night reading about the new team-mate. A bit of fizz required.”

29 min: … and so he comes back on. But he doesn’t look totally happy.

28 min: Odegaard’s feeling that right shoulder. It looks like he’s walking off, but then gives Mikel Arteta the thumbs-up. He wants to continue.