Mikel Arteta: ‘it would have been a different game without VAR’

Premier League

LEEDS UNITED 0
ARSNEAL 1 (Saka 35)

PREMIER League leaders Arsenal showed “the fight, the character and the courage” they have within their ranks this afternoon (Sunday) after escaping from arguably their worst performance of the season away at Leeds with three points.

Bukayo Saka continued his fine form in front of goal by scoring the winner – but Mikel Arteta’s side can consider themselves lucky to have come away from Elland Road with a 1-0 win after Patrick Bamford missed a second-half penalty for the hosts.

When a power cut resulted in a 40-minute delay to the game – and meant that referee Chris Kavanagh lost communication with the video assistant referee (VAR) officials – there were calls to just get on with things without VAR. Thankfully, however, such calls were ignored as it was the video technology that saved the Gunners from dropping points.

Stoppage time drama saw Kavanagh show Arsenal’s Gabriel a red card for kicking out at Bamford and award Leeds a penalty, but both decisions were overturned after the referee reviewed the incident on the pitchside monitor and eventually gave a foul in the opposite direction.

“VAR was really important and if we played without it, it would have been a different game,” admitted Arteta. “I haven’t looked back at it, but when everybody is telling me the same things, I think there are no complaints there.”

Praising his young squad for the resilience they displayed, the Arsenal boss added: “We expected periods where it became really chaotic. We had to handle the situation. I think in the first half we had some really good moments, that we should have outplayed them and scored two or three, and we didn’t.

“We left the game open and from the first whistle in the second half we started not at the rhythm, not making the right decisions. We put ourselves in big trouble. But then when you get into those moments, I love the resilience, the fight the character and the courage the team showed to win the game.”

As it was, Saka scored what proved to be the winning goal in the first half, punishing Rodrigo’s loose cross by exchanging passes with Martin Odegaard and thumping the ball into the roof of the net from an acute angle.

Leeds, however, always looked a threat. Luis Sinisterra hit a long-range drive into Aaron Ramsdale’s side-netting, while the Arsenal goalkeeper had to be at his best to deny Pascal Struijk from close range after a goalmouth scramble.

Arsenal also had further chances in a busy first half. A swift counter-attack saw Gabriel Jesus scoop over the bar from close range, while Odegaard’s free-kick was parried by Illan Meslier.

Bamford was sent on at the start of the second half and the striker made an immediate impact. First, the striker saw a close-range finish controversially ruled out for offside for a push on Gabriel. Then Bamford put his spot kick wide after William Saliba handled the ball in the area.

As extra time began, chaos ensued. Gabriel was adjudged to have kicked out at Bamford with the ball heading out of play. Referee Kavanagh discussed the incident with his assistant and awarded a penalty, quickly followed by a red card for violent conduct.

Arteta was livid with the decision – until VAR struck again. Kavanagh went to the monitor to check a foul by Bamford on Gabriel in the first place, and reversed both the spot kick and the sending off.

The victory leaves Arsenal four points clear at the top of the table having recorded nine wins from 10 Premier League games.

Leeds: Meslier; Kristensen, Koch, Cooper, Struijk; Roca (Summerville, 84), Adams; Aaronson, Rodrigo (Bamford, 45), Harrison (Klich, 75); Sinisterra (Gelhardt, 89)
Substitutes not used: Klaesson, Ayling, Firpo, Llorente, Greenwood

Arsenal: Ramsdale; White (Tierney, 76), Saliba, Gabriel, Tomiyasu; Partey, Xhaka, Odegaard (Vieira, 73); Saka (Holding, 82), Jesus (Nketiah, 82), Martinelli
Substitutes not used: Turner, Cedric, Lokonga, Nelson, Marquinhos