What we learned from Leeds 0-0 Arsenal
Pathetic Pepe, super Saka and a blunt attack: What we learned from Leeds 0-0 Arsenal
Another weekend, another blank drawn in front of goal.
Arsenal have now gone nearly eight hours since scoring from open play in the Premier League and, aside from Bukayo Saka's late chance, showed little sign of ending that run at Elland Road on Sunday.
Leeds dominated throughout, either side of Nicolas Pepe's brainless sending off, and only a combination of Bernd Leno and the woodwork ensured Arsenal returned to the capital with a point.
The Gunners' first league draw of the season kept them in the bottom half, a sight made all the more painful by seeing Spurs – who Arsenal visit in a fortnight – leading the way.
Here are three things we learned from Arsenal's latest flat display…
Pepe's petulance lets himself and his team down
If you're going to tell the press during an international break that you're frustrated by a lack of playing time, it's probably not the smartest move to greet a starting opportunity by headbutting an opposition player.
Yet that is exactly what Nicolas Pepe felt moved to do early in the second half in West Yorkshire, as his spat with Ezgjan Alioski boiled over and ended in a deserved – and entirely needless – red card for the winger.
Yes, Alioski made the most of it – but why give him the opportunity to? In this era of endless camera angles and VAR, the outcome was inevitable from the moment Pepe moved his head forward.
Even if there hadn't been VAR and the incident had been missed in real time, the Ivorian would have been handed a retrospective three-game ban – enough for him to miss the North London derby.
Mikel Arteta made his frustration clear after the game, branding the incident 'unacceptable', and the impact of Bukayo Saka after the red card only added to the feeling that Pepe is not Arsenal's strongest option down the left flank. Which leads us to…
Saka shines before injury
Bukayo Saka appeared in all three of England's matches over the international break – completing 90 minutes twice for the Three Lions.
Yet he still had enough in the tank to look Arsenal's most threatening player in the 32 minutes he was on the field on Sunday, linking up well with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and dutifully carrying out his defensive duties as the visitors dug in.
Saka's talent was clear last season but he appears to have kicked on to new heights this time around and is now a key cog in the first team.
All of which makes his late injury, sustained as a result of a questionable challenge by Stuart Dallas, all the more worrying.
"It looked a pretty bad challenge and he was in pain so we decided to take him out straight away," said Arteta afterwards – he will join every Arsenal fan in hoping Saka's spell on the sidelines does not turn out to be a lengthy one.
Toothless at the top end
Well, it finally happened. After no end of talk around the issue, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was handed a central striking berth at Elland Road.
It's fair to say results were not instant, with Arsenal putting in another blunt display and not creating much in the way of chances.
There were some positive signs – a previously shot-shy Aubameyang matched his season's best tally for efforts on goal – but it is clear there is more to solving Arsenal's attacking woes than whether the Gabon international plays wide or centrally.
Arteta said before the match that he feels a spot on the left remains Aubameyang's 'natural' position but it would be nice if moving him to the middle was given a chance to work rather than becoming a one-off experiment.
Ultimately, however, it matters little who plays up top when there is such a lack of opportunities being created. Joe Willock didn't seize his opportunity at Elland Road and one potential solution, who remains second in Arsenal's list of chances created since the start of last season, spent his Sunday afternoon winding up Piers Morgan on Twitter...
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