A Bukayo Saka goal was enough to give Arsenal all three points all three points against Leeds and provide the Gunners with their best league record after 10 games since the 1904-05 season.
But this win was not without drama. In the first half the match had been delayed by about 40 minutes because of a power outage.
Then in stoppage time referee Chris Kavanagh sent off Arsenal’s Gabriel for kicking out at Leeds striker Patrick Bamford and awarded the hosts a penalty, but both decisions were overturned after Kavanagh reviewed the incident on the pitch side monitor.
Earlier, he halted the match after 23 seconds of play because of a power cut at Elland Road, which meant Kavanagh lost communication with the video assistant referee (VAR) officials, while goalline technology was down too.
“Hectic,” was Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta’s assessment of the game. “It is always really intense here. We were exceptional in the first half and should have been two or three up.
He added to Sky Sports: “Credit to Leeds in the second half. We made so many errors and did not generate momentum, but I just love the relentless passion the team played with and how we found a way to win.
“This is something special. This is not a coincidence. It shows the willingness that I see in the eyes of the players to win, to compete.”
“I have not seen it but everyone is saying the decision was clear,” Arteta said of the overturned penalty. “Thank God they made the system to work. That delay was worth it because without VAR I don’t know what would have happened.”
The defeat was hard on Leeds, as they were the better side in the second half but could not find the equalizer and their winless run now stands at six games.
“It was a really good performance from us,” under-fire Leeds boss Jesse Marsch told Sky Sports.
“[We had] discipline, concentration over the entire match, even with the late start, which was strange on the day.
“[It was] a performance that showed that when we play the way we want to play, we can be very good. That’s the best team in the league right now and today we were better.”
