Arsenal 5 Leeds United 0: Gunners leagues above as Whites are put to sword
After starting their return to the Premier League with an excellent win over Everton five days earlier, Leeds United were reminded what being back in the top flight really means by ruthless Arsenal.
Leeds have spent heavily this summer beefing up their squad physically but to challenge for the title in this league, as the Gunners hope to, you need muscle as well as technical skill.
Arsenal brushed the visitors off with a 5-0 victory that could have been more had they not come off the gas with half an hour to go.
Right-back Jurrien Timber scored twice and made another, substituted with more than half an hour left to claim a hat-trick. But Arsenal's third-choice right-back, 15-year-old Max Dowman came on to continue the torture.
For Leeds it was a brutal lesson.
When you come up against a forward line as formidable as Arsenal's, they do not need any help. Leeds gave them some anyway.
It was almost rubbing it in for the Gunners to parade Eberechi Eze just before kick-off.
Injuries to Martin Odegaard and Bukayo Saka would only underline their strength in attacking depth, Ethan Nwanieri and Leandro Trossard coming off the bench to take their places.
Gabriel Martinelli stayed there. There was no need to trouble him.
No wonder, then, that Leeds spent a lot of their evening defending. The problem was, when they did win the ball, more often than not they gave it back quickly, and when the 50-50s came about they were too often outmuscled.
Arsenal's first chance came from a poor Daniel James touch, Declan Rice pouncing but Noni Madueke's effort blocked.
Lucas Perri's kicking, especially when he went short, did not inspire confidence and Jayden Bogle picked up a booking inside 10 minutes when the goalkeeper faffed about without too long before playing an unsympathetic pass to the full-back. When Bogle went through Madueke's ankle to get it back, he was cautioned.
A chance for Viktor Gyokeres was even better, Anton Stach gifting him the ball from a tippy-tappy Leeds corner, but the new centre-forward missed the target.
Leeds goalkeeping coach Ed Woolten made a point of applauding Perri when he kicked long midway through the half.
Set pieces have long been a strength of Arsenal's and a weakness for Leeds, and it was how the Gunners took the lead in the 34th minute, Timber getting between Pascal Struijk and Joe Rodon to head home.
At 0-0 Leeds had a couple of glimpses on the counter-attack, James coming inside and having two shots blocked, David Raya forced to tip Struijk's header over the bar from the corner his second effort produced.
But the Arsenal threat was ever-present, and their second goal in first-half stoppage-time was a real killer.
Stach had been caught on the ball when Arsenal broke from Leeds corner, only for Perri to save Madueke's deflected shot.
But five minutes later, the hosts took full advantage of Leeds turning over possession once more – this time Ilia Gruev, deputising for Ethan Ampadu in the only change from the side who played so well on the opening weekend of the season.
Timber picked out Saka, and unleashed a fierce shot that Perri could only flail an arm towards as it rippled the net.
If the outcome was in any doubt at half-time, Arsenal quickly got to the stage where they could use their bench to rest players and give minutes to others.
Left-back Riccaro Califiori released Gyokeres down the inisde-left channel with Leeds making a hash of their offside trap. The £64m striker cut across Struijk far too easily before finding the net.
With Lukas Nmacha and Sean Longstaff waiting to come on, Leeds conceded again from a 64th-minute corner, Timber and Califiori almost fighting amongst themselves for who would put the ball in as Leeds allowed it to bounce around.
It allowed Arsenal to bring on Dowman, the second 15-year-old Mikel Arteta has given a debut to in the space of a year, after Nwanieri. Leeds also handed out a debut, to £18m winger Noah Okafor.
Dowman tried his best to follow Timber's lead, but shot over after a sweeping switch of play and volleyed over from a free-kick he won himself.
And it was he who won the stoppage time penalty when Stach clipped him in the penalty area.
After the usual drawn-out delays that are a part of Premier League life, Gyokeres sent Perri the wrong way from 12 yards.
There are leagues within this Premier League, and Leeds are certainly not in Arsenal’s. That was the only consolation from a sobering evening. Newcastle United are next in the league.
Arsenal: Raya; Timber (Mosquera 63), Saliba, Gabriel, Calafiori (Lewis-Skelly 63); Zubimendi, Rice; Saka (Trossard 53), Odegaard (Nwaneri 38), Madueke (Dowman 63); Gyokeres.
Unused substitutes: Martinelli, Arrizabalaga, Kiwior, Merino.
Leeds United: Perri; Bogle (Byram 83), Rodon, Struijk, Gudmundsson; Gruev, Stach, Tanaka (Longstaff 58); James (Okafor 66), Piroe (Nmecha 58), Gnonto (Aaronson 66).
Unused substitutes: Bijol, Harrison, Bornauw, Darlow.
Referee: J Gillett (Merseyside).