The game kicked off at 12:30 BST in front of 60,315 and was the first round of league games after the October international break. Arsenal, the champions, came into it after a 3-0 defeat at Brighton & Hove Albion before the break, according to Sky Sports; Leeds arrived fifth and unbeaten after five games, with two wins and three draws.
How the match was won
The first half finished goalless. Leeds had the better early chances, and Noah Okafor had a goal ruled out for offside, ESPN reported. Leeds collected two yellow cards in two minutes before the break, Ao Tanaka in the 36th and Ethan Ampadu in the 38th.
- 55' Arsenal 0-1 Leeds United: James Justin, from the right side of the box into the top left corner with his right foot, from a Gabriel Gudmundsson cross.
- 62' Arsenal 1-1 Leeds United: Riccardo Calafiori, a left-footed finish from very close range after Ben White headed the ball across to him.
- 70' Arsenal 2-1 Leeds United: Bruno Guimarães, a right-footed shot from outside the box into the bottom left corner, set up by Declan Rice.
Arsenal started in a 4-2-3-1 with David Raya in goal, Ezri Konsa and Gabriel Magalhães at center back, Kai Havertz up front and Noni Madueke and Bukayo Saka on the wings. Leeds lined up 3-4-2-1, with James Trafford in goal and Dominic Calvert-Lewin leading the line. Justin's opener came from a Gudmundsson cross that he met at the back post, as Sky Sports described it.
Turning points
The decisive change came a minute after the equalizer. In the 63rd minute Mikel Arteta made a triple substitution: Jurriën Timber for White, Viktor Gyökeres for Havertz and Guimarães for Myles Lewis-Skelly. Seven minutes later Guimarães scored. The club's own match coverage on arsenal.com said it was his first goal for Arsenal at the Emirates and made him the first player to score twice off the bench in the Premier League this season.
We conceded the goal, and then it's: what are we made of?
Mikel Arteta, Arsenal manager, via arsenal.com
Leeds replied with changes of their own. Harry Wilson and Brenden Aaronson replaced Tanaka and Okafor in the 71st minute, Lukas Nmecha came on for Justin in the 79th, a minute after Justin was booked, and Jean-Mattéo Bahoya and Jaka Bijol replaced Jayden Bogle and Nico Elvedi in the 86th. Tarik Muharemovic was also booked, in the 59th minute, for four Leeds yellow cards in all; Martin Ødegaard was Arsenal's only booking, in the 84th. Arsenal could have won by more: Sky Sports listed late chances for Ødegaard and Saka. There were no red cards and no penalties.
I told them at half-time if we keep going we'll win this game.
Daniel Farke, Leeds United manager, via leedsunited.com
Arsenal vs Leeds: key stats
| Stat | Arsenal | Leeds United |
|---|---|---|
| Possession | 58.2% | 41.8% |
| Shots | 13 | 11 |
| Shots on target | 6 | 5 |
| Corners | 3 | 4 |
| Fouls | 12 | 20 |
| Yellow cards | 1 | 4 |
| Red cards | 0 | 0 |
| Offsides | 7 | 4 |
| Goalkeeper saves | 4 | 4 |
| Passes (completed) | 513 (436) | 354 (277) |
The numbers were close for a home win by the champions. Arsenal had 13 shots to Leeds' 11 and six on target to five, and both goalkeepers made four saves. Arsenal completed 85% of their passes to Leeds' 78%, while Leeds committed 20 fouls to Arsenal's 12 and sent in 23 crosses to Arsenal's 15. Arsenal were caught offside seven times. For how often home sides win games like this, see our study of home advantage across six leagues.
What it means for the table
Arsenal stay second, now on 15 points from six games with five wins. Manchester City beat Liverpool on Sunday to make it six wins from six and stay three points clear on 18 (our Liverpool v Man City report has the details). Brighton & Hove Albion are third on 13, two points behind Arsenal. With 15 points from six games, Arsenal are on the pace our look at how many points win the Premier League title sets out.
Leeds drop from fifth to seventh on nine points, one behind fourth-placed Brentford, with Everton and Chelsea also on 10. They are level on nine with Hull City, Liverpool and Ipswich Town, and six points clear of 18th-placed Tottenham Hotspur. One game from matchweek 6 is still to play: Coventry City host Newcastle United on Monday 12 October. Newcastle, 11th on eight points, would move above Leeds with a win. The full Premier League table updates after every game.
What's next
- Arsenal: away at Nottingham Forest, Sunday 18 October 2026, 16:30 BST.
- Leeds United: at home to Manchester United, Sunday 18 October 2026, 14:00 BST.
All matchweek 7 games are on our Premier League fixtures page, and the Premier League simulator lets you play out the rest of the season from the current table.
How this report was built: goals, assists, cards, substitutions, lineups, team stats and both tables come from ESPN's match data; the matchweek 6 table is computed from ESPN full-time results, three points for a win, and does not yet include Coventry City v Newcastle United. Context and quotes come from ESPN, Sky Sports, arsenal.com and leedsunited.com.