Arsenal beat Leeds 2-1 as Guimaraes strikes again, Hincapie injured in warm-down
Bruno Guimaraes came off the bench to seal a 2-1 comeback win over Leeds, but Piero Hincapie was carried off during the warm-down as Arsenal moved level on points with Manchester City.
Arsenal came from behind to beat Leeds 2-1 at Emirates Stadium on Saturday, with substitute Bruno Guimaraes scoring the winner after Riccardo Calafiori had equalised. The result gave Mikel Arteta's side a fifth win in six league games and put them level on points with leaders Manchester City.
The match carried a cost, however. Ecuador defender Piero Hincapie, a late substitute against Daniel Farke's side, was carried off during the post-match warm-down after completing extra running, raising concerns over a possible injury.
It was the third time in four league matches that Arsenal had fallen behind, following their 3-0 defeat at Brighton. Guimaraes, the £75m summer signing, has now scored twice off the bench this season, both from outside the box, having also opened the scoring in the 2-0 win at Sunderland in September.
Arteta said Guimaraes had not been at the required level against Brighton but was "much better" against Leeds, adding that the midfielder must maintain that standard. On TNT Sports, Ally McCoist described it as a great game of football, said Leeds were brilliant for an hour and praised Arteta's substitutions, arguing that winning while below par is what champions do and that Leeds could hold their heads high.
Arsenal's defensive record has slipped, with five goals conceded in six games, and the absence of the injured William Saliba has been felt alongside the integration of £55m signing Ezri Konsa. Calafiori remains central to their attacking threat, with no defender involved in more Premier League goals this season.
Up front, Arteta started Kai Havertz despite his early return from international duty with a hamstring issue, leaving Viktor Gyokeres on the bench again. Noni Madueke came in on the left wing, with Arteta saying he had been the best player in training for the last 10 days. Arteta warned that the line between being exceptional and extremely average is very thin if his players do not want it more than the opponent.
Image: Getty Images / BBC Sport
