Arsenal forced to come back to beat plucky Leeds
Bruno Guimaraes came off the bench to complete Arsenal's comeback as the Premier League champion got back to winning ways by beating Leeds United 2-1.
Arsenal, which lost heavily at Brighton and Hove Albion before the international break, was second-best for the opening hour at Emirates Stadium, where James Justin put Leeds ahead.
Yet Arsenal responded in style, with Riccardo Calafiori and Guimaraes scoring in the space of eight minutes to seal the points.
Some early Arsenal pressure resulted in few clear chances, bar Bukayo Saka shooting at James Trafford from an offside position, and Leeds created the first opportunity when Anton Stach saw an attempt inadvertently blocked by team-mate Jayden Bogle.
David Raya had to scamper back to his line to keep out Ethan Ampadu's looping header, before Gabriel Gudmundsson tested Arsenal's goalkeeper from close range on the cusp of half-time.
Ao Tanaka forced Raya into action shortly after the restart, but Leeds's display was rewarded in the 55th minute, when Justin slammed in after meeting Gudmundsson's cross.
Arsenal was level seven minutes later, however, with Calafiori's somewhat tame volley proving too much for Trafford to handle.
Calafiori then fired wide as Arsenal upped the urgency, but it was Guimaraes, one of three substitutes to come on in the wake of the Gunners' equaliser, who dealt the decisive blow when he slotted home following slick build-up play from Declan Rice.
Martin Odegaard's miss from a couple of yards out kept Leeds in contention, and Viktor Gyokeres failed to capitalise on another blunder from Trafford, but the visitors could not find a leveller to keep their unbeaten start to their league campaign going.
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta believed Arsenal needed to rediscover its identity in order to win the game.
"Before the game we talked about two things," he revealed.
"One, the challenge ahead because Leeds had not lost in the Premier League and it was going to be really tough. And [the] second one, to restore our identity and be ourselves again, regardless of the context of the match.
"We weren't pleased against Brighton and this was an opportunity to put that right. We certainly reacted in the manner we expected."
Arsenal is the first team to win two games from behind in the Premier League this season, also coming back from 1-0 down to beat Chelsea 2-1 in its previous fixture at home.
"After three weeks away, 16 players out on international duty, after the defeat against Brighton, there was still something in the tummy, something that we had to prove what we are made of. We had to prove it against a team that are difficult to beat," Arteta said.
"We overcome all the situations with unbelievable spirit, a lot of quality as well, and with the finishers coming in and helping us to win the game."
Leeds, meanwhile, had to say goodbye to its unbeaten start to the season.
"Gutted for my lads because they showed an excellent performance. I'm heartbroken that we didn't take anything away. But also proud because we played excellent in the first half," United boss Daniel Farke said.
"I said at half-time, if we have more clarity and belief in our situations, then we can win this game. We went for it, even to score the second goal, we had the momentum on our side, but Arsenal are the reigning champions. One of the best teams, if not the best team in Europe – this means one of the best teams in the world.
"Even with little details they are able to capitalise. All credit goes to them, they found a way to turn this game."
