NONI Madueke starred as Arsenal extended their lead at the top of the table to seven points as they beat Leeds United to record their first league win in four Premier League matches.
Madueke was not meant to start the game and was a late replacement for winger Bukayo Saka, who limped out of the warm-up with a hip problem.
And Madueke, who has had to play the role of back-up for most of this season, took his chance to impress as he curled in an excellent cross for Martin Zubimendi to nod Arsenal in front.
The home side had started the game well but Arsenal pinned Leeds back for large parts of the first half, winning a number of corners and throw-ins to increase pressure on the Leeds defence.
It was from one of these corners that Arsenal doubled the lead when Madueke’s curling delivery caught out goalkeeper Karl Darlow and he could only punch the ball into his own net.
Viktor Gyokeres then made sure it was a comfortable end to the game when he fought to get on the end of Gabriel Martinelli’s inviting cross to make it 3-0 before substitute Gabriel Jesus added a fourth late on.
The expectation was on Arsenal to deliver a result coming into this game after their recent form, but they recorded an important victory to put pressure on their title rivals, Manchester City and Aston Villa, who are not in action until Sunday.
The performance from Madueke will give Arsenal and manager Mikel Arteta a big boost as it looks like the Gunners will be without star player Saka for at least the short term with the injury he picked up in the warm-up.
Madueke had not been playing his best football prior to this match and his cross for Zubimendi’s opener was his first assist in the Premier League this season.
The 23-year-old’s corner, which went down as an own goal, would have been a first league goal of the season for the winger and would have been a step in the right direction as Arsenal look to get their forwards firing.
That is because Gyokeres and Jesus, who both scored in this game, are the only forwards in the Arsenal frontline to have scored a goal in the Premier League since the turn of the year.
The own goal which saw them double their lead was the fifth in their favour this season and is the most that any side in the Premier League has benefited from.
The Gunners are in a commanding position in the league and look to have worked through a sticky patch as they try to win the league for the first time in 22 years.