DREADFUL: Leeds United's Luke Ayling, third from left, is shown a straight-red card following his abomination of a tackle on Gabriel Martinelli. 
Photo by GLYN KIRK/AFP via Getty Images.DREADFUL: Leeds United's Luke Ayling, third from left, is shown a straight-red card following his abomination of a tackle on Gabriel Martinelli. 
Photo by GLYN KIRK/AFP via Getty Images.
DREADFUL: Leeds United's Luke Ayling, third from left, is shown a straight-red card following his abomination of a tackle on Gabriel Martinelli. Photo by GLYN KIRK/AFP via Getty Images.

Arsenal 2 Leeds United 1 - Graham Smyth's player ratings as shambolic first-half wrecks Whites

Leeds United plunged into the Premier League relegation zone via Sunday's 2-1 defeat at Arsenal - but how did we rate the performances?

Jesse Marsch's side found themselves with a mountain to climb inside half an hour when Luke Ayling was shown a straight red after a quickfire brace by Eddie Nketiah gave the hosts an early, comfortable lead.

With ten men, United put on an admirable showing to chase a result after the interval but Diego Llorente's second-half goal proved only a consolation as the Whites failed to find an equaliser in North London.

The defeat allowed Everton to climb out of the relegation zone with a 2-1 victory at Leicester City, causing the Whites to drop below the dreaded dotted line, level on points with 17th-placed Burnley but with a significantly poorer goal difference than their Lancashire counterparts.

Graham Smyth, the YEP's chief football writer, hands out the scores from Sunday afternoon's clash at the Emirates.

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