'I told them at half-time' - Mikel Arteta's Arsenal dressing room warning, Leeds United tribute and penalty thoughts

His Gunners were 3-0 up at the interval after giving the Whites a torrid time of it and they added a fourth three minutes into the second half.

Pierre-Emerick's hat-trick goal appeared to have killed the contest but the fighting spirit Arteta predicted soon showed itself. Leeds scored twice, through Pascal Struijk and Helder Costa, and created other chances but were unable to prevent a 4-2 defeat.

"I am really happy because I watch them so much and I know how difficult they are," said Arteta of Marcelo Bielsa's newly promoted side.

"They are a fantastic team and they showed that over the course of the game, they showed spirit at 4-0 down, they throw everything at you and make life very difficult.

"I try to do the best I can, they are a fantastic team, they put you under a lot of trouble and everyone knows their roles. They are very man orientated and we did really well for a long period. Credit to them, to maintain the level of belief at 4-0 is remarkable.

"At half-time I told them they are a team that can bounce back. They're not going to stop and they still believe in that aggression and that they can come here and beat us. That is Leeds and what their manager inspires them. It became a little bit of madness."

Arteta was delighted with Aubameyang's performance. He was a constant nuisance for Leeds with his direct dribbling and ability to create space for a shot.

"We have been missing Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang's goals and him at his best," said the Gunners coach, who showed his concern when the forward went down in the second half with an ankle knock.

"He has been training after a difficult period with a family issue and we had a feeling he could be key in this game. He was in pain and got a big kick, twisted his ankle but hopefully he will be fine (for Thursday)."

The game was not without controversy. Referee Stuart Attwell awarded a penalty and then reversed his decision after checking the VAR monitor.

Arteta felt he should have stuck with his initial instinct as Bukayo Saka went down under attention from Liam Cooper.

"I was looking on the TV and I thought it was a clear penalty considering the penalties we have been given against us," he said.

"I thought penalty and probably a red card as well because we have that decision against us.

"I think we need some clarification. It is what it is. We can't control it. They're trying to do their job (the referees) in the best possible way. I understand that some decisions are really hard to judge even when you have the TV right in front of you.

"I think what we are saying is to be consistent."