YEP Fans Jury - Leeds United prove a point against Arsenal but it still feels like a missed opportunity

MIXED EMOTIONS over Sunday’s 0-0 scoreline against Elland Road visitors Arsenal was the order of the day among our Yorkshire Evening Post fans’ jury.
Leeds United man-of-the-match contender Mateusz Klich takes on Arsenal's Dani Ceballos. Picture: Tony Johnson/JPIMedia.Leeds United man-of-the-match contender Mateusz Klich takes on Arsenal's Dani Ceballos. Picture: Tony Johnson/JPIMedia.
Leeds United man-of-the-match contender Mateusz Klich takes on Arsenal's Dani Ceballos. Picture: Tony Johnson/JPIMedia.

Having gone into the Premier League game on the back of two 4-1 defeats prior to the international break, the fact that Leeds ended yesterday with a clean sheet is cause for celebration.

Another point in the club’s return-seaason fight for survival in the top flight was also welcome.

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However, the vexed issue of failing to register a goal - from a staggering 25 attempts - has left an element of frustration in fans’ minds, not for the first time it has to be said. But that negative is tempered by the positive of a squad with the quality and drive to turn the stats around.

Man-of-the-match contender Gjanni Alioski made a nuisance of himself against Arsenal. Picture: Tony Johnson/JPIMedia.Man-of-the-match contender Gjanni Alioski made a nuisance of himself against Arsenal. Picture: Tony Johnson/JPIMedia.
Man-of-the-match contender Gjanni Alioski made a nuisance of himself against Arsenal. Picture: Tony Johnson/JPIMedia.

David Watkins

Well, we’d have all taken nil-nil against Arsenal before kick-off so I guess we can’t be too critical but, for me, this was an opportunity missed.

Four shots on target from 25 simply will not do at this level, any level really. We saw too often in the Championship how a record like that can see you easily lose and we saw again how, poor as Arsenal were, and as dominating as we were, we could have succumbed to a sucker punch. Arsenal did it to us in January.

But let’s look on the bright side; we did thoroughly dominate one of the so-called Big Six and we were only the thickness of the woodwork away from winning it… three times! A clean sheet will also go a long way towards settling the nerves about the number of goals we’ve been conceding.

Frustrated Leeds United striker Patrick Bamford who was denied by the woodwork more than once against Arsenal. Picture: Tony Johnson/JPIMedia.Frustrated Leeds United striker Patrick Bamford who was denied by the woodwork more than once against Arsenal. Picture: Tony Johnson/JPIMedia.
Frustrated Leeds United striker Patrick Bamford who was denied by the woodwork more than once against Arsenal. Picture: Tony Johnson/JPIMedia.
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Assuming Rodrigo is match ready, he will make a huge difference going forward; without either him or Pablo Hernandez we look short of that imaginative pass and we saw today that he has a fine left foot that will register goals.

Man of the match: Mateusz Klich.

Matthew Evans

A point against Arsenal is never a bad thing but the three points should have been ours.

We played our usual game to good effect and dominated proceedings when it came to both possession and attempts on goal.

Playing against 10 men for 40 minutes just emphasises the fact we missed a chance to win.

But I’m not going to complain too much.

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This side continues to impress and there were signs that the return of both Kalvin Phillips and Rodrigo will make a big difference, underlined by a clean sheet after shipping eight goals in the previous two games.

It’s hard to point to a player who had a particularly bad game with the spine of Illan Meslier, Liam Cooper, Phillips and Mateusz Klich all impressive behind Patrick Bamford who was unlucky not to score.

Raphinha had a very lively full debut but I’m giving my man of the match to Gjanni Alioski who shone in a rare start, no doubt still buzzing from his Euro exploits.

All things considered, it was a welcome point.

Man of the match: Gjanni Alioski.

Andy Rhodes

When I predicted goals in this game, I didn’t expect to jinx it like this.

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Leeds United were shut out for only the second time this season, but it wasn’t for the want of trying.

Arsenal clearly weren’t at their best and, if it wasn’t for the woodwork, it would’ve been a very different story. Three times the frame of the goal kept United out, so much for home comforts.

A goal would have been a just reward for a dominant Whites performance, albeit against 10 men.

After the sending off, Arsenal sat deep and let Leeds attack, something which United have struggled against in the past.

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However, the chances they created were good and they were unlucky not to win. The Gunners looked threatening on the break and, in truth, either side could have won it.

The performance, though, was encouraging and, on a different day, it would have won three points.

They may only leave Elland Road with one, but it could be a good point in May.

Man of the match: Mateusz Klich.

Mike Gill

Conceding goals rather than being able to score them has been United’s problem in the last two games.

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Sunday’s game was the opposite; the Whites were y unlucky not to bag the three points but some satisfaction must be taken in their defensive improvement. Leeds squandered chance after chance in the first half with wayward efforts from Klich, Dallas, Bamford and Raphinha, who struggled to get involved in the No.10 role though most of the team were guilty of wasting passes.

In the second half, the Whites came much closer, taking the paint of the woodwork on no fewer than three occasions. Bamford, Raphinha and Rodrigo were the frustrated parties as it became clear that it was going to be ‘one of those days’.

Pepe was sent off on 51 minutes for putting his head too close to Alioski. Not as bad as the man from Macedonia would have us believe but totally unacceptable. Bukayo Saka could have stolen it for the Gunners but for great judgement from Illan Meslier when they were one on one. Probably a fair result.

Man of the match: Gjanni Alioski.

Keith Ingham

Some days it’s just not your day and this was one of them for Leeds.

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A great effort by United who were denied three times by the woodwork in a good game on a wet Sunday tea-time. Arsenal will be the most happy from the 0-0 draw at Elland Road. The stats will show, once again, that Leeds had the majority of possession but they unfortunately couldn’t turn it into a goal that would have given them the three points.

Patrick Bamford had two chances in the first half but Leno denied him, Stuart Dallas also had a chance that he regretted not putting past the German goalkeeper.

Pepe had Arsenal’s best chance but he put it wide while, at the other end, Mateusz Klich put one over the bar from inside the box. Raphinha, on his first start, showed glimpses of why Leeds had paid nearly £20m for him.

After six minutes Arsenal were down to 10 men after Pepe head butted Gjanni Alioski and VAR asked the referee to look at the incident. He did and sent off the Arsenal midfielder.

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Dallas must have thought he’d given Leeds the lead but Leno was equal to his shot and saved superbly. United substitute Rodrigo first had an effort that just went wide, then he hit the bar with another shot.

Arsenal were still dangerous and Aubameyang was superbly tackled by Leeds captain Liam Cooper.

The visitors so nearly broke the deadlock with seven minutes to go. Sako got behind the Leeds defence and looked certain to score until ‘Spiderboy’ Illan Meslier denied the defender when he spread himself superbly to block the effort.

There was still time for Poveda to set up Bamford, but to show the striker’s luck was out his effort hit the post and bounced out. Deep into injury time, Raphinha nearly celebrated his first full game with a winning goal but, once again, the woodwork denied the Brazilian winger.

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The best thing is that the losing run was halted and Leeds looked a lot more composed in defence with Kalvin Phillips helping out Robin Koch and Cooper when he was needed.

Thought most of the players deserve credit but my MOTM went to Gjanni Alioski who never stopped running.

Man of the match: Gjanni Alioski.

Jacob Starr

Twenty-five attempts in total and the most shots in a first half from a single team so far this season, yet Leeds had to settle for a goalless draw against 10-man Arsenal. Frustrating.

Amongst all of that, the Whites hit the woodwork three times through Rodrigo, Patrick Bamford and Raphinha which, on another day, all would have nestled in the back of Bernd Leno’s goal. We all know Gjanni Alioski is a bit of a wind-up merchant, and he was clearly too much to handle for Nicholas Pepe who laid a head butt on him early in the second half to earn a deserved straight red.

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The ahead-of-schedule return of Kalvin Phillips gave us a big boost defensively and we looked much more assured at the back after successive 4-1 defeats, although the Gunners could have won it but for Illan Meslier’s terrific save one on one to deny Bukayo Saka.

Marcelo Bielsa’s men looked a lot more like the side who began the campaign so well, and I have full faith that the previous few games were a blip, combined with the absence of key players.

Nevertheless, it is another point on the board and puts us eight points above the bottom three, for the more pessimistic amongst us!

Man of the match: Mateusz Klich.

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