Premier League leaders Arsenal held on for a dramatic win in Leeds after the match was delayed for almost 40 minutes due to a power cut.
There was drama in stoppage time when referee Chris Kavanagh sent off Arsenal’s Gabriel for kicking out Leeds striker Patrick Bamford and awarded the hosts a penalty, but after Kavanagh reviewed the incident on a pitchside monitor, both The verdicts were overturned.
Earlier, he stopped the match after 23 seconds of play due to a power cut at Elland Road, which meant Kavanagh lost contact with the video assistant referee (VAR) officials, while goal-line technology was down.
Once they got going again, the impressive Bocayo Saka capitalized on Rodrigo’s loose pass in the first half, exchanging passes with Martin Odegaard before striking high at the near post to score the winning goal.
Bamford was sent on at the start of the second half and the Englishman made an almost immediate impact but his close-range strike was ruled out by a push on Gabriel.
Before the stoppage-time controversy, Leeds were awarded a penalty when William Saliba was adjudged to have handled the ball, but Bamford dragged his effort over.
Leeds piled on the pressure and Luis Sinestra’s goalbound shot was blocked by Gabriel, while Brendan Aaronson’s long-range arrowing strike was pushed over by Aaron Ramsdale.
Mikel Arteta’s side are now four points clear after an impressive start to the campaign which has seen them win nine of their 10 Premier League games.
Bamford at the center of the controversial competition
Arsenal’s only blemish this season has been defeat at Manchester United and the Gunners somehow managed to hold on for victory.
It was not without controversy though and they continued their fortunes in the second half.
Bamford, who replaced Rodrigo, saved a couple of attempts from Ramsdale, as well as widening his own penalty.
In stoppage time, it looked like he would have a chance to recover again when Kavanagh was shown a red card for kicking out Gabriel at Bamford, but after consultation with VAR it was decided that the striker had pushed the defender first.
Leeds had plenty of chances to see a lively Luis Sinestra hole wide and a low shot by Ramsdale. From the resulting corner, Pascal Strojic’s effort was parried by the Arsenal goalkeeper.
Ultimately, the home side could not find a breakthrough, increasing the pressure on boss Jay Marsh as his side’s winless run extended to six games.
Arsenal continued to show promise
The full-time whistle sparked a wild celebration from Arteta, his side recording Arsenal’s best league record after 10 games since the 1904-05 season.
Playing on the right, England midfielder Saka tormented Leeds’ strojek for much of the game and the only goal came through that channel.
Rodrigo inexplicably tried to pick out his team-mate with a crossfield pass which Saka threw away, before a quick exchange allowed him to score his fifth goal of the season.
Gabriel Jesus chipped in from inside the six-yard box, while captain Odegaard’s free-kick was pushed over by Alan Messier.
Although Leeds threatened until the end, Arsenal managed to claim their fourth clean sheet away from home in a campaign that has been full of promise.
