Eze’s Parade, Timber’s Brace and a Teenager’s Spark as Arsenal overwhelm Leeds 5-0

Arsenal’s first home outing of the season turned into a five-goal procession against Leeds United, powered by Jurrien Timber’s set-piece double and Viktor Gyökeres’ first goals for the club. Bukayo Saka rifled in the second of the day before departing injured, and the late drama belonged to 15-year-old Max Dowman, whose fearless debut culminated in the penalty that Gyökeres slammed home to close the scoring.

The celebratory feel, amplified by the pre‑kickoff unveiling of marquee signing Eberechi Eze, was tempered by the losses of captain Martin Ødegaard to a shoulder issue and Saka to a hamstring concern. Leeds began with resolve and forced one big save from David Raya via Pascal Struijk’s header, but Arsenal’s command from corners and a clinical second-half surge left Daniel Farke’s newly promoted side well beaten.

A showpiece day, shaded by injuries

Eberechi Eze’s introduction—badge pressed to his new No 10 shirt and greeted by a thunderous ovation—set a festive tone inside the Emirates. With Arteta describing his revamped group as the most complete of his tenure, Arsenal looked every inch a side with options to spare, moving the ball crisply and pinning Leeds back for long stretches.

Yet the glow dimmed with two injury setbacks. Ødegaard, making his 200th Arsenal appearance, left in the first half after discomfort in his shoulder, and Saka, who had previously blasted the 2-0 goal, later sat down clutching the back of his left leg. Arteta acknowledged the worry over both, noting Saka felt something while sprinting and that Ødegaard would need a scan. Ben White was unavailable, while Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus were also out, underscoring how quickly depth can be tested.

Set-piece supremacy: Timber at the double

The breakthrough came on 34 minutes from a familiar Arsenal weapon. Declan Rice whipped over a corner and Timber, part of a choreographed cluster attacking the back post, glanced his header beyond Lucas Perri. It was a crisp execution that rewarded the home side’s sustained pressure and validated an area of strength that has defined much of their recent domestic play.

Arsenal’s excellence at dead balls resurfaced again after the interval. Another Rice delivery caused chaos, and amid a scramble—preceded by a possible handball shout—the ball fell for Timber to prod in his second. Farke would later lament how the goals arrived, bemoaning the manner in which a defender famed for his aerial prowess was able to find room between Leeds’ strongest headers.

Gyökeres finds his stride

Gyökeres’ afternoon told a two-act story. In the first half he toiled, swiping wide from a presentable position after Martín Zubimendi had pounced on Anton Stach high up the pitch. The centre-forward looked over-eager, mirroring his laboured debut at Old Trafford.

Everything changed moments into the second half. Released by Riccardo Calafiori’s raking pass, Gyökeres finally had space to attack. He cut inside Pascal Struijk and drove a low finish inside the near post, celebrating with visible relief. The catharsis fed into stoppage time, when Dowman drew a slight contact from Stach and Gyökeres thumped the penalty home for his brace—an emphatic punctuation mark on lift‑off.

A 15-year-old’s cameo that stole the noise

On for his debut in the 64th minute, Dowman replaced Noni Madueke—making his first Arsenal start—and played like the stage belonged to him. Twice he drove at defenders to get shots away, and his willingness to take the ball on the turn immediately energised the right flank vacated by the injured Saka.

Dowman, already a talking point after winning penalties in pre-season against Newcastle and Villarreal, produced another decisive moment here. He wriggled into the box and went down under the lightest of touches from Stach; debate over the softness did little to quell the roar, nor to dim the significance of a 15-year-old—Arsenal’s second-youngest ever—tilting the final act of a Premier League game.

Leeds’ early resistance, limited threat

For 20 minutes, Leeds stuck to the compact, physical approach Farke had promised. Their clearest look came when Struijk’s thumping header drew a strong save from Raya. But once Timber’s header landed, the contest drifted away from them; Saka’s angled smash before the break and Gyökeres’ surge after it removed any doubt.

There were silver linings for the visitors. Debutant Noah Okafor saw minutes as Farke looks to piece together a forward line capable of surviving the newly promoted squeeze, with Lukas Nmecha also in the mix. Still, Leeds ended with few chances created and will seek more resilience in a Carabao Cup tie against Sheffield Wednesday before a testing league trip to Newcastle.

What it means

Arsenal’s win follows their opening‑weekend victory at Old Trafford and puts them top of the Premier League. The performance reinforced strengths—set pieces, depth, and a new cutting edge from Gyökeres—while the injuries to Ødegaard and Saka pose immediate questions ahead of a daunting visit to Anfield. With Eze waiting in the wings, Arteta may be forced to accelerate integrations.

Leeds remain on three points from two games. Farke called the outcome fair and refused to overreact, stressing that facing a side of Arsenal’s consistency is not season-defining. The corrective priorities are clear: tidier play under pressure, sharper set‑piece defending, and turning compact starts into genuine threats at the other end.