Chaos and fortune seemed eager to ensnare Arsenal in their unpredictable grip even before the match at Elland Road kicked off on Saturday. Sensing Arsenal’s vulnerability and the uncertainty surrounding them, these forces saw a chance to capitalize.

As the game approached, Mikel Arteta and his squad were acutely aware of the stakes. They needed a victory to break a three-game winless streak in the league and dispel doubts about their title aspirations. Just moments before the match, however, Arsenal faced a setback as Bukayo Saka, the team’s star player and key figure, walked off the pitch looking dejected.

During the warm-up, Saka experienced a muscle issue and realized he couldn’t continue. It was soon confirmed that he would miss the game, with Noni Madueke stepping in to replace him.

Leeds United supporters quickly picked up on this shift in dynamics. Elland Road was a cauldron of intensity, with Leeds having only lost once in their last ten league matches, pushing themselves six points clear of relegation threats.

The home crowd was well aware that Arsenal, the league leaders, were teetering and had a reputation for relinquishing leads. With taunts echoing through the stadium, fans repeatedly jeered at the Arsenal side with chants of, “You’ll mess it up,” fully relishing the moment.

Gabriel Jesus scored the fourth goal for Arsenal to wrap up a superb away win 

Viktor Gyokeres was on the scoresheet having prodded home from a Gabriel Martinelli cross

It was an afternoon when the Gunners steadied the ship in impressive fashion 

In previous seasons or different title quests, Arsenal might have faltered. They might have been defeated before the first whistle blew, overwhelmed by the pressure and Saka’s absence. Perhaps their winless stretch would have extended to a fourth game.

But this Arsenal did not crumble. This time, they defied the narrative that they are about to ‘bottle’ their attempt to win the title for the first time in 22 years. No Saka, no problem. Rather than being overwhelmed by his task, Madueke created Arsenal’s first two goals and produced a man-of-the-match performance.

Madueke, signed from Chelsea in the summer, has been one of many excellent additions to the Arsenal squad, additions that have built quality upon quality and made the club impervious to injuries, even to their best players. That has never been the case before but it is the case now. There are no gaps in their ranks.

In the cold and the rain of a drab Yorkshire day, this 4-0 victory was a perfect afternoon for Arsenal. Viktor Gyokeres, their much-maligned striker, scored Arsenal’s third, Kai Havertz added a different layer to their game in midfield, Odegaard orchestrated play impressively when he came off the bench and Arsenal even scored three goals from open play. Panic over.

Manchester City and Aston Villa, Arsenal’s closest challengers, both play on Sunday but for now Arteta’s side has a seven-point lead at the top. They proved something to their doubters here, too. The title race may be far from over but the emphatic nature of this victory only reinforced the view of those who think this Arsenal team is too strong, too deep, too good, to fail this time.

After the disruption of Saka’s injury, the Arsenal players gathered in a tight huddle before kick-off as the capacity crowd at Elland Road belted out a rousing rendition of Marching on Together. 

They knew how freighted with importance this game was. The Leeds fans regaled them with a song suggesting they were going to blow the title, put rather more succinctly and brutally. The atmosphere was deafening and hostile. When Gyokeres sidefooted an attempted pass straight into touch, his mistake was met with a deafening jeer from the crowd.

Leeds goalkeeper Karl Darlow put one into his own net from an Arsenal set piece 

Martin Zubimendi scored the opening goal for the Gunners to silence the home crowd 

Arsenal started well enough without being able to force a chance. Midway through the half, just when the visitors were starting to show the first signs of frustration, they took the lead. Leeds failed to clear a corner and Declan Rice spread the ball to the right, where Madueke was waiting.

Madueke has faced some criticism for the inconsistency of his end-product but this time, he was beyond censure. He stepped inside his marker and curled a delicious cross to the edge of the six-yard-box where Martin Zubimendi rose unchallenged to glance it past Karl Darlow.

Arsenal nearly added a second when Gyokeres nodded a ball across goal from a back-post Madueke corner and, a minute after that escape, Leeds were lucky to keep 11 players on the pitch. Dominic Calvert-Lewin raked his studs down Gabriel’s shin but bizarrely, referee Stuart Attwell did not even book him.

Seven minutes before half time, Arsenal doubled their advantage. Madueke had found his range from corners by now and he curled a vicious inswinger in to the near post. Darlow tried to punch it clear but he was inadvertently impeded by Calvert-Lewin and the goalkeeper punched the ball into his own net.

Arsenal should have put the game out of reach five minutes after the interval when Leandro Trossard swept a superb first-time pass behind the Leeds defence for Gyokeres to run on to. Gyokeres was clean through on Darlow but hesitated long enough to allow Joe Rodon to recover his ground and make a goal-saving block.

Declan Rice roars to the travelling supporters who watched their side pick up three big points

Arsenal extended their lead at the top of the table before Manchester City’s game 

It took 20 minutes for Gyokeres to make amends. Odegaard found Gabriel Martinelli on the right, Martinelli skipped past his marker and crossed for Gyokeres. Gyokeres wrestled his way in front of James Justin and volleyed the ball past Darlow’s attempt to keep it out.

It was such a good afternoon for Arsenal that, not content with one of their strikers scoring, a second added to the tally, too. Odegaard was the provider, sliding a ball into the feet of Gabriel Jesus, who had his back to goal.

Jesus twisted and turned away from Pascal Struijk, made a yard of space and then curled a shot beyond the despairing left hand of Darlow. When the final whistle went, there was barely a murmur from the Leeds fans. They had been silenced. Arsenal’s job was done. They were back in control.