Leeds v Arsenal ratings: Struijk 8, Rodrigo 5; Ramsdale 8, Jesus 6

Gunners hang on for precious three points at Elland Road

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  LEEDS UNITED RATINGS: Illan Meslier (GK) 6 – Saved comfortably from a Jesus header and denied the Brazilian again on the stroke of half-time. However, he was slow to react when Saka combined with Odegaard to break the deadlock, though he could very little about what was a sensational finish. Reuters

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  Rasmus Kristensen 7 – Leeds were aggressive and on the front foot, characterised perfectly by Kristensen’s tackling throughout. The best example of this was when he tracked back to thwart Martinelli on the break. The Dane dealt well with the Arsenal winger. AFP

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  Robin Koch 6 – Grew into the game and looked more composed after the break. PA

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  Liam Cooper (c) 6 – Handled Jesus well for the most part, though he was guilty of being static at times. PA

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  Pascal Struijk 8 – Made life difficult for Saka. He made one particular block to deny the England international a free shot at goal. PA

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  Tyler Adams 7 – Worked extremely hard throughout and was everywhere on the pitch. He sometimes lacked quality on the attack, but you couldn’t fault his hustle. AFP

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  Marc Roca 6 – Put Saliba under pressure in the build-up to Leeds’ penalty, forcing the Frenchman into handling the ball. Action Images

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  Luis Sinisterra 8 – Set out the home side’s intent with several chances on goal. He tested Ramsdale twice from distance and again from close range, He also put White under pressure, and got the better of the former Brighton defender. AFP

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  Brenden Aaronson 7 – Seemed absolutely pumped for his battle with Martinelli and did a decent job, his energetic defending appreciated by the home crowd. Getty

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  Jack Harrison 6 – Had a good chance on goal to level the scores before the break but his effort in the closing stages flew over the bar. Reuters

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  Rodrigo 5 – It was from his wild pass that Saka intercepted and Arsenal broke the deadlock. At the other end, he was involved in a high-tempo move in the first half that had the Leeds fans on their feet, and he hit the woodwork on another occasion following good work from Sinisterra. Hooked at the break. AFP

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  SUBS: Patrick Bamford (Rodrigo, 46) 7 – Made an immediate impact when he put the ball in the net within a minute of coming on, but he was adjudged to have nudged his opponent in the back in the build-up, and the goal was ruled out. Came close again when he forced Ramsdale into a save. Most crucially, though, he missed from the penalty spot when he had a chance to equalise. AFP

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  Mateusz Klich (Harrison, 76) N/A – Settled in well but didn’t make a huge impact. Getty

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  Crysencio Summerville (Roca, 84) N/A – Had the best chance of the game after combining well on the right, but he could only send his effort high over the bar. AFP

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  Joe Gelhardt (Sinisterra, 89) N/A – Not really given enough time to make a difference. Getty

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  ARSENAL RATINGS: Aaron Ramsdale 8 – The busier of the two goalkeepers, Ramsdale saved well from Sinisterra several times, and Bamford on numerous occasions in the second half. Kept Arsenal in it. Action Images

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  Ben White 5 – Had to be on his toes to stick to the lively Sinisterra, and was given a rough ride by the Colombian. AFP

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  William Saliba 7 – Top class in the first half but came under a lot of pressure in the second. Leeds were relentless in their press, which culminated in the handball that led to their penalty. Showed incredible composure with the ball at his feet throughout. Getty

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  Gabriel 4 – His late red card, which was then changed to a yellow following a kick out on Bamford, summed up his afternoon. His passing was laboured at times, and he struggled to deal with Leeds’ pace on the attack, even more so when Bamford came on. Getty

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  Takehiro Tomiyasu 4 – The weak link in the Arsenal line-up, he invited pressure on the back line, and didn’t offer the kind of attacking support to Martinelli that, say, Kieran Tierney, might have done. Getty

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  Granit Xhaka 7 – Another fine captain’s performance from the Swiss midfielder. He took players on, looked comfortable when passing, and rallied the troops when Arsenal tried to regroup with a team huddle in the second half. Reuters

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  Thomas Partey 5 – An anonymous afternoon for the Frenchman. He was better off the ball than he was on it, and was guilty of losing possession and giving the ball away too cheaply. Couldn’t live with Leeds’ pressure in the second half. Action Images

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  Gabriel Martinelli 6 – Found himself under intense pressure from Kristensen and Aaronson throughout, and struggled to make an impact without any meaningful support from Tomiyasu. Reuters

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  Martin Odegaard (c) 6 – Received the ball in a lot of tight spaces and played a lot of neat one-twos and triangles to fashion shooting opportunities. Combined well with Saka for the goal. PA

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  Bukayo Saka 7 – Playing on the right-hand side, Saka was a constant menace, threading balls through to his team mates and occupying pockets of space that Leeds found hard to deal with. He seized a wayward pass from Rordigo and combined with Odegaard before thrashing the ball into the top corner to break the deadlock. Disappeared in the second half. AFP

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  Gabriel Jesus 6 – Opportunities were limited for the Brazilian. He came closest on the stroke of half-time, but his effort was saved by Meslier. PA

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  SUBS: Fabio Vieira (Odegaard, 73) N/A – A surprising change given that Arsenal were under so much pressure defensively. Couldn’t match Odegaard’s quality on the ball. Getty

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  Kieran Tierney (White, 76) N/A – His introduction enabled Tomiyasu to move to right-back. Struggled to deal with Leeds’ attacking play. Reuters

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  Rob Holding (Saka, 82) N/A – Added a calm presence when needed, and did well to pull Gabriel away from what could have been more trouble. Reuters

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  Eddie Nketiah (Jesus, 82) N/A – Came close with a neat flick at the front post late on. Action Images

Arsenal held on for a scrappy 1-0 win over Leeds in an eventful match brimming with controversy to stay top of the Premier League on Sunday.

Leeds missed a penalty and had another overturned during a review in a game that was delayed for nearly 40 minutes after an electrical fault at Elland Road led to the players coming off just two minutes in.

After it resumed, Bukayo Saka broke the deadlock in the 35th minute when the England forward smashed the ball high into the net from close range after receiving a pass from captain Martin Odegaard.

Leeds sent on forward Patrick Bamford to start the second half and the change looked to be an inspired one. The Englishman put the ball in the Arsenal goal within minutes only for it to be ruled out for a push on defender Gabriel.

With Leeds pressing, Arsenal defender William Saliba gave away a penalty for handling in the area. Bamford stepped up but sent the ball wide.

The home side continued to pressure the league leaders and appeared to have secured another opportunity to equalise when referee Chris Kavanagh sent off Arsenal’s Gabriel for lashing out at Bamford and awarded a penalty in stoppage time.

However, he overturned both the sending off and the penalty award after reviewing footage of the incident at the pitchside monitor.

Player ratings from Elland Road can be seen in the gallery above. To view the next image, just swipe.