After A Landslide Win Over Leeds, Arteta Praises Three Arsenal Star Players

JAKARTA - Arsenal coach Mikel Arteta did not hesitate to praise his team's players after a landslide victory over Leeds in the 18th week of the 2021/2022 Premier League. The players who received appreciation this time were Gabriel Martinelli, Bukayo Saka to Emil Smith Rowe.

The three players did manage to determine the victory for the Gunners in the match which took place at Elland Road Stadium on Sunday, December 19 in the early hours of WIB. In a 4-1 win over Leeds, Martinelli managed to score two goals in the 16th minute, followed by a second goal in the 28th minute.

With two goals at Leeds this time around, Martinelli has four goals and two assists in the 11 games he has played with Arsenal in the Premier League this season. With that achievement, Arteta is clearly proud and satisfied with Martinelli's performance.

"That's what Gabi (Gabriel Martinelli) can do. He's gotten to a level of maturity over time and he's a player who really wants to learn. The passion in his life is football and you could see that on the pitch tonight, it was incredible," Arteta said. post-match quoted from Arsenal's official website.

After the Arsenal goal tap was opened by Martinelli, another number was created by Bukayo Saka in the 42nd minute. The nick again made Arsenal three goals ahead in the first half. Entering the second half, The Gunners had conceded one point because Leeds scored their first goal through Raphael which made the position 3-1.

Not happy with this, Arteta immediately reshuffled the team. He fielded young Arsenal playmaker Emil Smith Rowe from the bench. The coach's choice was right, because Rowe managed to record his seventh goal in this competition which also made Arsenal back ahead until the match ended with a score of 4-1.

"In this match Emile Smith Rowe's performance was also extraordinary. He has scored seven goals in the (English) league which is an extraordinary number. We want him to continue to score goals and help the team win," continued Arteta.

Not only giving praise to the players who scored in this match, Arteta also gave appreciation to Alexandre Lacazette for his role even though he did not score. Arteta also admitted that he was satisfied with the performance of his team, which had a busy schedule this week.

"Alexandre Lacazette has great talent, he makes the players around him better. It was a great performance from the players," he explained.

"We have three games in a week, a very physical match. I am very happy with what my team finally showed this time," said Arteta.

The victory over Leeds was their third successive win in domestic competition. These three points also make Arsenal increasingly solidify their position in the top four standings with a collection of 32 points.