Arsenal 5-0 Leeds United Player Ratings: Jurrien Timber Rated 8.5/10 As Arsenal Run Riot Against Leeds United At The Emirates

Arsenal took on Leeds United on matchday 2 of the English Premier League 2025/26 season on 23rd August, 2025, at 5:30 PM (GMT), at the Emirates Stadium in London. Arsenal were coming off a tight win against Manchester United in the first gameweek, while Leeds United were looking to build on their impressive outing against Everton in their last match.

Arsenal were the better of the two teams, as they kept possession for most of the time and pressed the Leeds United midfield and backline to win the ball quickly. Leeds did threaten on the counters but couldn't make the most out of their chances. Pascal Struijk's header in the 19th minute was brilliantly saved by David Raya to keep things level. Arsenal kept pushing, and they were rewarded with a corner. Declan Rice's delivery was met neatly by Jurrien Timber, whose finish put Arsenal in the lead in the 34th minute. Just before the halftime whistle, Rice again won the ball in the middle of the park and played it to Martin Zubimendi, who played it to Timber, who found Bukayo Saka in the penalty box with an incisive pass, and the Englishman made no mistake to finish it from a tight angle past a helpless Lucas Perri. The first half ended on a high note for Arsenal, while Leeds were left with a lot to improve in the second half.

In the second half, Arsenal still looked to be the better team as Leeds kept crumbling under the Gunners' sustained pressure. In the 48th minute, Viktor Gyokeres picked up the ball on the left-hand side of the pitch and drove past two players to finish it under Perri's near post. The Emirates went crazy as Gyokeres bagged his first Premier League goal, and the player seemed to be pumped up in his celebrations. Arsenal were not done yet, as Timber was on hand to finish from another Arsenal corner in the 56th minute. There was a VAR check due to a possible handball in the box, but the goal stood eventually. Leeds United tried hard but were unable to even get a sniff of Arsenal's goal after the only chance from Struijk. In the 92nd minute, Stach brought Max Dowman down in the penalty box and was penalized deservingly. Gyokeres stepped up and smashed it perfectly to make it five for Arsenal on the night. Here are the Arsenal vs Leeds United Player Ratings.

Arsenal Player Ratings

Here are Sportsdunia's Arsenal player ratings.

Goalkeeper:

David Raya - 7/10

The Spanish keeper didn't have much to do in the first half. Raya's distribution was on point, and he had good command of the penalty area. Made a fantastic save from Struijk in the 19th minute to keep things level.

Defenders:

Jurrien Timber - 8.5/10

Timber did make a couple of forward runs but was primarily located in a defensive role. He did lose the ball quite a few times, but made ground quickly to win possession back. Scored a perfect header from Declan Rice's corner to give Arsenal the lead in the first half. Timber scored again from a corner in the second half to finish off a five-star performance for the Gunners.

William Saliba - 6/10

The Frenchman played the ball out quite well from the back and always looked for a way forward with the ball. Saliba made quite a few interceptions in and around the box and kept Joel Piroe in check.

Gabriel Magalhaes - 6.5/10

Gabriel held the defensive line quite well and was on point with his passing. He covered the spaces efficiently and won a good number of tackles in and around the danger areas.

Riccardo Calafiori - 6/10

Riccardo Calafiori had a decent outing on the left-hand side. Calafiori made a good number of forward runs and was always a threat on the overlap. Defensively, he was sound, too.

Midfielders:

Martin Odegaard - 5.5/10

The skipper, Martin Odegaard, had a dull game according to his standards. The Norwegian misplaced a lot of passes, and his set-piece delivery seemed to be a bit sloppy, too.

Martin Zubimendi - 6/10

Arsenal's marquee signing, Martin Zubimendi, played quite well at the heart of the midfield. The Spanish midfielder controlled the tempo of the game quite well and was instrumental in winning a number of important duels in the middle of the park.

Declan Rice - 7/10

Rice had a decent game in the middle. The Englishman drove forward with the ball at times and made quite a few neat line-breaking passes for the forwards to latch onto. Delivered a perfect ball into the box from the corner, which Timber finished neatly.

Forwards:

Bukayo Saka - 7.5/10

Bukayo Saka was largely quiet in the first half. He was tightly marked by Gabriel Gudmundsson and limited his threat to a great extent. Saka's passing was on point, and he did put quite a few dangerous crosses into the Leeds penalty box. Doubled the lead for Arsenal just minutes before the first-half whistle with a strong right-footed finish.

Viktor Gyokeres - 7.5/10

Viktor Gyokeres had a rather silent game again, just like the match against Manchester United. The forward did drop deep at times to combine with his midfielders and pressed the Leeds backline quite efficiently. He did get a chance in the first half but lost his footing while taking the shot. He finally got his first goal in the Premier League with a classic striker's finish past Perri's near post. Smashed home a good penalty in the 92nd minute to make it five for the Gunners.

Noni Madueke - 6/10

Madueke was quite lively on the left-hand side, taking on Jayden Bogle at will. He did get the better of Bogle at times with his quick feet and pace and put in several dangerous crosses into the box.

Substitutes:

Ethan Nwaneri - 6/10

Leandro Trossard - 6/10

Max Dowman - 6/10

Myles Lewis-Skelly - 6/10

Cristhian Mosquera - 6/10

Manager:

Mikel Arteta - 6/10

Arteta fielded his usual 4-3-3 formation with his two marquee signings of the season, Zubimendi and Gyokeres, featuring again this week. His team pressed well and kept possession for most of the time. However, they were a bit lacking in the final third, as they failed to convert a good number of chances.

Leeds United Player Ratings

Here are Sportsdunia's Leeds United player ratings.

Goalkeeper:

Lucas Perri - 5.5/10

Perri was on point with his distribution, but was let down by his teammates at the back. He had very little to do with three of the Arsenal goals, except Gyokeres' one, which he should have at least gotten a hand on at his near post.

Defenders:

Jayden Bogle - 5/10

Bogle did struggle against Madueke's raw pace but was on hand to make ground quickly and blocked quite a few crosses, which could have been dangerous.

Joe Rodon - 5/10

Rodon was out of position at times and lacked pace to defend against the likes of Madueke and Gyokeres. He did block a few Arsenal shots and thwarted a couple of crosses from the box.

Pascal Struijk - 5.5/10

Leeds captain Pascal Struijk was the only player in the backline who had a decent game. His header in the first half was expertly saved by Raya. In defense, he made quite a few interceptions and held the defensive line quite well.

Gabriel Gudmundsson - 4.5/10

Gabriel Gudmundsson was the worst of the Leeds United defenders in this match. The left back was no match for Bukayo Saka and was left to bite the dust by the Englishman on numerous occasions.

Midfielders:

Ao Tanaka - 5/10

Tanaka failed to control the game for Leeds United in the middle of the park, as he was robbed of possession on numerous occasions and had his passes cut out in important places on the pitch.

Ilia Gruev - 6/10

Gruev had a decent game at the heart of the midfield. He intercepted a lot of threatening passes and didn't fear lunging into tackles in and around the danger areas.

Anton Stach - 4/10

Anton Stach made quite a few good runs on the right-hand side and played a few good passes for his teammates to latch on to. Unfortunately, he didn't get much help from his teammates and was left isolated in the middle for most of the time. Brought Max Dowman in the box in the 92nd minute to give away a silly penalty.

Forwards:

Daniel James - 6/10

Daniel James used his pace quite well to get behind the Arsenal defense at times, but lacked the final product. He did track back at times to help Bogle out in defensive transitions.

Joel Piroe - 5.5/10

Piroe was left isolated up front as he lacked service from his teammates. The forward did drop at times to hold the ball and pass it to a better-positioned teammate, but was majorly ineffective throughout the game.

Wilfried Gnonto - 5/10

Gnonto did a few tricks on the left-hand side and got the better of Jurrien Timber at times; however, the Dutch fullback was on hand to quickly make amends for his mistakes.

Substitutes:

Sean Longstaff - 5/10

Lukas Nmecha - 5/10

Brenden Aaronson - 5/10

Noah Okafor - 5/10

Sam Byram - NA

Manager:

Daniel Farke - 6/10

Farke went with a similar 4-3-3 formation with two pacy wingers up front in the form of Daniel James and Wilfried Gnonto. His team lacked the composure in the midfield and gave possession away way too cheaply. They lacked concentration in defensive phases, especially in the set-pieces, and that's where Arsenal hurt them the most. Their offensive game was quite dull too, making it a day to forget overall at the Emirates Stadium.

Sportsdunia Player of the Match: Jurrien Timber