Gyökeres Scores Twice as Arsenal Thrash Leeds

Triumph came at a price for Mikel Arteta as Bukayo Saka and Martin Ødegaard limped off injured, a mere eight days before Arsenal’s journey to Liverpool.

 

Viktor Gyökeres netted his inaugural two goals for Arsenal, as the Gunners delivered a stern lesson to Leeds on the rigors of Premier League football with a resounding 5-0 victory at the Emirates.

 

This success, however, was bittersweet for Arteta, with Saka and Ødegaard sustaining injuries ahead of the crucial Liverpool clash.

 

Arsenal nudged ahead of their north London adversaries Tottenham at the league’s summit, distinguished by goal difference, as the sole teams to maintain an unblemished record from their opening two fixtures.

 

Saka unleashed a ferocious strike from a tight angle to extend the hosts’ advantage after Jurrien Timber initially found the net.

 

Gyökeres, recruited from Sporting Lisbon to fulfill Arsenal’s quest for a clinical number nine, made an emphatic statement.

 

Arsenal’s Swedish forward, #14 Viktor Gyökeres, celebrated scoring the team’s fifth goal from the penalty spot alongside midfielder #41 Declan Rice during the Premier League clash against Leeds United at the Emirates Stadium in London on August 23, 2025. (Photo by HENRY NICHOLLS / AFP)

 

Despite his prolific record of 97 goals in 102 appearances for Sporting, Gyökeres’ aptitude for the Premier League had been questioned. Yet, he silenced doubters with a splendid individual run and finish, followed by Timber bundling in his second from another Declan Rice corner.

 

Gyökeres completed the rout from the penalty spot with virtually the game’s final kick.

 

A day of festivity for the home supporters commenced pre-match as new £60 million ($81 million) acquisition Eberechi Ezi was unveiled, having spurned a move to Tottenham.

 

However, the sight of captain Ødegaard and talisman Saka departing the field marred the otherwise routine triumph.

 

Arsenal had previously relied on set-piece prowess to eke out a 1-0 victory at Manchester United on the season’s opening weekend.

 

Despite a dominant opening, it was a set-piece that breached the Leeds defense.

 

Timber, who had scored just twice in 52 Arsenal outings prior to Saturday, doubled his tally by nodding in Rice’s enticing delivery at 34 minutes.

 

Ødegaard then exited the pitch, seemingly injuring his shoulder after a heavy fall.

 

Saka soon reignited the Emirates crowd, drilling Timber’s pass high past Lucas Perri with his ostensibly weaker right foot.

 

Gyökeres had once been a target for Leeds during his stint with Coventry in the Championship before his Portuguese sojourn.

 

Arsenal’s new £66 million signing displayed to the Yorkshire side what they had missed, darting onto Riccardo Calafiori’s lofted pass and cutting inside to fire home at the near post.

 

Saka, who had missed nearly four months of the previous season due to a hamstring injury, concerningly grasped his left leg when substituted at 53 minutes.

 

Arsenal added a fourth when Leeds failed to clear yet another Rice corner, and Timber forced the ball over the line from close range.

 

Arteta then indulged in the luxury of introducing 15-year-old Max Dowman for his Premier League debut.

 

Dowman became the second youngest player to feature in the English top-flight, following team-mate Ethan Nwaneri.

 

Dowman’s deftness earned a penalty deep into stoppage time, which Gyökeres converted with enthusiasm.