Arsenal came from behind to beat Leeds United 2-1 at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday, with Riccardo Calafiori equalising and substitute Bruno Guimarães scoring the winner eight minutes later. James Justin had put Leeds ahead, but the reigning champions moved to 15 points.
London, England: For 55 minutes, nothing separated the two sides. The first half finished goalless, and Leeds United, who arrived in fifth place and unbeaten after five matches, had every reason to believe they could leave north London with something. Then the match opened up, and it opened up fast.
Justin gives Leeds the lead
The breakthrough came in the 55th minute. James Justin found a way past David Raya and Gabriel Magalhães to put the visitors in front, a goal that followed a lapse in Arsenal’s defending.
Leeds came into the afternoon on nine points from five matches, with two wins and three draws. A win would have kept them pushing towards the top four. For a few minutes, that was exactly where the game was heading.
Calafiori answers
Arsenal needed a response and found one in the 62nd minute. Riccardo Calafiori levelled the score for the home side, only seven minutes after Justin had struck.
It changed the shape of the afternoon. Leeds had led, and now they had to defend a draw against a team that had found its rhythm.
Guimarães turns it round
Mikel Arteta turned to his bench, and it paid off. Bruno Guimarães, who joined from Newcastle United in the summer, came off the bench and scored in the 70th minute with a low finish at the end of a flowing Arsenal move. Eight minutes after Calafiori’s equaliser, Arsenal had turned a deficit into a lead, and Leeds never recovered.
What the win means
The three points lifted Arsenal to 15 from six matches, up from 12 before kick-off, when they were second in the table. They have now won five of their six league games this season, a run that began with a 3-0 win over Coventry City at the same ground on the opening weekend.
For Leeds, this was a first league defeat of the season. They had led, they had matched the champions for long stretches, and they still left without a point. Their challenge now is to show that one lost lead does not become a pattern.
Result: Arsenal 2 (Calafiori 62′, Guimarães 70′) Leeds United 1 (Justin 55′). Half-time: 0-0.
Competition: Premier League, Emirates Stadium, London, Saturday 10 October 2026.
