Gyokeres shines as Arsenal thumps Leeds by five
Arsenal striker Viktor Gyokeres netted his first two goals to announce himself to the Premier League and defender Jurrien Timber scored twice in a 5-0 thrashing of Leeds United at Emirates Stadium.
The loss of captain Martin Odegaard and winger Bukayo Saka to injury took some of the shine off Arsenal's second win of the new season, but the presentation of new signing Eberechi Eze before the match would have brought smiles.
After beating Everton 1-0 in its opener a week ago, Leeds started brightly but began to crumble when Timber gave Arsenal the lead in the 34th minute with a superb glancing header from Declan Rice's corner.
He then played in Saka for the England international to score in first-half stoppage-time to send the home side into the break 2-0 up.
By then Odegaard had trudged off the field after picking up an injury, but the midfielder was barely missed as his side hit its stride and its new big-money striker took centre-stage.
Having joined Arsenal from Sporting Lisbon, Sweden international Gyokeres got the goal he so desperately desired with a cool finish three minutes after the break.
He picked the ball up on the left and cut inside before firing a low shot in at the near post.
The 53rd minute loss of Saka, who had taken the captain's armband from Odegaard, was quickly forgotten as Timber added the fourth goal, scuffing the ball home after Leeds failed to clear another corner.
The Yorkshire side battled bravely but came up short in almost every department as Arsenal easily played through its attempts to press.
With the points all but wrapped up, 15-year-old Max Dowman was handed a debut by Mikel Arteta: the second youngest in Premier League history after Ethan Nwaneri, also with Arsenal.
Dowman repaid his manager's faith by winning a penalty that Gyokeres fired home to make it 5-0.
An early snatched finish in the first half hinted at the pressure Gyokeres was feeling, but once he got his goal in the second half he settled down and began looking like a proven Premier League goal-poacher.
"I think there's always pressure, but I know I'll take my chances sooner or later, and today I took two of them and we won 5-0, so it was a great day," the 27-year-old said before sending a warning to the rest of the league.
"We have so many amazing players going forward, and I think for me, it's just important to be in the right place ... I think we will get a lot of chances during the season."
Leeds boss Daniel Farke insisted that his side's crushing defeat would not define its 2025-2026 campaign.
"It was always a difficult [task] for us, travelling here without our most important player, our captain Ethan Ampadu," Farke said.
"And then, of course, you wish to have Arsenal after a Champions League game or something, not their first home game of the season and on the back of a big win away at Manchester United.
"All of their new signings were paraded before the game, the stadium was buzzing, and they are on it. The first 10-15 minutes we had to suffer and then I think we came back into the game. Struijk's header was the best chance of the game, but it was a very good save from their keeper.
"It was annoying to concede out of a set piece. We underestimated their counter press a little bit, and they scored out for a difficult angle for 2-0.
"Second half, five shots on target, five goals. It is difficult when they are so effective. Long story short, they were the better side and deserved to win this game.
"If you want to come away with points on such nights, you have to be better in these situations. But, we know this is not a season-defining game for us."
