Arsenal gave Leeds a harsh lesson in the step up to the premier league with a 5-0 win at the Emirates Stadium.
The Gunners’ Swedish striker, Viktor Gyokeres, scored his first two Arsenal goals, while Jurrien Timber also scored twice.
The victory came at a cost for Mikel Arteta as Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard hobbled off injured just eight days before Arsenal’s trip to Liverpool.
Saka, who had scored a blistering strike from a narrow angle, was replaced on 53 minutes, holding the back of his left leg.
Odegaard had earlier departed with a shoulder injury.
Gyokeres, signed from Sporting Lisbon as the solution to Arsenal’s need for a killer number nine, showed his ability with a fine individual run and finish.
He rounded off the scoring from the penalty spot with virtually the last kick of the game.
Arsenal dominated the game, with Declan Rice’s set-pieces proving crucial in prizing open the Leeds defense.
Timber scored his first goal from a Rice corner, and the Dutch international doubled his tally with another header from a Rice delivery.
Mikel Arteta handed a premier league debut to 15-year-old Max Dowman, who became the second-youngest ever player to play in the English top-flight.
Dowman’s trickery won a penalty deep into stoppage time, which Gyokeres gratefully dispatched.
