"Saliba calls for trophy victories as he encourages Arsenal to capitalize on their Man Utd success"

In a thrilling start to the 2025-26 Premier League season, Arsenal secured a 1-0 victory over Leeds United at the Emirates Stadium. This was Arsenal's third league win in their last 19 attempts against United, and their 14th consecutive success against their Yorkshire rivals in all competitions.

Mikel Arteta's men started the game on the front foot, with Martin Zubimendi and Viktor Gyokeres making their Premier League debuts for the Gunners. The deadlock was broken in the first half when Riccardo Calafiori found the back of the net, marking his first goal for the club.

Leeds, who began their campaign with a win over Everton, showed resilience and managed to record a clean sheet in their first league match of the season for the first time in 13 years. However, Lukas Nmecha turned out to be Leeds' downfall as he scored the winning penalty in the 84th minute, becoming the first Leeds substitute to score on their Premier League debut since Alan Smith in November 1998.

The match saw Arsenal maintain their unbeaten run against promoted sides, with their last defeat coming against Sheffield United in January 2019. If they avoid defeat in their upcoming game, they will match Chelsea's record for the longest unbeaten home streak against promoted sides in the competition.

Arsenal's title aspirations were underlined by William Saliba, who spoke about the team's ambition to score in any context and win every game this season. The French defender's comments echoed the club's finish in the top two over the last three campaigns in the top-flight.

Leeds, on the other hand, have struggled away at Arsenal, losing 10 of their last 12 Premier League games there. Their away woes continued, with Leeds failing to keep a clean sheet in their last 14 visits to Arsenal. In the Premier League specifically, Leeds are on a seven-game losing streak away from home.

The Opta win probability for the match was 70.4% for Arsenal, 17.2% for a draw, and 12.5% for Leeds, reflecting the dominance of the home side throughout the game.

In the 2024-25 season, Gyokeres scored an impressive 39 goals in the Primeira Liga for Sporting CP, the most in a single top-flight season in Portugal since Jardel's 42 goals for Sporting in 2001-02. The Swede's impact was not felt in this game, but his goalscoring prowess will undoubtedly be crucial for Leeds as the season progresses.

Daniel Farke, who coached Norwich City before his current engagement at Leeds United, will be hoping to turn things around for his side as they face tough challenges ahead in the Premier League.