It was a significant investment to sign Noni Madueke from Chelsea in the summer, but it was moments like this that are why Arsenal may start seeing a real return.
The sight of Bukayo Saka walking off during the warm-up with a physio by his side before this clash with Leeds would have sent shivers down the spines of Gunners supporters and maybe even the rest of the squad in previous seasons.
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Of course, it won’t have been a moment that filled them with joy and they will wait nervously to see how long their talisman will be out for.
While it may have also slightly added to the apprehension beforehand that their grip on this Premier League title race might be slipping after last weekend’s dramatic loss to Manchester United, capped a three-game winless run.
Yet now Mikel Arteta has such strength in depth means it wasn’t exactly panic stations. The £48m man was put into the warm-up on the right-hand side and stepped up when needed. This may be the difference this term from previous title runs by the Spaniard’s side. Now he can count on talent off the bench, which have come at a huge cost but gives them so many options.
There have been doubts as to why Arsenal spent on Madueke. He has looked good in the Champions League but flattered to deceive somewhat in England’s top tier, certainly when it came to end product – before this afternoon, anyway.
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These days, when stats are regurgitated more than ever, nuanced debates about nice touches and movement fall by the wayside. Particularly when you have given a rival club such a sum to prise him from their possession.
Bukayo Saka was replaced in the Arsenal team ahead of kick off due to a late injury (Arsenal FC via Getty Images)
That Madueke came into this game without a goal involvement in the Premier League since last April, when he was still in the blue of Chelsea, was a stick his critics were continuing to beat him with.
But when it was confirmed he would take Saka’s spot on the right, it felt like a moment for him to somewhat silence them.
If Arsenal had lost here and Madueke drawn yet another blank while giving the chance to Manchester City and Aston Villa to close the gap further, then the naysayers would have honed in on the England winger.
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In the end, it was easy for Arsenal, and they were hugely helped by how Madueke took his chance to show what he can do.
Martin Zubimendi scored the opener with a headed effort at Elland Road (Mike Egerton/PA Wire)
It was his fine cross that Martin Zubimendi rose to head in for the opener. The previous 20 minutes had not been inspiring for the Gunners, who operated in a 4-4-2 in possession but struggled to find gaps in a well-drilled Leeds defence.
Madueke’s cross was the lock breaker, though. It was 11 minutes later when he whipped his left boot around a corner, which swung dangerously towards the hosts’ goal.
Of course, Leeds goalkeeper Karl Darlow should have done better than punch it into his own net. While Dominic Calvert-Lewin should have either got out of his way or been forced to move.
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But it was the quality of the corner that caused the mistake. Madueke now has two assists after it was confirmed to be an own goal by Darlow.
Karl Darlow’s own goal doubled Arsenal’s lead before half-time (Action Images via Reuters)
The fact Arteta could turn to club captain Martin Odegaard – who was dropped for Kai Havertz but then replaced him – and Gabriel Martinelli just after the hour mark further showed the strength on his bench.
Martinelli came on for Madueke and he was the provider for Viktor Gyokeres in the 69th minute. The Swedish striker turned home the cross off his shin after taking advantage of some poor defending from the hosts.
Gabriel Jesus, Riccardo Calafiori and Eberechi Eze later emerged into the Yorkshire rain to further underpin the strength of Arsenal’s squad.
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It was Jesus who rounded off the rout with five minutes to go. It came from a clever pass from Odegaard and a cute turn before a fine finish. Did we mention the strength in depth?
Viktor Gyokeres scored a much needed goal before Gabriel Jesus added a fourth (Mike Egerton/PA Wire)
Despite a brief bout of Leeds pressure in the early moments of the second half, Arsenal comfortably relieved some of the tension that had been building around their lead in the title race by getting back to winning ways.
That advantage at the top of the table is seven points again, and it is up to City and Villa to respond as we enter February.
This Arsenal side may not be the easiest league leaders on the eye, but they are certainly effective and this was a display of them getting back to that routine.
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Their trip to Leeds was disrupted by fog, which meant they couldn’t fly and instead took a 200-mile coach trip north. Yet they will certainly have felt like they were flying high again on the return journey.
