Keown: Guimaraes 'another level' as Arsenal beat Leeds

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Bruno Guimaraes needed only a cameo off the bench to change the complexion of Arsenal's afternoon, and Martin Keown was left purring at what he saw.

Arsenal trailed Leeds United 1-0 at home after James Justin's 55th-minute strike capped a first-half performance in which the visitors were, by most accounts, the better side. Riccardo Calafiori levelled things up in the 62nd minute, turning in a Ben White header from a Noni Madueke cross, but it was what followed that really shifted the momentum.

Mikel Arteta made a triple substitution, withdrawing White, Kai Havertz and Myles Lewis-Skelly for Jurrien Timber, Viktor Gyokeres and Guimaraes. Within minutes, the Brazilian had won the ball back high up the pitch, and the game opened up from there. Martin Odegaard began dictating play, releasing Declan Rice, who in turn set up Guimaraes with a clever flick. The summer signing finished emphatically into the bottom corner to seal a 2-1 comeback win.

Keown hails Guimaraes' impact

Speaking to TNT Sports, former Arsenal defender Martin Keown was effusive about the difference Guimaraes made after coming on.

“If you're gonna be champions again, to repeat it, you have to win these games. And Arsenal found a way to win,” Keown said. “But, credit Leeds, I thought Leeds were outstanding, compact. In the duels they were tenacious.

“And then suddenly Bruno Guimaraes comes off the bench, and he plays with that electricity, a personality. Ok, Calafiori gets the equaliser, but it goes to another level [after the subs]. Suddenly you see all the intricate football from Odegaard, and Arsenal are flying again and look like champions.”

Keown was also quick to credit Arteta's decision-making. “Credit to the manager, with the wonderful players on the bench he has at his disposal, he got it right, the timing was right,” he added.

On Guimaraes specifically, Keown did not hold back. “This man here, he's really endeared himself to the faithful here. He's another level. He's the sort of player you buy when you're champions. Personality, he's oozing class, that sort of devilment — I'm gonna win this game. The goal he gets, he starts, finishes it. He's made a big announcement now that he's an Arsenal player.”

Cole: 'A joy to watch'

Fellow pundit Joe Cole described Guimaraes' winner as a “thing of beauty”. He said: “From a Leeds perspective, when you get beaten by something, and there's nothing you can do about it, it's just gut-wrenching. But that's what champions do. And that's the quality that this Arsenal team has got. They're actually a joy to watch.”

The win follows a 3-0 defeat at Brighton before the international break, and comes with Arsenal looking to keep pace in what Keown called a “phony title race”. Guimaraes' impact off the bench will only add to the debate over Arteta's squad depth as the campaign continues.