AFCON 2025
Bruno Guimaraes came off the bench to fire Arsenal to a 2-1 comeback victory over Leeds United at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday, lifting the champions after their 3-0 defeat at Brighton last month before the international break.
Leeds United were the better side for the opening hour and broke the deadlock in the 55th minute. Gabriel Gudmundsson swung a cross low across the face of goal and it flew past a sprawling David Raya. James Justin smashed the ball into the roof of the net from the back post to give the visitors the lead.
However, the lead lasted only a few minutes as Arsenal responded within seven minutes. Ben White set up Riccardo Calafiori, who converted at close range to level the match. Mikel Arteta pressed ahead with a triple change, bringing on Guimaraes, Jurrien Timber and Viktor Gyokeres for Myles Lewis-Skelly, White and Kai Havertz, and the substitutes transformed the game – a testament to Arsenal’s depth.
Eight minutes after Calafiori’s goal, Guimaraes won it. Declan Rice flicked the ball into his path on the edge of the box, and the Brazilian finished the move he helped start for his first goal at the Emirates.
The result is Leeds’ first defeat of the Premier League season, though they remain fourth. Arsenal now sit level with Manchester City on the division’s best points total. Guimaraes, who joined from Newcastle in the summer, now has two league goals for the club, both as a substitute, the first coming in the 2-0 win at Sunderland last month.
Arsenal will take plenty of confidence from the way they turned the game around, and Guimaraes has made a strong case for a bigger role in the side.
