Gunners coast to victory at Leeds

Leeds 1 Arsenal 4

In a week when Leeds announced record losses off the pitch the dearth of riches on the field was plain to see as Premiership leaders Arsenal coasted to victory.

The Elland Road club lost nearly £50m last year but that will not bother manager Peter Reid half as much as the way they were totally out-classed by the Gunners.

Two goals from man of the match Thierry Henry maintained Arsenal’s unbeaten Premiership record this season and kept them top of the table.

The Frenchman’s first-half strikes sandwiched an effort from fellow countryman Robert Pires and Brazilian Gilberto Silva made it 4-0 before Alan Smith grabbed a consolation for the home side.

And while Arsenal are sitting pretty, a win for Leicester tomorrow at home to Blackburn would put Reid’s team bottom.

Leeds striker Mark Viduka failed to recover from a back injury so Michael Bridges, who deputised in the midweek Carling Cup defeat to Manchester United, retained his place up front alongside Alan Smith for a first Premiership start of the season.

Brazil defender Roque Junior and Lamine Sakho were the other two changes from last weekend’s 3-1 defeat to Liverpool, replacing Dominic Matteo (injured) and James Milner, who dropped to the bench.

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger changed his entire line-up from the one which struggled to overcome Rotherham on penalties in the Carling Cup, restoring en bloc the side which drew with Charlton.

Lamine Sakho was in the action early on for the home side, shooting straight at goalkeeper Jens Lehmann from the edge of the penalty area and, although in an offside position, screwing another effort wide.

But Leeds fell to the sucker punch when Ashley Cole lofted the ball down the left wing for Arsenal’s first attack in the eighth minute.

Henry out-paced Zoumana Camara to slide a right-foot shot past Paul Robinson’s left hand and into the far corner of the net for his 11th goal of the season.

Arsenal displayed the difference between the sides with another piece of clinical finishing from their second attack in the 17th minute.

Dennis Bergkamp, in the right-back position released Freddie Ljungberg down the line and he cut inside in an attempt to pick out Gilberto Silva.

The Brazilian could not reach the pass but Pires was charging in at the far post and he side-footed home from close-range.

With a two-goal cushion Arsenal, ominously for Leeds, started to venture forward with more purpose and the hosts resorted to illegal means to stop them with David Batty appearing to catch Cole in the face with an arm, although he escaped with only the concession of a free-kick.

A frustrated Batty was then needlessly booked for dissent in the 28th minute but things got much worse moments later when the Gunners broke from a corner.

Bergkamp exchanged passes with Ray Parlour before the Dutchman unleashed a shot with the outside of his right foot from the edge of the penalty area with the defence visibly dissolving in front of him.

It rebounded off a post but it was no surprise to see the lurking Henry knock in his second to virtually wrap up the game with only half-an-hour gone.

Leeds continued to struggle to span the class divide and Henry should have completed a first-half hat-trick two minutes from the interval when Bergkamp played him in on the right of the penalty area but the Frenchman blazed over.

Reid’s second-half response was to send on midfielder Milner for Bridges to play in the hole behind Smith – such was Leeds’ paucity of strikers – but it was to no avail as Arsenal went 4-0 up just five minutes in.

Salomon Olembe fouled Ljungberg on Leeds’ left, Bergkamp sent a deep free-kick to Pires and he cut back for Gilberto to drill home from 15 yards.

Sakho pounced on Olembe’s deflected drive two minutes later but Lehmann parried the shot on the turn and Smith could not reach the rebound before the keeper.

The service to the Leeds forwards did not improve and the Sakho was soon replaced by Aaron Lennon on the hour.

The youngster had an immediate impact as two minutes after his arrival his left-wing cross produced a goal out of the blue as Smith stabbed home for his fourth of the season.

Leeds renewed their efforts and Smith hit a low shot hit a low shot against the post, although a linesman’s flag prevented the chasing pack capitalising.

Edu, a 70th-minute substitute for Ljungberg, drove through the midfield in the 78th minute but when the ball finally fell to Henry his perfectly-placed shot was destined for goal when it hit Parlour and bounced to safety.

Aliadiere, on for Bergkamp, then showed he has some way to go to match master marksman Henry as he missed a free header from five yards but it made little difference.