Arteta challenges match-winner Guimaraes to make even great impact 

JOB DONE: Arsenal's Bruno Guimaraes salutes the fans following the Premier League match at Emirates Stadium, London. Pic: John Walton/PA Wire

Mikel Arteta has challenged Bruno Guimaraes to take Arsenal to another level after the £75million man scored on his home debut to complete a comeback victory for the Premier League champions.

Arsenal were standing on the precipice of a second consecutive defeat when James Justin fired Leeds into a well-deserved lead at a shell-shocked Emirates Stadium.

However, Riccardo Calafiori struck back for Arsenal just seven minutes later before Guimaraes sealed the victory with a fine low finish from Declan Rice’s sumptuous backheel.

Guimaraes was substituted in the second half of the Gunners’ shock 3-0 defeat at Brighton prior to the international break – the former Newcastle midfielder’s sole league start for his new employers.

The Brazil international reverted to the bench for the visit of Leeds before delivering the decisive blow just four minutes after coming on.

And Arteta said: “This is the level for Arsenal, every week, every game, every minute, every action that you have to be at.

“Against Brighton he wasn’t at that level, and today he was much better, and he can still be much better, and that’s what we have to demand.

“I demand it from myself, and I’m going to demand the same with my players because if we do that we will raise the standards and we’ll be a better team.

“He’s still not in the best condition because he did not have a pre-season. But he’s done it twice, (scoring from the bench) against Sunderland and now against Leeds, and that’s the quality needed at this level to continue to win.” Arsenal were below their best against a well-drilled Leeds side.

However, their revival – 21 days after their shock defeat to Brighton – puts their championship defence back on course, and places the onus on Manchester City, with Enzo Maresca’s side contesting their first match since the club were found guilty of an avalanche of financial breaches, at Liverpool on Sunday.

Arteta continued: “The first few days, week (after the Brighton defeat) were not great, especially because you question yourself, and what we didn’t do in that game. My eyes were in pain, but we had to learn from it.

“We knew it was going to be really tough today. We are coming back after three weeks without 16 players and after a heavy defeat. We had a point to prove.

“Leeds are incredibly dangerous and we got into a situation, with a 12:30 kick-off at home, after a defeat, and that is a bad mixture. But we got out of that through our desire to win, our personality and courage that we have in this team, and we know that we are going to need that every single week.” For Leeds, it marked their first defeat of the season.

Manager Daniel Farke said: “I am heartbroken and gutted for my players because they deserve to travel back with points. And after such a good performance to travel back without any points is tough.

“But it is down to the mentality that Mikel has created here that even on a tough day they find a way.

“They found the equaliser, and, as the champions, they gained momentum, and they used that momentum to take the lead.

“We tried everything in the final stages, but it wasn’t to be. Once the dust has settled, we will take the positives from the game.”

PA