FORTUNE FAVOURS TITLE-CHASING GUNNERS AS GAP AT TOP OPENS UP

A BATTLING win at Elland Road extended Arsenal’s lead at the top of the table and it is increasingly likely that Mikel Arteta’s side will go into the winter break as the Premier League front-runners.

- Dan Kilpatrick 

Leeds 0

Arsenal 1 

Saka 35 

Manchester City’s defeat by Liverpool ensured Arsenal have a four-point cushion over the champions with four League games to play before the Premier League breaks for the World Cup. Arteta’s side could even lose at Chelsea next month and still resume at the summit on Boxing Day. 

The head coach has naturally resisted talk of a title race, but going into the six-week hiatus as League leaders would be a significant statement. It would be harder to play down a title challenge if Arsenal ‘win’ the first half of the campaign, and doing so would boost confidence and energise the squad when the majority return from Qatar in late December. Leading the way would also come with added pressure, and the next question for Arteta’s side is whether they can cope with soaring expectations and, as the only unbeaten club in the top flight, the sense that they are now a prized scalp.

Aaron Ramsdale, the outstanding player here yesterday, dismissed the suggestion that Arsenal are feeling the pressure of leading the way.

“No, we go into every game with a big smile on our faces, trying to win,”