Arsenal fans won’t be happy after hearing what the Premier League have just done ahead of Leeds clash

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Arsenal host newly promoted Leeds United in the Premier League at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday evening.

The Yorkshire side kicked off their campaign with an impressive 1-0 victory over Everton at Elland Road on Monday night, claiming all three points courtesy of a late penalty from Lukas Nmecha.

Meanwhile, Arsenal also won their first game of the new season, defeating Manchester United by the same scoreline at Old Trafford.

Mikel Arteta will be desperate for his side to secure another victory against Daniel Farke’s team, to ensure they head to Anfield for an early-season six-pointer next week with maximum points on the board.

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Premier League appoint Craig Pawson as VAR for Arsenal vs Leeds

Arsenal were hard done by refereeing decisions last season.

The Gunners were handed six red cards in the league, two of which were given for so-called delaying of the restarts, with almost identical incidents ignored for the rest of the campaign.

Meanwhile, Myles Lewis-Skelly’s red card against Wolves was overturned, as Michael Oliver was deemed to have made the incorrect decision in the moment.

Arteta will be hoping for some more luck to go his way on this front, with few contentious decisions affecting them in their win over United.

Jarred Gillet has been confirmed as the referee for the clash with Leeds, and he’ll be supported by Wade Smith and Scott Ledger.

The Premier League have also appointed Craig Pawson as the Video Assistant Referee for the game.

Arsenal fans once petitioned for Craig Pawson not to referee their games

While Arsenal fans didn’t enjoy some of Gillet’s officiating performances last season, they’ve got a more contentious history with Pawson, who will oversee the Leeds clash at Stockley Park.

The official sent both David Luiz and Bernd Leno off for Arsenal against Wolves in controversial fashion back in 2021.

The Luiz dismissal was particularly egregious for the Gunners faithful, with the Brazilian given his marching orders after Wolves striker Willian Jose’s training leg made contact with the Gunners defender when he was through on goal.

This decision prompted Arsenal fans to start a petition to prevent Pawson from officiating future Gunners games.

The petition got over 200 signatures, but unsurprisingly did not result in the Premier League enforcing this change.

The Arsenal faithful will hope Pawson doesn’t have to make any significant decisions this weekend against Leeds.