Alan Smith says one Arsenal player was absolutely ‘brilliant’ against Leeds on Saturday

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Arsenal strolled to a 5-0 victory over Leeds United at the Emirates on Saturday evening.

Braces from Jurrien Timber and Viktor Gyokeres, as well as an exceptional strike from Bukayo Saka, ensured the Gunners secured all three points against the newly promoted side.

Mikel Arteta’s team beat Manchester United 1-0 in their first game of the campaign, meaning they head to Anfield on Sunday with maximum points.

Liverpool have also won both of their matches to start the season, meaning the clash on Merseyside is already set up to be something of a six-pointer.

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Alan Smith says Viktor Gyokeres was ‘brilliant’ against Leeds

Gyokeres struggled on his debut at Old Trafford and faced criticism in the media and from fans as a result.

Not managing a single shot in the north-west, it was imperative that the Swede responded against Leeds United.

He did so in spectacular fashion, scoring an excellent goal to get off the mark in red and white, before emphatically converting a penalty in stoppage time.

Alan Shearer waxed lyrical about Gyokeres’ display against the Yorkshire outfit, and he wasn’t the only one who was impressed with the 27-year-old’s showing.

Alan Smith was full of praise for the former Coventry City man, describing his performance as ‘brilliant’.

“He had to be persistent; he had that chance in the first half where he snatched at it and was trying to finish while keeping his balance,” Smith said on Sky Sports News (26th August 2025, 1:20pm).

“At that point you thought he needs a goal, and it was self-made wasn’t it, he did what he did so often for Sporting with the penalties.

“Brilliant, brilliant for him, he will be really pleased and looking forward to the next game. He’s one of those strikers who is always amongst it when his team is attacking.”

Arsenal still need to get Viktor Gyokeres more involved in games

Gyokeres will ultimately be judged on goals, and from that perspective, Saturday’s game against Leeds was an overwhelming success.

However, he completed just eight passes across the games against Daniel Farke’s side and Manchester United.

A very effective ball carrier and dribbler, Arsenal will hope to involve Gyokeres more in build-up play moving forward.

At the moment, he is somewhat isolated at times, and isn’t receiving the ball frequently enough in the channels, where he can hurt teams with his direct running.

While there are encouraging signs for Gyokeres, there’s still a lot he and his team can work on.