Arsenal moved seven points clear at the top of the Premier League with a commanding 4-0 victory over Leeds United at Elland Road, ending a three-match winless spell in the league and underlining title ambitions, while Leeds lost for only the second time in 11 Premier League games but stayed firmly in the race for European spots.
Declan Rice reached a personal landmark during the match, becoming, at 27 years and 17 days, the fifth-youngest player to record 300 Premier League appearances, joining Wayne Rooney, James Milner, Gareth Barry and Raheem Sterling on that list, while also helping Arsenal maintain a perfect Champions League record with eight wins from eight so far this season.
The scoring in this Premier League clash began when Martin Zubimendi
struck the opener, before Karl Darlow diverted a Noni Madueke corner into the net for an own goal, giving Arsenal a 2-0 half-time advantage, and Viktor Gyokeres then claimed a fourth goal in six outings before Gabriel Jesus added a late fourth to complete the away side’s clinical display.
Rice reflected on the importance of the performance, telling Sky Sports: "Off the back of the last three performances, we knew how big today was. To win 4-0 is a massive win for us. We can control what we can control, and we have to keep winning games and keep pushing. What will be will be. So far, we are top in the Premier League and won eight out of eight in the Champions League. We can't complain about where we are. We are in a really strong position. We know as players we have a really good squad. Every game is a cup final. We have a long four months ahead, but we are prepared. Let's keep going and give it a good go. "
Arsenal’s dominance at Elland Road also continued a longer pattern in Premier League meetings between the clubs, as the visitors scored four or more goals away to Leeds for the fifth time in the competition, matching Chelsea’s record at Tottenham and Manchester United’s at Bolton, according to Opta figures shared after the match.
4 - Arsenal have now scored 4+ goals in five different Premier League away games against Leeds, the joint-most one side has done so against another in the competition along with Chelsea at Spurs and Man Utd at Bolton. Fantastic. #LEEARS pic.twitter.com/f9oPwo5y1f
OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) January 31, 2026
The result also extended an impressive away sequence for Arsenal across competitions, with victories at Bournemouth, Portsmouth, Chelsea, Inter and now Leeds giving the club five away wins in a single calendar month for only the second time in history, matching a similar streak achieved back in April 2000.
Mikel Arteta praised both the performance and the response to recent league setbacks, telling reporters: "A very impressive performance, a very impressive result. And in the context that we've done it, when you have the difficulty of the game and the opponent that we're facing, with the recent form and the style of play that they have at the moment, the energy that the stadium brings, and then the fact that after three results that didn't go our way in the league, we really wanted to show how much we wanted it. I think we've certainly done that today. [The] mentality is good. Toplay with that level of enjoyment about where we are, and then with the conviction to believe in what we do and how good we are, and that we can beat any opponent. Then you have to show the quality as well in this league to do it, and it came out in great ways from different players as well. "
The build-up to this Premier League meeting brought an early problem for Arsenal, as Bukayo Saka suffered an injury during the warm-up and had to withdraw, with Arteta later admitting there was no clear update on the seriousness, while Madueke stepped into the starting line-up and directly contributed to the opening two goals.
Madueke highlighted the collective effort, telling Sky Sports: "Wewere excellent in all phases of play. Today was a top performance from us. It is a tough atmosphere here; it is a tough place to play. We deserved it. We have been fighting on all four fronts since the start of the season. It goes without saying that everyone is ready when called upon. Every few days, you have to be ready to perform. It is about staying locked in and in the zone. "
Leeds, who had suffered just one defeat in their previous 10 Premier League fixtures before facing Arsenal, saw that strong run interrupted, yet Daniel Farke stressed the broader picture, saying: "There are reasons why [Arsenal are]sitting on top of the table, why this team is the best team currently in Europe, eight wins out of eight Champions League games. Of course, you need a perfect day in order to give yourself a chance and also a bit of luck that this side is perhaps not there with their best day and not super effective. We didn't have our very best day. They were on it from the first to the last second. For that, they deserved to win this game. This type of game is not season-defining. We will put this game pretty quick to bed, and from tomorrow,we concentrate only on Nottingham Forest on Friday. "
300 - Declan Rice (27y 17d) is the fifth-youngest player to reach 300 Premier League appearances after Wayne Rooney (26y 58d), James Milner (26y 117d), Gareth Barry (26y 247d) and Raheem Sterling (26y 348d). Milestone. pic.twitter.com/hAuMw0RUS3
OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) January 31, 2026
Arsenal left Elland Road with a clean sheet, four goals, a widened Premier League lead, a new scoring leader in Gyokeres across all competitions, and a notable milestone for Rice, while Leeds reset quickly for Nottingham Forest, viewing this heavy defeat as a setback rather than a turning point in their campaign.
