Arsenal recovered their balance in the Premier League after coming from behind to beat visitors Leeds United 2-1 on Saturday at the Emirates Stadium in London in the sixth round. The same day also saw Chelsea record a big 5-1 win over Bournemouth and Brighton and Ipswich Town claim victories, while Manchester United drew with Tottenham and Aston Villa drew with Brentford.
Arsenal come from behind to beat Leeds
Arsenal recorded their fifth league win of the season, overcoming the impact of their surprise 3-0 defeat by Brighton in the previous round. The London side moved on to 15 points in second place, behind leaders Manchester City on goal difference. City visit Liverpool on Sunday.
Leeds United suffered their first league defeat of the season, leaving them on 9 points in fifth place. Their poor record against Arsenal therefore continued, with Leeds failing to beat them in the league since 2003. Arsenal captain Declan Rice returned to the starting line-up after missing the four matches played by England during the international break.
The hosts entered the match after announcing that they had extended the contract of their Spanish manager Mikel Arteta until 2030, while Manchester City, one of the leading potential title rivals, face a crisis linked to allegations of serious financial breaches.
Arsenal struggled in the first half, forcing their Spanish goalkeeper David Raya to intervene on several dangerous attempts to preserve his clean sheet. His best save came in the 44th minute, when he kept out a shot from Sweden's Gabriel Gudmundsson to prevent Leeds from ending the half ahead. Leeds did open the scoring after the break, however, when defender James Justin put them ahead in the 55th minute, turning in a precise low pass from Gudmundsson.
Arsenal's response was not long in coming, as Italian defender Riccardo Calafiori equalised in the 62nd minute. Arsenal completed their comeback through Brazilian substitute Bruno Guimaraes, who scored the winner in the 70th minute to give his side three points in the race for top spot.
Arteta said after the match that his conversation with the players before kick-off had focused on two things: the difficulty of the challenge posed by Leeds, who entered the match unbeaten in the Premier League, and the need for Arsenal to recover their identity and return to showing their true image. He added that the team had not been satisfied with their performance against Brighton and that the meeting with Leeds had offered an opportunity to correct their course, stressing that the players had responded in the way the coaching staff had expected.
Brighton win despite playing with 10 men
Brighton continued their positive run and secured a second successive victory by beating hosts Sunderland 2-0 despite finishing the match with 10 men. Brighton moved on to 13 points in third place, while Sunderland remained 16th with 4 points.
Belgian Maxim De Cuyper opened the scoring for Brighton in the 53rd minute, before the side suffered a blow just four minutes later when Dutch defender Pascal Struijk was sent off. Despite being down to 10 men, the visitors held on to their lead and added a second goal in the third minute of stoppage time through Algeria international defender Jaouen Hadjam.
Chelsea end winless run with five-goal haul
At Stamford Bridge, Chelsea ended a run of four league matches without a win by thrashing visitors Bournemouth 5-1. The London side moved into fifth place after Leeds United's defeat and produced an attacking display that settled the contest early. Chelsea needed just 68 seconds to open the scoring, with Jordan Henderson scoring his first goal in the team's shirt with a curling shot.
Shortly afterwards, in the third minute, Morgan Rogers doubled the lead with a shot that changed direction after striking Bournemouth's Italian defender Antonio Silva before settling in the net. At the start of the second half, Brazilian Joao Pedro added a third in the 46th minute, converting a pass from Portugal's Pedro Neto.
Bournemouth reduced the deficit in the 51st minute when Ecuadorian Moises Caicedo's attempted clearance ended in a goal for Chelsea after Brazilian Evanilson accidentally turned it into his own net. The incident reflected Chelsea's continuing defensive problems, with the side failing to keep a clean sheet for the 22nd consecutive league match.
The hosts nevertheless did not allow Bournemouth back into the match, as Joao Pedro scored his second and his team's fourth goal in the 67th minute, taking his tally to 5 goals this season. Henderson completed Chelsea's five-goal haul in the 70th minute by scoring his second of the match from a powerful free-kick.
Aston Villa surrender lead against Brentford
The team had now scored 23 goals in 8 matches in all competitions this season, a tally that reflected their attacking efficiency despite continuing defensive problems. In another match, Aston Villa's difficult start continued as they were held to a 2-2 draw by visitors Brentford.
The visitors took the lead through Ukraine's Yehor Yarmoliuk in the 10th minute, but Senegalese forward Nicolas Jackson brought Aston Villa level just 88 seconds later. Scotland's John McGinn put Aston Villa ahead in the 77th minute, but the hosts' advantage lasted only two minutes before Norway's Kristoffer Ajer equalised for Brentford.
The result denied Spanish manager Unai Emery's side another victory and took Aston Villa to 10 points, level with Brentford, who earned a point away from home. At Portman Road, Ipswich Town secured a late 2-1 win over Fulham, adding to the visitors' problems as they continue to search for their first league victory.
Fulham had taken the lead through Ryan Sessegnon in the 55th minute and held on to their advantage until the closing stages. Ivorian Abdoul Ouattara equalised for Ipswich with a powerful shot in the 88th minute before Irishman Dara O'Shea scored the winner with a header in stoppage time, giving the hosts all three points after a late turnaround.
At Old Trafford, Tottenham held hosts Manchester United to a 1-1 draw in a match played by both sides under pressure because of their results. United looked on course for victory after Cameroon international Bryan Mbeumo put them ahead in the 73rd minute. Tottenham's task became more difficult when their Uruguayan midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur was sent off in the 78th minute for headbutting Manchester United defender Luke Shaw.
Tottenham nevertheless equalised in the second minute of stoppage time when Dominic Solanke headed in a cross from Italy's Sandro Tonali. Tottenham are third from bottom after failing to win any of their first six matches and losing three of them.
Manchester United are 12th after managing only one victory since the start of the season, leaving pressure on the team as their poor league form continues.
