Goals from Riccardo Calafiori and substitute Bruno Guimaraes gave Arsenal all three points after James Justin had given Daniel Farke’s side the lead shortly after half-time.

Both inevitably and unsurprisingly, the discourse before the return of Premier League action was dominated by the news that Manchester City had been found guilty by an independent commission of breaching the Premier League’s financial rules.

Arteta himself spent four years at the Etihad, sitting next to Pep Guardiola as his assistant in the City dugout, but insisted on a clear conscience in his pre-match press conference.

The Spaniard, who signed a new four-year deal to stay on at the Arsenal helm this week, opted for Kai Havertz ahead of free-scoring Viktor Gyokeres, who scored in all four of Sweden’s Nations League fixtures over the international break.

Speaking to the media after the victory over Leeds, Arteta said: “We knew it was going to be really tough. We are coming from three weeks without sixteen players after a heavy defeat (3-0 at Brighton), and we had all these things in the tummy.

“Today we had two objectives. One - face the challenge against a team that hasn’t lost in the Premier League, and secondly because we had a point to prove. Something was touched in our identity against Brighton. Especially in the manner that we reacted after being in a difficult situation.”

“Even though we started really well and were really dominant, we didnt capitalise on the spaces, the situations and the overloads that we had to attack the goal and the box. We should have done much better and that left the game open, and we knew that they (Leeds) don’t need much to threaten you every time they put the ball in the box. They are incredibly dangerous.”

A more pressing topic of discussion was Eberechi Eze. The £67m signing from Crystal Palace in the summer of 2025 – like Gyokeres – is yet to start a Premier League fixture this season.

Understandably, given the injury sustained to Cristos Tzolis when playing for Greece during the international break, many made the assumption that Eze would deputise on the left-hand side.

But, as ever, Arteta decided to move in a different direction and select a well-rested Noni Madueke over his England compatriot.

“I am really happy with him because he deserves the chance that he got, and he grabbed it with both hands,” said Arteta. “When I haven’t liked so much what he was doing or when Noni wasn’t impacting the game, I made certain decisions, and he has accepted them.

“What he has done since is raise the level, and in training he has been the best player in the last ten days. He gave me no option but to select him.”

When Leeds took a deserved advantage just 8 minutes into the second half, Arsenal looked frail, just as they did at the Amex during the 3-0 humbling at the hands of Brighton three weeks earlier. The physical asset that served them so well on the way to the Premier League title last season deserted them for the second successive match.

“The last time we put our shirt on, something was missing,” said Arteta . “We were conscious of that being exceptional and being the champions, to being average, like in that game (Brighton), is a really thin line. If you don’t want it more than the opponent and you are not able to cope, emotionally, with certain situations, you’re going to suffer.

“Then, you have to learn the lesson, and we have certainly done that. We spoke about it and you could sense that it was something in those tummies.”

Riccardo Calafiori’s equaliser just seven minutes later came at just the right time. The Italian ghosted into the Leeds box before acrobatically guiding the ball past James Trafford to get Arteta’s side back on level terms.

A triple change from Arteta noted the acknowledgement that something wasn’t quite right. Substitute Bruno Guimaraes returned from Australia and India, respectively, with the Brazilian national team to fire Arsenal ahead with a pinpoint strike from outside of the box.

Speaking on Gumairaes’ contribution since joining from Newcastle in the summer, Arteta said: “The reality is that he went to Australia and to India. He is still not in the best condition because he hasn’t had a pre-season.

“He has done it (scored off the bench) twice already; against Sunderland and against Leeds as well. That’s the quality that is needed at this level to continue to win. He wasn’t at that level against Brighton, and this is the level for Arsenal.

“Every week, every game, every minute, every action, you have to be at that level.,” insisted Arteta.

“At Brighton, he wasn’t, and today it was much better but he can still be much better in the games that he’s done. That is the level that we demand. That is what I demand from myself. If we can do that, it will raise the standards and we will be a better team.”

Gyokeres did eventually come on to replace Havertz in the 63rd minute but struggled to make an impact despite the striker’s record-breaking scoring run for Sweden during the international break.

On how he intends to strike a balance between the playing time of Havertz and Gyokeres, the Arsenal boss was typically strident: “He will play game and he will play minutes. The best way (to get minutes) is when they enter the pitch, show how good they are - that’s it,” said the Arsenal manager. “He’s done it with the national team, but the best way is when they have the chance is to prove it and then everybody is going to be happy.”

The Gunners return to Champions League action on Tuesday when they welcome French side Lille to the Emirates Stadium on the second match of the league phase this season.

Arsenal then switch their focus right back to the Premier League as Arteta takes his team to the City Ground next Sunday to face Nottingham Forest in a tricky away clash.