Bukayo Saka Destroyed For 'Disgraceful' Performance in Arsenal vs Leeds

· GiveMeSport

Arsenal edged Leeds United 2-1 at the Emirates in the Premier League but one star struggled.

Arsenal bounced back from their first Premier League defeat since April after losing to Brighton , beating a Leeds United side flying high after a strong start thanks to a 2-1 victory.

Kai Havertz , Ezri Konsa and Declan Rice all passed fitness tests to start, but the reigning champions were soon on the back foot as Daniel Farke's side settled quickly. In-form striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin forced David Raya into a string of terrific saves in the first half as the two sides went level at the break.

Leeds took the lead through James Justin in the 55th minute, his first-time finish proving too much for Raya. That kicked Mikel Arteta 's side into gear, and they hit back within seven minutes through Riccardo Calafiori 's second goal of the season. A triple change helped fire them into the lead, as Bruno Guimarães grabbed another key goal to put the Gunners ahead, and they held on to remain joint-top of the table.

One Arsenal star in particular endured a frustrating afternoon, though, and supporters were quick to make their feelings known.

Bukayo Saka is usually the man Arsenal turn to when they need something to happen, but he was unable to make an impact against Leeds. An uninfluential first-half display saw him outperformed by his back-up, Noni Madueke, as fans questioned his lack of pace, creativity and overall impact.

Tellingly, Arsenal's equaliser came while Saka was down on the turf, with the winger playing no part in the move that led to Calafiori's leveller.

According to SofaScore , Saka registered a single shot in his first 66 minutes on the pitch, and did not complete any of his attempted dribbles.

He lost possession 12 times, lost four of his eight duels, and was caught offside twice, managing just one key pass. It earned him a SofaScore rating of 6.6, well below the 7.56 he had been averaging across the season.

Despite netting in three games in the league, the talk around Saka is contrasting. His output has dipped noticeably since he underwent hamstring surgery in December 2024. After 50 goal contributions across 2022/23 and 2023/24, he managed just over that in the two seasons following (28).

While he has netted three times this season, one of those came from the spot against Sunderland, his World Cup campaign was wildly contrasting. A hattrick in the crazy third-place playoff with France was a clear high, but his overall impact and physicality — the natural burst we were used to seeing from him — looks to be waning.

Supporters did not hold back on social media, with plenty of fans critical of the No.7's display. Some pointed to his status as one of the club's highest earners: "When will people hold our highest paid player accountable? This is a disgrace from Saka," one fan wrote.

Another said: "Useless is an understatement for Saka... He has been this bad since he signed the new contract."

A third was even more damning: "Saka is awful... He's finished as a player... how the club didn't see this coming, and they gave him a 350k long term contract."

Saka will be hoping a return to the Champions League can ignite his form, a competition in which he has 13 goals and eight assists in 30 appearances.

Arsenal are ready to offer him as a makeweight in a major transfer deal for Mikel Arteta

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