Daniel Farke claimed Arsenal have been the best side in European football over the course of the last three years after watching his Leeds side endure a 5-0 thrashing.
The Gunners made it two wins from two at the start of the new season with a routine win over Farke’s newly promoted side.
Leeds held firm until 10 minutes before the break when Jurrien Timber put the set-piece experts ahead with he met Declan Rice’s corner with a precise header.
Bukayo Saka doubled the lead before the break, before Viktor Gyokeres opened his account for his new club shortly after the break.
Timber’s second, after another Rice corner had caused chaos, and an injury-time Gyokeres penalty completed the rout.
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After significant investment over the course of the transfer window, Arsenal now finally look equipped to convert consistency into major trophies.
Arteta drew criticism last season when he claimed his side were the best team in the Champions League following their semi-final demise at the hands of Paris Saint-Germain, but Farke believes Arsenal should be attracting far more praise for their accomplishments, rather than the avalanche of criticism they receive as a consequence of their lack of silverware.
He said: ‘I think it’s fair to say that Arsenal deserved to win this game today,’ said Farke in his post match press conference.
‘They were the better side, they deserved also to win this game with a good proper goal difference.
‘I’m not sure if it was actually a 5-0 because five shots on target and they scored with all five of these shots.
‘Long story short, it’s more like when a team like Arsenal are on it – a team who in the last three years is probably the best team in the whole of Europe at least in consistency you could argue – not title winners but no other team has showed this consistency – then it’s always difficult.
‘It’s not a season-defining game for us. We accept they were better than us.’
Arsenal’s squad depth will receive an early test at Anfield next weekend when they are likely to be without skipper Martin Odegaard and Bukayo Saka.
‘That’s the negatives of the day,’ said Arteta after watching two of his key men limp off either side of half-time against Leeds.
‘Martin felt something in his shoulder when he landed. We don’t know, we’ll have to scan him tomorrow and understand a bit better.
‘And Bukayo, while he was carrying the ball, wrestling with the defender, he felt something in his hamstring. Let’s see, I think it’s the other one, it’s not the same one as the previous injury.
‘We’ve been two weeks and we’ve already lost Kai, Martin and Bukayo, so it tells you how well-equipped you have to be in this league to manage and to maintain the level that we want.’
Asked if Saka’s injury was serious, he added: ‘I don’t know, he felt something while he was sprinting. That’s never a good sign.
‘We’ll have to wait until tomorrow, speak to the doctors and understand better what he’s done. But he’s had his injuries before, he knows exactly the feeling of that, so let’s wait.’
