Noni Madueke seizes Arsenal left-wing chance with man-of-the-match display against Leeds

Noni Madueke has long been a frustrating player to watch. Arsenal and Chelsea fans have seen it, England fans witnessed it at the World Cup, and even Mikel Arteta feels it. "When I haven't liked so much what he was doing or it wasn't impacting the game, I made certain decisions, he has accepted them," the Arsenal manager said.

But against Leeds on Saturday, this was a display where Madueke shone — and led the way — in a slightly different role. Madueke lined up on the left wing for Arsenal, a position he has started in only twice for the Gunners; the first came 14 months ago in the 5-0 win over Leeds, which was his full Arsenal debut.

With Christos Tzolis injured — the winger having picked up a hamstring issue with Greece, according to prior BBC reporting — Arsenal were short on the left. Many expected Eberechi Eze to fill in, but Madueke got the nod and, as Arteta put it, "He took his chance."

Madueke was Arsenal's best forward player on the day, creating three chances that Kai Havertz and Martin Odegaard should have put away. He then played a big role in the equaliser, his right-footed cross finding Ben White at the back post, who set up Riccardo Calafiori. Madueke was the only Arsenal player to complete a cross against Leeds, finishing with five from six attempts.

"What he's done is raise the level. And in training he's been the best player in the last 10 days. You could see that every time he was in and around the ball he looked a threat," Arteta added.

Like other signings last season — including Viktor Gyokeres and Martin Zubimendi — Madueke's Arsenal career was at risk of stalling. Has he now found a second wind in a new position? Prior BBC coverage noted Madueke had been left out of the last England squad due to a lack of minutes at Arsenal, and that Bruno Guimaraes' goal off the bench sealed Arsenal's 2-1 comeback win over Leeds.