Arsenal back on track as Madueke underlines strength in depth

LEEDS, England, Jan 31 : Such is the depth of Arsenal's squad that even when Bukayo Saka suffered a hip niggle in the warm-up before kickoff at Leeds United on Saturday, manager Mikel Arteta could simply insert another England international winger in his place.

Noni Madueke, who moved across London from Chelsea in a deal worth around 50 million pounds  ($68.4 million) last summer, has been largely a back-up option for Premier League leaders Arsenal but when Saka was ruled out at Elland Road, he responded in style.

He was instrumental in laying the foundations for a 4-0 win that got Arsenal back on track after their recent wobble, setting up the 27th-minute opener for Martin Zubimendi and sending in a wickedly curling corner that Leeds keeper Karl Darlow could only fumble into his own goal after 38 minutes.

His cross for the opener was his first assist of the season and although he was denied being credited for Arsenal's second, it was a display that would have provided comfort for Arteta.

"(Saka) wasn't comfortable to start the game, so immediately we made a decision to make that change and bring Noni in," Arteta said after Arsenal's first win in four league games that sent them seven points clear at the top.

"He was ready, because you cannot do that in two minutes. The way he prepares, the way he's waiting for opportunity, He really impacted the team," Arteta said.

Madueke, 23, said it was the first time he had started a game at such short notice.

"I didn't know what happened to B. In terms of the time I had before the game, it was not much, maybe five minutes to warm up and go out and play," Madueke said.

"It's the first time that's happened to me, so I was just happy that I was going to get to play from the start, to be