Bruno Guimaraes scores decisive goal on Arsenal home debut in Leeds win

Bruno Guimaraes marked his first official home appearance for Arsenal at Emirates Stadium by scoring the goal that secured a 2-1 comeback victory over Leeds United.

The Brazil midfielder came on after Riccardo Calafiori had cancelled out Leeds’ opener and needed only seven minutes to put Arsenal ahead in the 69th minute.

Guimaraes had missed Arsenal’s first two home matches of the season and said he had been desperate to make an impact in front of the club’s supporters.

“It’s my first official game at the Emirates. I didn’t play against Coventry and for Chelsea I was coming back from injury,” he said.

“I couldn’t wait to go onto the pitch today, and I was very anxious on the bench. Getting into the game, scoring an important goal and getting the three points is always a very good feeling. I would say it was a very special day for me.”

The result offered Arsenal a positive response to their previous defeat by Brighton, although Guimaraes said Mikel Arteta’s side still had areas to improve.

“After the last game against Brighton, we knew that we should do much better, and today I think it was a great answer, even if I believe we can do much more,” he said.

“But the three points were very good for us. We know how tight the Premier League is, so we’re very happy with the win.”

Arsenal’s second goal came from a move involving Martin Odegaard, Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice. Odegaard combined with Saka before finding Rice inside the box, and the England midfielder flicked the ball into Guimaraes’ path.

The Brazilian then struck a controlled finish from outside the area, continuing his strong record from distance. Since making his Premier League debut in February 2022, only Ebere Eze and Phil Foden have scored more top-flight goals from outside the box than his nine.

The goal also underlined the developing partnership between Guimaraes and Rice. The pair had combined for another long-range effort when the Brazilian scored as a substitute against Sunderland.

“Mikel always tells us never to stay in the same position and always try to disorganise the other team. I think we did that very well,” Guimaraes said.

“When Dec set the pass for me, the first thing in my mind was: ‘I can’t miss this, I can’t miss this, I have to score!’ It was a great finish, a great goal and a great moment for everyone.”

Guimaraes celebrated by jumping into the home crowd, saying he wanted to thank supporters for the backing they had shown since his arrival from Newcastle United.

“I felt amazing. I can’t wait to score more goals now,” he said. “It was very loud when I scored. I wanted to hug them for everything they have been doing for me. I can feel their love.”

Arsenal next host Lille in the Champions League at Emirates Stadium on Tuesday, when Guimaraes will make his first home appearance in the competition.

“It’s going to be amazing, my first Champions League game at home. I’m very excited about the big games we have ahead now,” he said. “Now the focus is to celebrate a little bit today and start to think about Lille tomorrow.”