Gyokeres Hits Double As Arsenal Thrash Leeds

(MENAFN- IANS) London, Aug 24 (IANS) Viktor Gyokeres opened his Arsenal account with a brace as the Gunners swept Leeds aside 5-0 at the Emirates, after Manchester City succumbed 2-0 to Tottenham Hotspur at home on Saturday.

The atmosphere was electric from the start and Arsenal wasted little time asserting control. Jurrien Timber powered in a header from a set piece before turning provider for Bukayo Saka to smash home a second before half-time.

Saka's strike came at a cost, though, with the England winger later forced off injured. Martin Odegaard also limped out on his 200th Arsenal appearance, adding to Mikel Arteta's concerns despite the emphatic win, reports Xinhua.

Gyokeres made his mark after the break, weaving into the box to fire low for Arsenal's third before Timber grabbed his second of the game from another corner.

Teenage midfielder Max Dowman then stole the spotlight on his Premier League debut. The 15-year-old won a stoppage-time penalty, which Gyokeres converted to seal the rout.

At 15 years and 234 days, Dowman became Arsenal's second-youngest ever player to appear in a Premier League game, behind only Ethan Nwaneri. Leeds, by contrast, was comfortably second best, troubling David Raya just once through a Pascal Struijk header.

Meanwhile, Marcus Tavernier's deflected strike handed Bournemouth a 1-0 win, its first one of the campaign, leaving 10-man Wolves empty-handed for a second successive week.

The Cherries, sharper from the outset, punished a poor Jean-Ricner Bellegarde pass on the edge of the Wolves box as Antoine Semenyo teed up Tavernier. His low drive cannoned off Emmanuel Agbadou, looped against the underside of the bar, and over the line.

Wolves rarely threatened, and its task became even harder after Toti Gomes was shown a straight red card for bringing down Cherries striker Evanilson as last man, allowing Bournemouth to see out a deserved victory.

Elsewhere, Brentford's club-record signing Dango Ouattara struck on his debut to give the north London side a 1-0 win over Aston Villa at the Gtech Community Stadium.

The 42.5 million-pound Burkina Faso international, signed from Bournemouth only a week earlier, calmly slotted home in the 12th minute to settle the contest.

The result also marked a winning home league debut for new head coach Keith Andrews, who replaced Thomas Frank this summer.

In another action, Burnley claimed bragging rights in a clash of newly promoted sides as Josh Cullen and Jaidon Anthony struck after the interval for a 2-0 win over Sunderland at Turf Moor.

Captain Cullen curled a precise low effort into the far corner just two minutes into the second half, before turning creator late on with a through ball that Anthony finished by rounding the goalkeeper.

The victory ensured a confident first three points of the season for Burnley, while Sunderland was left still searching for form in the top flight.

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