Arsenal rack up 11 first-half shots on target to set new mark

Arsenal recorded the most shots on target in a Premier League first half since at least 2003-04 in a stunning opening 45-minute display against Leeds United.

Marcelo Bielsa's under-strength side were given the run around against the Gunners - just a few days after going down 7-0 to Manchester City.

Unfortunately for Bielsa and his side, their defensive failings were shown up once again as Gabriel Martinelli struck twice, with Bukayo Saka also on the scoresheet, as the Gunners hit the target an incredible 11 times in just 45 minutes.

One-way traffic

The Gunners took just 16 minutes to open the scoring through Brazilian forward Martinelli.

Martinelli struck again just before the half-hour mark with a sublime dink, while Saka was also on target to send Mikel Arteta's charges into the break 3-0 up.

Were it not for Leeds' besieged goalkeeper Illan Meslier, though, the scoreline could have been even wider.

The Frenchman faced a total of 11 shots on target in the opening 45 minutes and, to his credit, managed to save eight of those efforts to limit the hosts' humiliation.

11 - Arsenal's 11 shots on target in the first half against Leeds is the most on record (since 2003-04) in the opening 45 minutes by any side in a single Premier League first half. Peppered. #LEEARS pic.twitter.com/zO8RjbcmAy

— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) December 18, 2021

Not since the 2003-04 season, when Opta started recording shots on target data, has a side managed a tally as high as Arsenal's in the first half of a Premier League game.

The bigger picture

Barring a near-miraculous comeback, Saturday's match will cap a miserable week for Leeds.

Having battled hard against Chelsea last weekend before going down 3-2, the Whites then capitulated to a 7-0 thrashing at the hands of Manchester City on Tuesday to remain rooted in the relegation zone.

Rivals Burnley and Watford will not be able to close the gap this weekend, however, as their matches with Aston Villa and Crystal Palace respectively were called off due to rising cases of Covid-19, while Norwich City's meeting with West Ham also fell victim to the pandemic.

Arsenal, meanwhile, are heading into the top four of the Premier League as they look to continue their recent recovery that has seen them win their last two matches, against West Ham and Southampton respectively.

Further reading