He responded perfectly — Arteta pleased with star player after bench role against Leeds

Mikel Arteta is delighted with captain Martin Odegaard's response after being benched for the decisive victory over Leeds.

The manager praised Arsenal's strong mentality and urged his players to disregard any negative "noise" surrounding the team.

The Gunners travelled to Elland Road to face Leeds on the back of a three-game winless run in the Premier League, a spell that had seen their lead at the top of the table shrink to just four points.

However, they delivered a superb performance, dismantling their hosts in a dominant 4-0 victory. Goals from Martin Zubimendi and a Karl Darlow own goal gave them a comfortable lead at halftime, before Viktor Gyokeres and Gabriel Jesus sealed the win in the second half.

The result marked a timely return to form, and Arteta suggested that recent criticism had unfairly focused on a short dip in performance rather than the team's overall achievements.

Club captain Martin Odegaard, who has faced a recent dip in form, was moved to the bench for the match, with Kai Havertz taking his place in midfield.

Despite starting as a substitute, Odegaard looked sharp after being introduced for the final 30 minutes, providing the assist for Gyokeres' goal. Arteta expressed his pride in how his players, including the captain, responded to the challenging situation.

"So happy, so happy with the way [Odegaard] reacted," the manager said. "But in general, the team, and obviously certain individuals. It's normal. The opinion, the noise is part of that."

"What we can control is what we can do, how much we want it, and trying to get the best out of yourself and the team in every moment. The rest is not possible. We'll have to be judged on that because there's nothing else that we can do apart from giving our best."