Bukayo Saka looked lively early on, but his first big contribution came in his own penalty area, as he had to be alert to deflect Noah Okafor’s effort behind for a corner.
An organised Leeds side generally looked quite comfortable with what the hosts were throwing at them, and it took 20 minutes for Kai Havertz to muster the first shot on target, a header that James Trafford claimed comfortably.
The Gunners then needed a huge slice of good fortune to avoid falling behind when Jayden Bogle inadvertently blocked Anton Stach’s effort at the far post.
Bogle almost immediately atoned for his role in the mix-up, nipping onto a loose ball and clipping an effort towards goal, but the onrushing David Raya managed to smother it.
The goalkeeper was in the spotlight for a second time when he came a very long way to swat at a free-kick, needing to backtrack in a hurry to catch Ethan Ampadu’s lobbed header. He was required again shortly before the break, staying big to deny Gabriel Gudmundsson from close range.
Arsenal would have been somewhat relieved to make it to half-time with the game still goalless, although they have now been drawing or losing at the interval in five of their six league matches this season (D4, L1).
But they have generally responded in the second period, and Martin Odegaard had a golden chance soon after the restart, forcing Trafford to dive smartly to his left after good work from Noni Madueke.
However, Leeds continued to threaten, and Raya had to be alert to tip a fierce Ao Tanaka effort over the crossbar. The pressure finally paid off when James Justin ghosted in at the far post, powering his effort beyond a despairing Gabriel on the line to give the visitors a richly deserved advantage.
But they could not hold onto it for long, being undone by a relatively simple cross, which Riccardo Calafiori converted after Ben White had headed it back across goal.
That completely changed the game, as Mikel Arteta’s men finally began to pile on the pressure, aided in part by a raft of substitutions.
Bruno Guimaraes was the one to make the telling difference, running onto a clever flick from Declan Rice and sweeping the ball into the corner.
The resistance from Daniel Farke’s side looked mostly spent, and Arsenal came closest in the final stages, as Odegaard was somehow denied from practically on the goal line after sublime work from Rice.
Despite looking the better side for much of the contest, Leeds now have just one win from their last 18 when travelling to face the reigning top-flight champions (D6, L11).
Meanwhile, Arteta has extended his 100% record against Farke to five games, and at least temporarily, moves level with Manchester City at the top of the table.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Bruno Guimaraes (Arsenal)