Arsenal through to the fourth round of the FA Cup.

Arsenal through to the fourth round of the FA Cup.

In a repeat of the 1972 FA Cup Final Arsenal dished out the sweetest revenge with a 1-0 victory over Leeds United at the Emirates Stadium. But this time only the memories of Don Revie, the Leeds boss 48 years ago and the stiff suited Bertie Mee, the Gunners boss, remain for those who can only look back with rose tinted glasses at what was the Centenary FA Cup Final. For Arsenal this was payback time for that famous cross from Leeds heroic winger Mick Jones which resulted in Alan Clarke sending a diving header flying past helpless Arsenal keeper Geoff Barnett.

Roll back the clock forward to 2020 and a mild evening in North London where the tables were turned. A third round tie between these two sides was rather less dramatic than an FA Cup Final that threatened to burst into life in 1972 but then became a tense, closely contested Cup Final. That day Billy Bremner and Norman Hunter were pre-occupied with the task of hunting down the likes of Arsenal's Charlie George and Peter Storey with merely dishonourable intentions but only succeeded in reaching their left ankles before George Graham came valiantly to rescue with the voice of pacifism.

In the preamble to the 2020 edition of the Arsenal and Leeds United contest it was widely felt that Leeds, now under the globally respected coach Marcelo Bielsa, would provide Arsenal with genuinely awkward and dangerous opposition. Bielsa is one of those thorough and hugely knowledgeable bosses who leave nothing to chance. Last season Bielsa was unfairly accused of spying on his opponents with what seemed like illegal intent. Now we all know of course that the Argentine bears no resemblance to John Le Carre so perhaps we should have known better.

On Monday evening Leeds, full of flair, expressive football and sweet, one touch passing, were stretching Arsenal from one side to the pitch to the other like the proverbial elastic band. In their not so white shirts Leeds were, from time to time, reminiscent of the old Leeds, the glorious Johnny Giles, the tough and aggressive Billy Bremner, the explosive Peter Lorimer and the wing wizardry of Mick Jones.

Perhaps Bielsa had reminded his players that Don Revie wasn't quite the cunning rascal that some might have portrayed him as at times. Revie was the brilliant tactician, a manager full of huge footballing intelligence, cleverly designed football teams and canny formations. But during a blatantly one sided first half in January 2020 the Leeds of Bielsa toyed with Arsenal, moving their players into positions like pawns, knights and bishops on a chess board, blurs of perpetual motion.

Leeds United currently sit at the top of the Championship and are seemingly destined to return to the top flight. Under Revie 48 years ago you never knew quite what you were going to get. There was the cynical, hard tackling and sometimes negative Leeds who refused to do as they were told while on another day, with the wind blowing in the right direction, their football oozed class and refinement.

For the best part of the first 45 minutes Leeds dominated this third round tie with first time passes that ricocheted around the centre of midfield like one of those silver balls on the pinball machine. With their young hard core of Englishmen such as Patrick Bamford and Jack Harrison carving open Arsenal at will, Leeds were models of subtlety and subterfuge, a pleasure to watch in much the way that the Leeds of the early 1970s were. But their goal scoring chances came and went without any success and the Leeds of today must have known that they'd blown it. And they had.

In the second half Arsenal came out for the game and were an altogether different proposition. In their last home Premier League match against Manchester United they had taken the game to United and finally looked the kind of team new manager Mikel Arteta was hoping to find. A 2-0 victory for the Gunners was much more positive, cohesive and sharply incisive. Once again Arsenal were in the mood to show Leeds just how revitalised they had become after the interval.

At long last Mezut Ozil, their chief midfield orchestrator, picked up his baton and found his groove. To all outward appearances it does look as Ozil is clearly not enjoying his football and when he meekly waved at the Arsenal fans on his way off the pitch it looked like a taxing chore rather than something to be savoured with joy. Ozil is a wonderfully talented playmaker but the German did look as though he still had the weight of the world on his shoulders.

With Ozil, accompanied by the hard working Sead Kolisanic, the busybody effervescence of Gabriel Martinelli, the commanding Rob Holding at the back and Nicolas Pepe finally discovering the trickery that Arsenal spent millions on, Arsenal are beginning to emerge from the doldrums that former manager Unai Emery may have unwittingly dragged them into.

After an intensive period of Arsenal pressure and much prettiness in possession, an obvious throwback to the halcyon days of Arsene Wenger, Arsenal finally opened up the Leeds fortress. Their whirlwind bout of incessant passes to feet was rewarded with a deserved match winning goal. Breaking fluently down the flank, Arsenal moved forward steadily before a low cut back cross was bundled home gratefully into the net by Reiss Nelson. It certainly wasn't the tidiest goal Arsenal will score this season but it could be the most significant.

When the final whistle went and Arsenal realised that a fourth round FA Cup tie at Bournemouth had been rubber stamped, a section of Arsenal fans may have privately been relieved that the first half of this game had been successfully negotiated and no harm had been done. As for Leeds this will inevitably be a dress rehearsal for the Premier League next season. Rather like the class of 1972, this time may be the right time.