The winger replaced Bukayo Saka after he picked up an injury in the warm-up, but despite having just a few minutes to prepare, Noni created our first goal and scored our second to set us on our way to a fifth away win already in 2026.

And while Mikel was delighted with that impact, he wasn’t surprised given what he sees from our forward day in, day out, who stepped up when a curveball was thrown our way. That, coupled with the goalscoring exploits of Vikor Gyokeres and Gabriel Jesus who now have seven across the last six matches combined, meant Mikel was a delighted manager come full-time.

“We keep telling them to be ready because the most unexpected moments are going to be thrown in the battle, and it happened in the warm-up,” he said post-match. “[Noni] was certainly ready. The way he prepares every day is fantastic, and he made a difference for the team.

“You talk about the strikers and their goals, but the work rate and the strength that they showed today, again both the starters and the finishers. When you talk about that combination, how we share the minutes and the impact that each player can have in his role, I think it was the perfect example today.”

Having arrived at Elland Road having not won our previous three league games and the home side rolling with one loss in their previous 10, this looked to be a tricky encounter on paper, but we dominated throughout and ended up recording a standout scoreline.

That was another thing that pleased the boss, who now wants us to pick up where we left off when we face Chelsea on Tuesday, looking to secure a Carabao Cup final spot. That goes for our fans too, who Mikel singled out for their support throughout and wants that to be channelled when we return to Emirates Stadium to battle the Blues.

“It was a really impressive performance and really impressive result against a team that is very difficult to beat at the moment, and at a stadium that puts a lot of pressure and energy on them, so a big congratulations to the team,” he added.

“It’s very difficult to [win 4-0 at Leeds], let's see who is the next team that does it, but we did it in a moment when we needed it. We really wanted to enjoy this venue, the stadium, the challenge and the team played with unbelievable conviction.

“Now we have great energy to go [to the semi-final], we're going to need our people. Thank you to all our supporters who travelled here today, because they were immense from the beginning, especially at 0-0. That's the energy we need in the stadium in a few days' time.”