The German finally made his Premier League bow this weekend after a long wait on the Gunners' bench
Leno has had to be patient since his £19.3m switch from Bayer Leverkusen this summer, his only previous appearances had come in the Europa League and Carabao Cup
When Petr Cech was forced off on the stroke of half-time against Watford, Leno was on hand to show his boss Emery why he believes he deserves to be first choice
The 26-year-old made a superb save to deny Troy Deeney to prevent the Hornets from going in front
Throughout Emery's decision to keep Cech as No 1, the Spaniard was honest with Leno and told him where he stood
"It's difficult to sit on the bench but the coach said to me, 'Don't be sad or disappointed, just train hard'," said Leno
"He has worked with many goalkeepers and it is a specialist position – it needs a little bit more time for your personality, confidence and to get a feeling for the team
"I was calm and worked hard every day and the coach gave me the time. "It was a good start to save the first shot
It was important for the team not to concede the first goal and of course it was good for my confidence
"Now Petr is injured, I have the opportunity to play more games and show the coach my quality
"When I joined the club, he said he liked the style I play because he wants to play different football than before but he did not say I was going to be No 1, No 2 or anything else
He just told me to focus on performance. "Some weeks ago he told me to stay calm because I played for just one professional club in Germany and it is a new country, a new language and everything is new for me
My chance came here, and it was good." Arsenal are now in fine form after enduring a difficult start to their campaign
They have recorded seven wins in a row in all competitions, including five in the league which has seen them close the gap on the top four
The Gunners now face a long trip to Azerbaijan to face Qarabag in the Europa League before taking on Fulham in an all London derby
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