Newcastle United defeated Arsenal at St. James’ Park on Saturday, seeing them rise up from 12th to eighth in the Premier League.
Alexander Isak’s early header was all the Magpies needed in the end, with Arsenal consistently struggling to turn possession into chances. When they did create their biggest chance of the game right at the end, they couldn’t convert.
It’s a disastrous result for the Gunners, leaving them at the mercy of sides either side of them; come the end of the matchday, they could be seventh in the league and eight points of leaders Manchester City.
As it happened
We’ve reached the part of the season where every result feels like it has enormous consequences. It may only be the beginning of November, but a loss at the top of the table carries some pretty big ramifications. For Arsenal, this was a game they just had to win. If not, they risked not only dropping out of the top four, but falling as low as 7th – not to mention how far adrift of top spot they would leave themselves.
But St. James’ Park is not an easy stadium to come to in search of a big win. As bogey teams go, Newcastle United are absolutely up there with the most dangerous; they’ve won two of their last three clashes against the Gunners at their home ground.
They had a lot to play for, too. Their pursuit of a return to Europe had begun slowly, but defeating Arsenal would see them rise to eighth in the table. There was much on the line.
The start of the game reflected the stakes. It was cagey; neither side was on top and clear chances were few and far between in the opening ten minutes. Arsenal were the side to take the most early shots, but they were little more than half-chances.
Leandro Trossard would drag a hopeful long shot well wide, before Mikel Merino’s ambitious volley flew closer to the stadium roof than the back of the net and Bukayo Saka would cut inside and hit a low shot into the wrong side of the side netting. It was a start which showed some intent, but not enough precision. When Newcastle created their first chance, they wouldn’t make the same mistake.
They’d worked the ball up the pitch beautifully. Sean Longstaff took the ball in the middle of the park and sprayed it out to Anthony Gordon on the right. Without taking a touch, he whipped in a wonderfully teasing cross. David Raya didn’t come; he thought at least one of William Saliba and Gabriel would head the ball clear.
Instead, Alexander Isak found a gap between the pair of them, rose highest and powered a header into the top corner, giving Newcastle the lead in the 12th minute.
Embed from Getty ImagesIn his last 18 games at St. James’ Park, he’s notched 18 goal contributions; if ever there was going to be a man to give the Magpies the lead, it was always going to be him.
After going behind, Arsenal didn’t lie down, but they were still rather toothless going forwards. Kai Havertz would stand a cross towards the back post, but Saka’s resulting header was wide. Fabian Schär would be called into action to clear a dangerous cross over his own crossbar, and they’d have to rely on Lewis Hall to block a point-blank shot from Merino following a corner.
But all those chances were before the half-hour mark. For the rest of the first half, Arsenal’s final ball was lacking – and Newcastle looked fairly comfortable.
Come the second half, they badly needed to find their feet, but they still looked rather idealess. They had a lot of the ball, but again, once they entered the final third they looked utterly lost.
For Newcastle’s part, they were much more threatening once more. They created their first chance of the half immediately, with Joe Willock’s tame effort denied by Raya.
Embed from Getty ImagesIt took until the 64th effort for Arsenal to come close, with Declan Rice producing his best moment of the game by driving from the midfield third into the Newcastle box and taking a shot which deflected off Schär before bouncing agonisingly wide of the far post. Pope was well-beaten, but the net wouldn’t bulge.
Even then, that chance came a minute after Isak was given far too much license to take a shot from distance, with Arsenal’s midfield having parted like the red sea to give him far too much room. The strike was well-hit, but too central to trouble Raya.
Arsenal were toothless. If you didn’t know otherwise, it would be impossible to work out which of these two sides was fighting for the title and which had started slowly in their pursuit of the top six.
Even when they made changes, introducing Ethan Nwaneri, Oleksandr Zinchenko, Ben White and Gabriel Jesus, they were devoid of new ideas. Newcastle’s resolute defence was enough to completely nullify Arsenal’s forward line. In the last 15 minutes, they kept 75% of the ball and it seldom breached the hosts’ box.
They would get one final chance right at the end; on 93 minutes, Saka whipped a teasing ball towards the far post. Rice was waiting, and latched on to the ball only a couple of yards in front of goal – and he headed it wide. This was the chance of the game for the visitors, and they couldn’t finish.
Embed from Getty ImagesSo, it’s a result which has done Arsenal absolutely no favours. They could yet drop to seventh, and if Manchester City defeat Bournemouth, they’ll fall eight points off top spot. For a club whose ambition is winning the title, their current form has been nothing short of a serious worry.
For Newcastle, though, this was a thoroughly deserved win and three very important points in their pursuit of a spot in UEFA competitions. They were stout at the back, and just about had enough going forwards. In the end, one accurate header was the difference between the two sides.
In the end, the Arsenal were outthought, outplayed and outgunned, their title hopes left hanging by a thread. For the side which has finished runners-up twice on the spin, this was one troubling result, with no one to blame but themselves.
The lineups
NEW: Pope; Hall, Burn, Schär, Livramento; Willock, Guimarães, Longstaff; Joelinton, Isak, Gordon
ARS: Raya; Timber, Gabriel, Saliba, Partey; Martinelli, Rice, Merino, Saka; Trossard, Havertz
