Declan Rice walked down the tunnel, shaking his head and muttering to himself. Arsenal had just lost crucial ground in the Premier League title race, Mikel Arteta looked as if he would never smile again, and Rice seemed to be grappling with his inability to exert any real control over the midfield. With Arteta’s defense failing to contain the excellent Anthony Gordon and the outstanding match-winner Alexander Isak, Arsenal made a series of uncharacteristic errors, allowing Eddie Howe’s team to capitalize and earn deserved rewards. After five Premier League games without a win, Newcastle appears to be on the rise once more.
Howe used his notes in the match programme to remind everyone that playing against the best teams “brings out the best in us”. Any doubts about this were dispelled when Isak expertly headed Newcastle into a 12th-minute lead, connecting with Gordon’s superb right-wing cross after sneaking between Gabriel and William Saliba. Until then, Arsenal had been the better team, but despite quickly reasserting their dominance, they struggled to create clear-cut chances.
Fabian Schär managed to clear a dangerous Bukayo Saka cross, and Lewis Hall made a brave block to prevent Mikel Merino from scoring a powerful volley. However, Arteta’s frown suggested he was not overly optimistic. Indeed, every time Howe’s side counterattacked, Arsenal’s back line seemed to wobble. Aware of Jurrien Timber’s tendency to step into midfield from left back, Howe had deployed Gordon on his less preferred right flank, leaving Joelinton to attack the left. With Gordon excelling in a role he would never have chosen, Arteta’s defenders were repeatedly pulled into positions they did not want to be in, while Isak’s intelligent positioning highlighted why Arsenal’s manager has long been interested in signing the Swedish center forward.
Arteta is also believed to admire Bruno Guimarães, and that opinion would likely not have changed as he watched the Brazil midfielder, deployed at the heart of midfield with Sandro Tonali starting on the bench, persistently interrupt Arsenal’s attacks and win several clever free kicks. Kudos also to former Arsenal midfielder Willock, who, alongside Guimarães and Sean Longstaff, ensured Rice and his teammates did not have it all their own way. Behind them, Hall, another player significantly improved by Howe’s coaching, excelled at left back, largely neutralizing an unusually subdued Saka.
A good save from David Raya kept out a low shot from Isak as Arteta began reshuffling his lineup, introducing Oleksandr Zinchenko at left back and bolstering his attacking options with 17-year-old Ethan Nwaneri. They were soon joined by Ben White and Gabriel Jesus, but apart from defending deeper as the minutes passed, Newcastle’s scrappy, stop-start play prevented Arsenal from settling into a convincing passing rhythm. Late in the second half, Pope went down apparently injured, giving his teammates a chance to regroup, but time-wasting alone did not secure this well-deserved victory for a resurgent Newcastle.
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