Arsenal were 2-1 winners in dramatic circumstances over Newcastle United at the weekend to draw within two points of Premier League leaders Liverpool. This triumph will embolden Arsenal’s title challenge even more. It further highlights the side’s tenacity and tactical ability under manager Mikel Arteta.
The encounter, held at St James’ Park saw both sides show an incredible intensity that epitomised the passion of this rivalry. Arsenal opened the scoring relying heavily on corner kicks, the X factor that carried them to glory. Gabriel scored the winning goal deep into stoppage time, netting in the 90+6 minute after an intense battle on the pitch.
Sandro Tonali, Bruno Guimarães and Joelinton form a relentless and tireless midfield. They couldn’t quite get into their groove for the duration of the game. Try as they might, they weren’t able to break through Arsenal’s defensive third. After a perfect cross from the right side by Matt Ritchie, Mikel Merino scored with an excellent, powerful header home, briefly lighting up Newcastle’s prospects. It was Arsenal who prevailed.
To their credit, Nick Pope, Newcastle’s netminder, was stellar. He made perhaps the game’s biggest save that allowed his team to hang around. His individual efforts on that occasion were an impressive demonstration of his ability, but even that was not enough to earn Newcastle a share of the spoils.
Notably, this victory is Arsenal’s second away win against a top 4 contender in the Premier League this season. Previous notable away victories include a 2-1 triumph over Spurs in the Littlewoods Cup semi-final in March 1987, a 1-0 victory against Manchester United in March 1998, and a 2-1 win at Liverpool in December 2001.
The decision-making, tactical choices and substitutions of Mikel Arteta also came into fire during that game. For many observers, a standout feature of the game was the conservative approach taken by Arsenal at certain points. Angus Chisholm commented, “Can’t believe how conservative and cautious Arsenal were today.” He also acknowledged the team’s potential: “An odd, nervy performance from us but we are a work in progress, and Arsenal have arguably the most balanced squad in the EPL.”
Arsenal created many more quality chances in the run of play and fought strong against a top-tier club. The triumph would certainly provide the team a tremendous lift. It could even impact the way they think as they pursue their title dreams.