Newcastle defeats Arsenal by a lone goal
Newcastle dented Arsenal’s title hopes on Saturday, winning 1-0 and allowing leaders Manchester City to move eight points clear of the Gunners at the top of the Premier League.
Swedish striker, Alexander Isak scored the game-winning goal in the 12th minute. He headed in Anthony Gordon’s perfect cross from the right. Arsenal struggled to get out of first gear despite dominating possession to a total of 64% in the match. They only managed to get one shot on target throughout the game. This shows how Arsenal played woefully in today’s match against Newcastle
Mikel Arteta’s men have picked up only one point in their last three games, as their title hopes are swiftly fading away.
If the current reigning champions, Manchester City win against Bournemouth later today, they will move eight solid points ahead of Arsenal.
Liverpool are currently a point behind Manchester City, they host Brighton at Anfield today.
Arsenal under Mikel Arteta has pushed Pep Guardiola’s Man City hard in each of the two previous premier league campaigns. They looked to be well-prepared for another title assault, but the point difference is now disturbingly large.
The visitors who have a lot of injured players, got off to a good start at St James’ Park, with Leandro Trossard pulling the ball wide.
But the host team, Newcastle which had not won in five games, relaxed the game afterward. Swedish forward Isak managed to get in between Arsenal’s defenders Gabriel and William Saliba to head home Gordon’s magnificent first-time cross.
Arsenal’s winger, Bukayo Saka, couldn’t find the penetration that he needed. He headed wide in the 18th minute after rising over his opponent marking him.
Newcastle defender, Lewis Hall halted Mikel Merino’s attempt on the line after a Declan Rice corner caused havoc. The visitors couldn’t find their rhythm and were unable to match the home team’s intensity.
Just after the hour mark, Arsenal’s Spanish manager, Arteta substituted 17-year-old Ethan Nwaneri and Oleksandr Zinchenko for Gabriel Martinelli and Mikel Merino, respectively.
Arteta made more changes, bringing on defender Ben White and striker Gabriel Jesus in a desperate attempt to equalize.
Arsenal struggled to gain momentum as the clock ticked down, but they lost a fantastic opportunity to equalize when Rice headed narrowly wide from a Saka cross in stoppage time.
The Gunners, who are still without captain Martin Odegaard, suffered a shock defeat to Bournemouth last month and drew 2-2 with Liverpool last week.
Arsenal faces tough matches against Italy’s Inter Milan in the Champions League and Chelsea in the Premier League next week.
Arsenal finished the match with 4 yellow cards, 6 corners, and 10 shots with only one on target.
Join Our Social Media Channels:
WhatsApp: NaijaEyes
Facebook: NaijaEyes
Twitter: NaijaEyes
Instagram: NaijaEyes
TikTok: NaijaEyes
