Arsenal were aiming to close the gap on their rivals, Manchester City, after their victory over Leeds on Saturday. This match presented a great opportunity for them to do just that. Arsenal’s chances of winning the Premier League title have taken a major hit, but their dream was still alive when they approached the game against Newcastle. They were hoping to clinch a win and keep those slim hopes alive.
Newcastle have pretty much secured a spot in the Champions League next season, yet Sunday’s match was an important chance for them to come closer to making it a reality. After the exciting match at St James’ Park, Arsenal emerged victorious.
Newcastle began the match showing promising signs as Jacob Murphy’s attempt bounced off the post after one minute. Shortly after, Alexander Isak had his attempt blocked by the opposition. The Magpies were awarded a penalty after Kiwior blocked the shot from Bruno with his hand in the seventh minute. Nevertheless, it was overturned due to the ball hitting his thigh first.
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Martin Odegaard opened the scoring for Arsenal in the 14th minute with a powerful long-range screamer. Gabriel Martinelli almost doubled their lead shortly after, but Nick Pope managed to make a great stop. With 27 minutes gone, Newcastle nearly got the equaliser when Joe Willock beat Arsenal’s defenders. But Ramsdale managed to deny them with a swift save, leaving them unable to level the score before half-time.
Just like the first half, Newcastle opened strongly in the second period as Isak almost levelled it off but his header struck the goalpost. Ramsdale shortly after reacted quickly to deny Schar’s attempt in the 49th minute. Arsenal didn’t waste any time and Martinelli’s shot hit the crossbar after being denied by Pope. The Brazilian then made another attempt by making a cross that hit Fabian Schar’s leg and score an own goal for Newcastle, taking the scoreline to 2-0.
