Nick Ames was at the Emirates this evening. Here’s his report. Thanks for reading this MBM. Nighty night!
Eddie Howe talks to TNT. “In that first half we weren’t ourselves … a disappointing performance … in the second half we were much better until the third goal which knocked us … in that first half, Arsenal were very good, we weren’t, and we got punished … we were off in most aspects … we didn’t do the basics right … Arsenal put us under pressure and we kept making technical mistakes … sometimes in away games you have to weather the storm … unfortunately we didn’t do that … we conceded some bad goals … we started the second half really well and had a couple of chances to get that third goal which would have been crucial in the game … unfortunately we didn’t take them … we made some bad mistakes for the goals in the second half amongst a much better performance.”
Mikel Arteta speaks to TNT: “[I liked] everything … the way we started … the aggression and positivity … we started to generate chances … the team didn’t want to stop … the atmosphere was phenomenal … I’m really pleased … we knew 2-0 was not done against a really good team … we had to get the game done, and we did it … Jorginho was really good … we believed it was a game for him … he is a fantastic player … I liked all the goals … the ones that are really scrappy and don’t go on YouTube but they are as effective … we are scoring in different ways and that is really positive.”
Reaction from both managers coming up soon. In the meantime, Nick Ames was at the Emirates tonight, and his report has dropped. Here it is!
Post-match postbag. “Not that I think Newcastle are terrible but the project has stalled somewhat, or perhaps found its profit-and-sustainability glass ceiling,” begins Dave Watton.
“They’ve been hovering around 10th all season, 15 points off Villa in 4th, despite the dramatics they still went out of the Champions League in the group stages and as usual barely made a ripple in the cups. West Ham are supposed to be a crisis club and they’ll probably finish above Newcastle.
“My theory is that Guimaraes (who is a really good player) checked out a while ago, and the doors for FFP chicanery as patented in other stadiums backed by petro-state public investment funds are much harder to open in this brave new world where FFP punishments have teeth.
“I understand comments like ‘laugh now, before they are our overlords’ but I think people overstate it. With profit and sustainability rules as they are right now, I don’t see an obvious path for a team like Newcastle to be able to compete with the true elite, and I think their best players know it, hence the drop-off. Maybe they’ve already reached their high water mark.”
Mikel Arteta calmly and quietly punches the air at the final whistle, perhaps mindful of copping more grief from the celebration police. Those self-appointed pinch-faced miseries have a lot to answer for, because the Arsenal boss is within his rights to race around the perimeter of the stadium at high pace, whooping, hollering and giving everyone in the front row a low five. His team were that good tonight. Having said that, Newcastle were abysmal in just about every department, with perhaps only the much-maligned Loris Karius exempt from serious criticism. He made enough saves to keep the scoreline borderline respectable; the ponderous nature of Newcastle’s overall play invited a larger thrashing.
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FULL TIME: Arsenal 4-1 Newcastle United
To borrow a phrase from the legendary BBC commentator David Coleman: Newcastle were undressed. Arsenal were magnificent and are now just two points off the top, with the best goal difference in the division.
| Pos | Team | P | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Liverpool | 26 | 38 | 60 |
| 2 | Man City | 26 | 33 | 59 |
| 3 | Arsenal | 26 | 39 | 58 |
| 4 | Aston Villa | 26 | 21 | 52 |
| 5 | Tottenham Hotspur | 25 | 14 | 47 |
90 min +4: Nelson skitters down the right. His low cross pinballs into the path of Smith Rowe, who passes towards the bottom right. Karius is beaten but Burn clears off the line. From the resulting corner, Nelson sends a curler from the edge of the box straight at Karius.
90 min +2: Trossard tries to ping Nketiah away down the left but gets the pass all wrong. Despite the scoreline, Mikel Arteta is still springing around his penalty area in the manic fashion.
90 min: There will be five additional minutes of pain for Newcastle United.
89 min: As the Arsenal midfielder leaves the pitch, TNT Sports co-commentator Ally McCoist names him as player of the match.
88 min: Jorginho makes way for Elneny.
86 min: Jorginho goes down with cramp. No real surprise, he’s put the yards in. He’s been everywhere tonight.
GOAL! Arsenal 4-1 Newcastle United (Willock 84)
Barnes finds Gordon down the left with a fine run and pass. Gordon holds the ball up awhile. Burn arrives on the overlap and dinks a cross in for Willock, who loops a header across Raya and into the top left. Is another four-goal comeback on?! No.
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82 min: “Going 4-0 up is the worst thing Arsenal could have done against Newcastle,” quips Tom Atkins. Any excuse to remind distressed Toon fans of better days.
80 min: Smith Rowe tries a curler towards the bottom right. His shot doesn’t make its way through a crowded box, but full marks for effort.
78 min: According to Darren Fletcher on TNT Sports, Arsenal have just become the first team in Premier League history to score two goals in seven successive halves.
!
77 min: The Premier League have awarded the fourth goal to Kiwior. Great news for the Arsenal defender, and a small scrap of comfort for Miley.
76 min: Arsenal make a triple sub, removing Odegaard, Saka and Havertz and sending on Nketiah, Nelson and Smith Rowe.
74 min: Slapstick scenes as Raya claims a Newcastle free kick, then attempts to send Trossard free with a long hoof upfield. The ball pings off the back of the unfortunate referee, much to everyone’s annoyance. But at 4-0, everyone soon sees the funny side.
73 min: Newcastle make a triple change, sending on Burn, Willock and Lascelles for Livramento, Guimaraes and Botman. The latter has had an absolute shocker.
72 min: That now 19 goals from set pieces this season for Arsenal. Concede a corner at your peril.
71 min: Kiwior celebrated the goal as his own, but it didn’t look as though the flick was heading in, rather sailing across the face of goal before Miley’s unfortunate intervention. The Premier League will no doubt take another look to double check, but this is where we are right now.
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GOAL! Arsenal 4-0 Newcastle United (Miley og 69)
Trossard wins a corner down the left. Rice takes. Murphy heads behind. Rice takes again. Bedlam at the near post. Kiwior flicks on. The ball pings off Miley and into the top left. Newcastle a defensive shambles.
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67 min: Arsenal have been outstanding this evening. But Newcastle have contributed to their own downfall. Botman was so sloppy ahead of that goal. Eddie Howe will be giving his defenders some direct advice later on, I’ll be bound.
GOAL! Arsenal 3-0 Newcastle United (Saka 65)
Botman’s distribution has been abysmal all evening, and he’s at fault here again. He needlessly ships possession to Havertz, and Arsenal stream forward. Saka is slipped into the box from the right. He chops infield to see off Livramento with ease, before passing calmly across Karius and into the bottom left. The keeper with no chance. Another wonderful goal!
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64 min: Newcastle respond with two of their own, hooking Isak and Almiron and sending on Barnes and Murphy.
63 min: Arsenal make their first change of the evening, replacing Martinelli with Trossard.
62 min: One goal would change everything, of course, and Guimaraes sprays a sensational diagonal ball towards Isak on the left flank. Isak brings it down with a gossamer touch, cuts infield, and whistles a shot over the bar. You’ve seen him plant those into the top corner before. That would have been one hell of a goal.
59 min: Saka tries to spring Havertz into space down the left only to clank an uncharacteristically poor pass out for a goal kick.
58 min: White wedges a pass down the right in the hope of releasing Saka. Botman does extremely well to keep up with Saka and shepherd the ball out for a goal kick. Arsenal’s play is nowhere near as intense now, but then it doesn’t really need to be.
56 min: Newcastle probe around the edges of the Arsenal box but the home defence holds firm. Raya still hasn’t had any serious work to do this evening, holding off Isak apart.
54 min: Arsenal haven’t reached the artistic heights of the first half yet. No matter, the memory of that performance lives on, and the Emirates is en fête. The home fans entertaining themselves via the medium of song.
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52 min: Not that Newcastle are totally back up to speed. Martinelli skins Longstaff down the left with absurd ease and the midfielder is fortunate that the subsequent low cross is intercepted well by Almiron.
51 min: Gabriel leaves a calling card on the back of Isak’s head. Trippier pumps the free kick long into the box but Arsenal deal with it easily enough. Newcastle have at least turned up for the second half, unlike the one that preceded it.
49 min: Gordon cuts in from the left and takes a shot from the edge of the box. Raya smothers. That’s Newcastle’s first shot on target. According to TNT, this match is the first time Newcastle haven’t mustered an effort on goal in the first half in the Premier League since March 2014 against Southampton. So this represents something of an advance.
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48 min: Yep, it should be over, and that miss nearly takes on sudden importance as Isak tries to round Raya only to get the ball stuck under his feet. It could have been 3-0, it could have been 2-1. But here we are.
47 min: It should be three. Saka drives hard at the Newcastle back line before carving it open down the middle. He strokes a pass through to release Havertz, who attempts to pass into the bottom-right corner, only to ping it wide. This should be over.
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Newcastle get the second half started. No changes, Newcastle’s starting XI presumably having been told to go back out and right some wrongs.
Half-time postbag. “With City being nowhere near as good as they have been the previous few seasons and Liverpool being three injuries away from giving me a call, surely this is Arsenal’s best chance of winning the league? The fact that they seem to be on a mission to score five goals in every game the rest of the season probably also helps” – Espen B
“This season the Gunners have made tighter defences than the Magpies’ look flimsier than a four-year-old’s cover story for why there’s ice-cream all over their face before supper. But it’s been striking that Newcastle defenders keep running towards spots where the Arsenal attackers aren’t. Whatever system they’re using isn’t working anymore” – Kári Tulinius
Half-time entertainment.
HALF TIME: Arsenal 2-0 Newcastle United
Nothing happens in the other two, either, and Newcastle traipse off, having been given the royal runaround. The 2-0 scoreline seriously flatters them, such has been Arsenal’s elegant dominance. If the visitors are to somehow get back into this, Eddie Howe has some serious work to do during the break.
45 min +1: The first of three added minutes drifts by without incident.
45 min: A third long pass in as many minutes by Newcastle, down the right again, this time for Almiron. Raya again comes out to do his job. A blueprint for Newcastle in the second half here? It’s as dangerous as they’ve looked, even if that bar is set absurdly low, and attack may well be the best form of defence.
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44 min: Another long ball by Newcastle, this time down the right. Isak can’t get there before Raya, who rushes out of his box to hammer clear.
43 min: Almiron is suddenly sprung clear down the left. He draws Raya, only to weakly waft an effort straight at the keeper, who claims. Then the flag goes up for offside anyway.
42 min: Rice aims a no-backlift rising shot towards the top right. Karius handles it with aplomb. The flag goes up for offside anyway, but that was good handling.
41 min: Guimaraes is back up and running, boot back on. “Newcastle’s transformation this season from spiky vertebrate to passive invertebrate has been something to behold,” writes Niall Mullen. “I’m sure we’ll all have to bow down before their crushing dominance in the near future so for the time being I for one am going to enjoy them being some distance from stellar.”
40 min: Guimaraes does the professional thing and goes down with a boot complaint. Time for Newcastle to regroup in the hope of getting through to half-time without taking any more punishment.
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38 min: Saka hip-shakes between two effort-free Livramento and Gordon challenges, making space to shoot down the inside-right channel. His rising shot is tipped away expertly by Karius. Nothing comes of the corner. As good as Arsenal’s relentless press has been, Newcastle’s resistance to it is pitiful.
37 min: Longstaff slaps a simple pass out straight at Rice, who attempts to set up Havertz. Newcastle are fortunate the pair overthink it and execute their plan poorly.
35 min: Now Longstaff is caught napping, offering Martinelli the opportunity to blaze over from the edge of the box. Number three is in the post.
34 min: When even Guimaraes looks rattled, you know you’re in trouble. He clumsily passes straight out of play for a corner. Nothing comes of the set piece, but Newcastle need to cop on quickly, because more goals are coming if they keep playing as dozily as this.
33 min: On TNT, Ally McCoist points out that Newcastle aren’t pressing at all, and that passive approach is costing them dear, no matter how good Arsenal are. Chris Paraskevas agrees: “Tactically, it feels like Eddie Howe is shutting the gate after the horse has bolted. I can think of a few other situations this season where sitting deep and absorbing pressure would have worked well for us (Milan and Dortmund at home?). The big problem tonight is no-one in the Newcastle Starting XI has adopted the right mentality, standing off and waiting for an error. Too many Arsenal players with time and space in our penalty box. Not enough grit in midfield. And crucially: no out ball for Isak and Gordon, and no attempt to pressure Raya (who has looked dodgy with ball at feet tonight). Where’s Andy Carroll when you need him?”
31 min: Guimaraes catches Jorginho late and is fortunate to avoid the booking that would trigger an automatic two-game suspension. When the game restarts, Odegaard releases Saka down the right with a cute backheel. Saka crosses to the in-rushing Martinelli, who can’t keep his header down from 12 yards. Had he planted that one home, it would have been another picture-book goal. Arsenal are purring.
30 min: Saliba launches long, looking for Havertz. Karius reads the danger, racing out of his box to blooter clear.
29 min: Almiron crosses from the right in the hope of finding Gordon at the far post. Arsenal deal with the situation in fuss-free fashion.
27 min: … it could be another rout. Schar’s lazy pass out from the left-back position is easily picked by Odegaard, who looks for Havertz in the middle. Just as Havertz prepares to reprise his work of three minutes ago, Longstaff extends a leg to save the day for Newcastle, poking out for a corner. Karius claims the set piece. Newcastle need to clear their heads quicksmart, or this will turn ugly for them.
26 min: TNT flash up a stat: 52 percent of play so far has been in Newcastle’s final third. Arsenal’s last two Premier League matches have seen them score six and five. The way this is going …
GOAL! Arsenal 2-0 Newcastle United (Havertz 24)
Arsenal continue to press. Martinelli surprises Newcastle with a left-to-right diagonal run into the box. Jorginho finds him with a floated cross from the right. Martinelli reaches the byline to the right of goal and whistles it low into the centre. Havertz is on hand to slam home from close range. That’s a gorgeous goal!
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23 min: We’re a quarter of the way in, and Newcastle still haven’t had a significant touch of the ball. Arsenal are completely bossing them at the moment. White has the opportunity to shoot from the edge of the box but declines. Martinelli has a whack. Blocked. But none of this matters, because …
21 min: Martinelli attempts to slip Havertz into the box. Havertz gets over-physical just when things look like opening up for him. The whistle goes. Newcastle desperately hanging on here.
19 min: That was a bit of a farce. But it’s nothing more than Arsenal deserve. It’s been all Arsenal from the get-go.
GOAL! Arsenal 1-0 Newcastle United (Botman og 18)
On 18 minutes, Arsenal score their 18th set-piece goal of the season. Gabriel heads towards the right-hand side of the goal at the near post. Karius saves well, but the ball squirts to Livramento, who attempts to hack off the line, only for his clearance to ping off the prone Botman’s knee and back in! Only just over the line. But over is over.
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17 min: Jorginho shovels a pass down the inside-right channel in the hope of releasing Saka into the box. Livramento is forced to take drastic action, slicing hysterically behind for a corner. Saka to take from the right, and …
16 min: The pace drops at last, and Arsenal begin to probe patiently. Martinelli nearly escapes down the inside-left channel, but can’t get the better of the revived Trippier.
14 min: Trippier springs back up, though he’s trotting gingerly right now.
13 min: Odegaard floats a cross towards Martinelli on the left. Martinelli manages to get a header on target, but from a long way out. Easy again for Karius. Then Trippier goes down clutching his knee.
11 min: Raya hesitates with the ball at his feet and is very nearly closed down by Isak. Arsenal hearts would have been in mouths there, but the keeper manages to shuffle his feet and hack clear.
10 min: Trippier gifts the ball to Rice with an appalling pass infield from the Newcastle right. Rice feeds Odegaard, who attempts to release Martinelli but gets his scooped pass all wrong. Karius claims, but Newcastle ship possession quickly and now it’s Rice taking a whack from Saka Country. Karius parries this one, too, albeit not in the most convincing fashion. Arsenal well on top.
8 min: Martinelli dances down the left touchline and looks to have the better of Schar, with Newcastle light at the back elsewhere. Danger here! But then the linesman sticks up his flag, even though the ball hadn’t gone out of play. Never mind, Arsenal come again, Saka having a speculative slash from the right-hand edge of the D. Easy for Karius.
7 min: Odegaard probes on the edge of the Toon box but his misplaced pass allows Trippier to intercept and send Almiron off at speed along the right touchline. Odegaard attempts to make up for his error with a slide tackle from behind that earns him a yellow card.
5 min: Jorginho’s loose crossfield pass allows Livramento to intercept and roll a pass to Gordon. Newcastle don’t really build from that, but it’s their first moment in possession so worthy of some sort of comment. Arsenal aren’t letting them rest at all.
3 min: Arsenal are snapping into everything. Pressing hard. Karius passes Schar into a bit of trouble by the right-hand corner flag, and the ball’s nearly gifted to Havertz. The press is too hard this time, and the whistle goes to release the pressure on Newcastle. For now.
1 min: … they win another. Rice delivers. White flicks on. Saliba can’t force home. The ball breaks to Saka on the edge of the area and he hoicks over. A fast start by the hosts.
Arsenal get the ball rolling. They’re immediately on the front foot, too, Martinelli winning a corner down the left within the first 13 seconds. And from that …
The teams are out! Live prime-time Saturday night football always feels a bit odd, but at least the kick-off time has given everyone plenty of opportunity to source lubricant, and the atmosphere on Ashburton Grove is wonderful as a result. Arsenal in their red and white, Newcastle in black and white. We’ll be off in a minute or two!
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More hot line-up chat, this time from the other side. Charles Antaki writes: “Go on then, if we’re allowing ourselves comments on the line-ups - always a pleasure until reality strikes. My ha’porth: in spite of some lovely recent games Trossard was near invisible against Porto, so plugging in Jorginho and shuttling Rice a bit more forward sounds good. Cue collapse of midfield, blankness at left inside forward and general gah.”
Mikel Arteta talks to TNT. “We expect to have big support and big energy … we are excited … we have been on a really good run in the Premier League and we want to continue that … we have players on the bench who can impact the game … let’s go for it … we will have to see the result and the context of the game to see how we can use [Gabriel Jesus] … two very competitive teams expect to win … it will be an intense match … we must replicate those moments [against Liverpool] and earn the right to win the game.”
Another email, and proof that consensus was always a pipe dream. “We’re having a sweep as to what minute Isak gets crocked again,” writes Richard Slassor. “I have 30~40. Think I’m quids in. Karius for Dubs is a step down IMO. That’s a sample size of two now.”
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Newcastle’s starting XI seems to have gone down well with their fans, if our sample size of one MBM reader is anything to go by. “That seems a really sensible line-up for Newcastle,” begins John Davis. “It’s quite a convenient bout of illness - Dubravka is a great shot stopper but won’t leave his line. He’s trying to replace someone in Nick Pope who loves sweeping and you can see the pressure he’s under recently - he’s started to come out when he has no chance of making it, or hesitating, and it’s unsettling the defence. Karius did pretty well in his only game in the Carabao Cup final under lots of pressure, and I still reckon he was concussed when he made the errors in the Champions League final. Isak in for Barnes is great - Barnes is just back from a long injury and Isak is different class, and the pace of Tino against Saka gets Dan Burn out of the firing line after some tricky games. I’m not expecting to win, but it’s lovely going there with a team who will try and I’ve a sneaking suspicion we’ll wind them up even more after Gordon’s winner in our first match this season.”
The whistle has just gone at Dean Court, where Manchester City have beaten Bournemouth 1-0 thanks to Phil Foden’s first-half goal. Taha Hashim has the details.
The result moves City to within a point of leaders Liverpool. Arsenal need a result tonight if they’re to keep pace with the top two.
| Pos | Team | P | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Liverpool | 26 | 38 | 60 |
| 2 | Man City | 26 | 33 | 59 |
| 3 | Arsenal | 25 | 36 | 55 |
| 4 | Aston Villa | 26 | 21 | 52 |
| 5 | Tottenham Hotspur | 25 | 14 | 47 |
Eddie Howe speaks to TNT Sports. “We always rotate for different games … with [Isak] back it’s a massive lift … he’s such a key player … a difference maker … we’ll certainly need him to play well tonight … our midfield is picking itself … we want more control and clarity … the spirit is there … the determination … so long as we keep showing that, whatever we deliver tonight we’ll take … we need to keep 11 men on the pitch … but we also have to compete … mixing your game up is absolutely crucial … Arsenal are constantly changing their midfield shape so it will be interesting to see how it goes … we have to bring a threat to the match … our away form has been good in part due to that attitude.”
Arsenal make one change to their starting XI after Wednesday’s 1-0 defeat at Porto. Jorginho comes back in at the expense of Leandro Trossard, who drops to the bench. Gabriel Jesus is also named as a sub after missing the last four matches.
Newcastle make three changes to the team that rescued a 2-2 draw with Bournemouth last Saturday. Martin Dubravka is absent through illness, so Loris Karius takes over in goal, making his first start since last season’s League Cup final. Meanwhile Alexander Isak and Tino Livramento replace Harvey Barnes and Dan Burn, who both drop to the bench.
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The teams
Arsenal: Raya, White, Saliba, Gabriel, Kiwior, Odegaard, Rice, Jorginho, Saka, Havertz, Martinelli.
Subs: Ramsdale, Gabriel Jesus, Smith Rowe, Nketiah, Cedric, Trossard, Vieira, Nelson, Elneny.
Newcastle United: Karius, Trippier, Schar, Botman, Livramento, Longstaff, Bruno Guimaraes, Miley, Almiron, Isak, Gordon.
Subs: Lascelles, Ritchie, Barnes, Krafth, Hall, Jacob Murphy, Willock, Gillespie, Burn.
Referee: Paul Tierney (Lancashire).
🔴 𝗧𝗘𝗔𝗠𝙉𝙀𝙒𝙎 ⚪️
— Arsenal (@Arsenal) February 24, 2024
Just the one change from midweek ⏳
Let's make it count, Gunners 👊 pic.twitter.com/GIXdeu46fX
HOWAY NEWCASTLE! 💪#ARSNEW // #NUFC pic.twitter.com/gCupf2b3n9
— Newcastle United FC (@NUFC) February 24, 2024
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Preamble
It was a hell of a game last time round. Mikel Arteta remembers it well, and he’ll be after revenge tonight. Not least because there’s a league title to be won. Newcastle meanwhile won’t have given up on getting back into Europe, so this is all set up to be a combustible cracker. Entertainment ahoy. Kick off is at 8pm GMT. It’s on!
