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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Sport
Josh O'Brien

Arsenal moments you missed as Martin Odegaard makes feelings clear and Mikel Arteta fumes

Arsenal failed to extend their lead at the top of the Premier League to 10 points after they were held to a 0-0 draw by Newcastle.

The Gunners welcomed a high-flying Toon Army to the Emirates with many regarding the visit of the Magpies as Arsenal's toughest test to date this term and it certainly played out that way.

Newcastle boss Eddie Howe boasts a miserable record when in this part of north London, having lost all six of his visits to the Emirates as a manager. Things nearly got off to a disastrous start, but in-form Martin Odegaard fired well over from close range inside the first three minutes.

After a brief period of exciting Arsenal play, the game eventually became more even and the visitors could have been ahead just before the break. Joelinton spurned a glorious header seconds before the interval, putting his effort wide from no more than four yards out.

The second-half started in similar fashion to the first, with plenty of Arsenal pressure but the hosts simply couldn't land the killer blow.

While Arteta will undoubtedly be annoyed at his side's profligate finishing, his main issue will likely lie with Newcastle's ludicrous efforts to run the clock down - which started at around the 20 minute-mark.

Mirror Football has identified four things you may have missed watching Arsenal's meeting with Newcastle from home.

Arteta's frustration

Mikel Arteta was seen constantly telling his defenders to organise themselves from set-pieces ((Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images))

The Arsenal boss would have surely drilled home to his players ahead of kick-off how impressive Newcastle have been from set-pieces this term, yet his troops didn't seem to be getting the message early on.

With each free-kick the Geordies got, Arteta was spotted screaming at the Gunners players to form an orderly high line.

For the first few, when the Spaniard's instructions appeared to go ignored, Arsenal's set-piece specialist Nicolas Jover emerged from the bench to bark his orders at the players.

Odegaard's moan

Martin Odegaard failed to hide his frustrations with his team-mates at times ((Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images))
Odegaard failed to weave his usual level of influence against Newcastle ((Photo by James Williamson - AMA/Getty Images))

The mercurial midfielder is not known for having much of a temper, but Odegaard made his feelings on Saka's pressing clear in the first-half.

The England international pushed high on to Fabian Schar from a Nick Pope goal-kick, allowing the shot-stopper to loft a ball over Saka's head and into the feet of Dan Burn as Newcastle built another attack.

Odegaard responded to the sequence by flailing his arms in the air and muttering some kind of complaint at his fellow Arsenal star, whom he so often links up spectacularly with.

Mid-game team talks

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta held an impromptu teamtalk while Joelinton recieved treatment ((Photo by Charlotte Wilson/Offside/Offside via Getty Images))

In an unprompted hark back to the 'project restart' days of mid-half water breaks, Arteta took the opportunity presented by Joelinton receiving treatment for a head injury to try and gee up his players after Newcastle had weathered Arsenal's early storm.

A few of the Gunners stars naturally walked over to their boss following the break in play, but Arteta demanded everyone - even goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale, come over and hear what he had to say.

While they often had an instant impact back in 2020, it didn't have quite the same effect this time around.

Touchline tempers flare

Mikel Arteta was given multiple talking-tos by fourth official Jarred Gillet ((Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images))

With Andy Madley seemingly desperate to card every single player who made the most innocuous of challenges, tempers reached boiling point in both dug-outs.

Arteta was furious at the referee's inability to spot Joelinton hitting the deck in rather soft fashion, while Magpies assistant coach Jason Tindall was regularly in the eye of fourth official Jarred Gillet.

At one stage, it seemed as if Arteta and TIndall were bickering among themselves as the Arsenal boss (without a hint of self-awareness) seemed to question why the Newcastle coach was persistently being allowed outside of the technical area.

Arteta then spent much of the second-half furiously pointing at his watch, not-so-subtly implying he was less than impressed with Newcastle's time-wasting.

The Spaniard exchanged verbals with Howe at the end after Arsenal were not awarded a spot-kick in second-half stoppage time.

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