Mikel Arteta has admitted that Newcastle United deserved to beat his Arsenal side by a bigger margin after the Magpies were '100 times better' than the Gunners in every department.
Newcastle produced their best performance of the season against Arsenal on Monday night as Eddie Howe's side ran out 2-0 winners at St James' Park in their final home game of the season. Ben White put the ball through his own net in the 55th minute before Bruno Guimaraes sealed the victory with a killer second goal half an hour later.
It was the least Newcastle deserved. Newcastle had more possession, shots and corners than Arsenal and you would have thought it was the hosts going for a place in the Champions League rather than the cowed visitors.
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Instead of making excuses after the game - Arteta repeatedly said he could not say what he really felt after Arsenal's North London derby defeat last week for fear of being suspended - the Gunners' boss was brutally honest.
Arteta acknowledged that the Magpies were '100 times better than us in every department from the beginning 'till the end' on a night where Newcastle supporters could still be heard outside chanting 'Toon! Toon! Black and white army!' and 'E-I-E-I-E-I-O -Up the Premier League we go' as he spoke in the press room.
"We knew, but we didn't cope with it," he told reporters. "We didn't compete. We never got into the game. We were putting ourselves in trouble time after time. We lost every duel. Every aspect of the game, we were second best and Newcastle totally deserved to win the match. Probably by a bigger margin as well."
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