Newcastle boss Eddie Howe revealed his side’s hard-fought 1-0 win against Arsenal came at a price with Dan Burn and Jacob Murphy both sustaining injuries.
Anthony Gordon’s controversial second-half winner halted Arsenal’s unbeaten Premier League start to the season after a triple VAR check.
But Howe faces an anxious wait to learn the full extent of Burn’s back injury, while Murphy will have surgery after popping the same shoulder he dislocated last month and now faces three months out.
Howe, already without eight senior players through injury, said: “Two injuries that I don’t think you can do a lot about. Dan jumps for a ball, lands on his back and he’s in a lot of pain at the moment.
“So that looks worrying for us. Jacob – he knew there was a chance he could do his shoulder again, but he was prepared to take the risk.
“Unfortunately we lost him and we will lose him now to an operation, so a difficult moment, but the players just responded superbly.”
Newcastle extended their unbeaten league run to seven games and closed the gap on the title-chasing Gunners to four points after edging a tetchy, physical encounter of few chances.
“The players, the group have been unbelievable,” Howe said. “They’ve really stepped up. We’re in a difficult moment, we’ve got a lot of injuries.
“We’re playing in a lot of competitions, a lot of football, but the players are committed to everything and I can’t praise them enough.
“Again, we had to step up in a really difficult game against a top opponent. We’re stretched with injuries, losing players within the game again.
“We’ll have to see how Dan’s injury is. Dan’s been magnificent for us, we desperately don’t want to lose him, he gives us so much in different ways. Let’s see how feels.”
Howe admitted the decision to send second-half substitute Murphy into the fray had been a risk the player and medical team had been prepared to take.
When asked how long his rehabilitation would be, Howe added: “Off the top of my head I’m not sure, but it will probably be three months I think.”
Furious Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta said VAR Andy Madley’s decision to award Gordon’s goal was “an absolute disgrace”.
In his post-match rant, the 41-year-old Spaniard said he was “embarrassed” by the standard of the Premier League’s officiating.
Madley’s four-minute check looked at whether the ball had gone out of play before Joe Willock crossed for the winner, whether Joelinton had fouled Gabriel and if Gordon had been offside.
Arteta was delighted with his players’ performance, adding: “I have to praise them. It’s not in their hands, it’s not in their control. I have to praise the players the way they played here.
“How much they limited Newcastle and how much we tried, it’s incredible. The way we competed against this team, because they are a top team.
“So to get out of the game like this, I feel sick. That’s how I feel, sick to be part of this.”
