Two years to the day since Eddie Howe agreed to take charge of Newcastle, his team recorded a statement result and exhibited some of the transformative strides they have made since he breathed life back into this club.
… so yes, there’s a fair chance you’ll be hearing more about this over the next few days. And to think for a while the first-half antics of Kai Havertz and Bruno Guimaraes looked like being the top line! Louise Taylor was at St James’ Park tonight, and her report is in. Thanks for reading this MBM. Nighty night.
Arteta continues to offload in the press conference. “We have to talk about how the hell this goal can stand up … it is incredible … I feel embarrassed, but I have to be the one coming in here to defend the club and please ask for help, because it is an absolute disgrace that this goal is allowed … it’s an absolute disgrace … it’s not a goal for many reasons … we put so much effort in, and it is so difficult to compete at this level and this is an absolute disgrace … I have been more than 20 years in this country, and this is nowhere near the level to describe the best league in the world, I am sorry … I don’t care what they say … whatever they say, it is too late … I don’t want to be in the hands of people … there is a lot of things … it’s simple, it’s not a goal … we lost three points today, do you know what that means? … it’s too hard, it’s embarrassing … it’s incredible, honestly … I feel sick to be part of this.”
Mikel Arteta talks to Sky and – this won’t be a surprise - he’s not happy. “I’m praising my players for their performance and the way we played … we didn’t deserve to lose the match … we lost the match because of the clear and obvious decisions … it’s embarrassing … it’s a disgrace, that’s what it is, a disgrace … we’ve been taking [things up with PGMOL] for many months … there’s so much mistakes … we put so many hours … I’m here to represent the football club and to get my team to compete at the highest level, the margins are so small … it’s a disgrace, it’s embarrassing, that’s how I feel and that’s how everybody feels in that [dressing] room … you cannot imagine the amount of messages we have got that said this cannot continue … it is embarrassing, I’m sorry, embarrassing … it is not acceptable … there is too much at stake … look at the images and, honestly, I don’t know how to feel, I’m wasting my time … we are wasting our time … I don’t want to be in the hands of people … it is difficult enough to compete against a really good team … I praised [my team] for what they do on the pitch but there are other things we cannot control … it effects results, momentum and confidence … the consequences are too big, too, too, too big.”
Eddie Howe speaks to Sky Sports. “Tough game, really tough but a massive win … it was a really battling performance … Arsenal were good, we were good … but maybe not in the ways we’re both known … it was a real midfield scrap … a lot of physicality, a lot of duels, and thankfully we came out on top … Joelinton was huge for us … it wasn’t the game we prepared for but you have to show different sides to win … the injury situation is a worry … we seem to be losing a player a game … we’ll let the dust settle and see what we’ve got for Dortmund … I felt [Kai Havertz’s challenge on Sean Longstaff] was high and potentially dangerous … he was probably lucky to get a yellow … it wasn’t a dirty game but there were a few flashpoints … we’re in the dark [about the VAR decision to award the goal] … it looked a good goal but everyone else will have a different opinion.”
A ball-over-the-line controversy? Newcastle and Arsenal have seen this film before.
The match-winner Anthony Gordon speaks to Sky Sports. “It feels amazing to score and win the game … we’re a real team … we show that in every game … we’re really strong this year.”
Jamaal Lascelles adds: “It was a huge battle … they tested us in every way … their technical ability and they started to lump it in the box at the end … anything that came our way we dealt with … and we had the quality up front to win the game.”
Newcastle and their fans are delighted; Mikel Arteta less so. A black cloud over his head as he briefly applauds the away support before he and his players skulk off down the tunnel. Newcastle battled and earned a hard-fought victory; Arsenal had most of the possession and territory but did very little with it. No doubt more will be said about the goal, VAR, and the red cards that weren’t. You’ll find many opinions of different flavour on your super soaraway internet. Whatever, it’s a huge result for Newcastle, who are back in the top-four battle, and a bad night for Arsenal, who cede ground to the champions Manchester City in the race for the title.
| Pos | Team | P | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Tottenham Hotspur | 10 | 13 | 26 |
| 3 | Arsenal | 11 | 14 | 24 |
| 4 | Liverpool | 10 | 14 | 23 |
| 5 | Aston Villa | 10 | 12 | 22 |
| 6 | Newcastle | 11 | 16 | 20 |
| 7 | Brighton | 11 | 4 | 18 |
FULL TIME: Newcastle United 1-0 Arsenal
The whistle goes and Newcastle celebrate passionately! A huge result for the Toon, who inflict a first defeat of the season on Arsenal.
Updated
90 min +8: Once again Trossard fails to get the corner past the first man. Newcastle clear. The denizens of St James’ Park roar their approval, then start whistling. Joelinton wins a challenge in midfield to snatch back possession and surely secure the victory. A roar.
90 min +7: Vieira floats it in. Pope punches clear. Arsenal come back again. Zinchenko has a dig from distance. It’s deflected out for a corner on the left. Trossard to take.
90 min +6: Gabriel nips past Trippier down the right and is shoved over for his trouble. A free kick that’s more or less a corner from the right.
90 min +5: Gordon deals with the second corner, dribbling it out of the box then launching long for Willock, who can’t hold the ball up. Arsenal will be coming back at Newcastle again.
90 min +4: Another Arsenal corner on the left. Trossard can’t beat the first man, but he’ll get a second opportunity. Here comes take two.
90 min +2: Newcastle clear the free kick. Then Vieira takes a foul throw. Safe to say this match has been one for the purists.
90 min +1: It’s been tipping down, and Livramento is booked for a sopping-wet slide on Martinelli out on the left touchline. Vieira prepares to curl the free kick into a loaded box.
90 min: There will be eight added minutes.
88 min: Guimaraes shoves Vieira in the face and is yellow carded. Given he should have had a yellow at least in the first half … well, it’s been one of those evenings for Stuart Attwell and pals.
Updated
87 min: Still more of the Arsenal probing. This is staunch arm’s-length defence from Newcastle.
85 min: The word from VAR is that the goal could have been offside, but we’ll never know because there was no acceptable camera angle catching the point Joelinton made contact with the ball. Breaking news: nobody knows anything.
Updated
83 min: Arsenal continue to probe, but to little effect as Newcastle continue to hold their shape and keep their discipline.
81 min: The corner leads to a quick game of head tennis, then Joelinton blasts clear. “I’m an Arsenal supporter,” begins Steven Villereal, “but wow this is the most out of pocket refereeing performance I’ve seen this year...which feels notable? I’ve come not to expect English competence in any field really, save for min-by-minuting, but wow if I ran the thing I’d do something to protect my Product from the PGMOL’s comedy incompetence.”
80 min: Space for Havertz down the left. His low dangerous cross is hooked out for a corner by Schar. Vieira was lurking behind looking to make an instant impact from a couple of yards.
79 min: Murphy’s shoulder problem flares up again. The poor guy goes off in an emotional state. Ritchie takes his place. Meanwhile Arsenal make a double change, replacing Nketiah and Jorginho with Trossard and Vieira.
77 min: This is an interesting stat flashed up by Sky. Successful passes in the last ten minutes. Arsenal have made 55. Newcastle just the one.
75 min: Some good possession and territory for Arsenal … but no way through right now. Newcastle holding their shape firmly, 30 yards from their own goal. Martinelli eventually gets fed up and sends a speculative cross into the mixer. Trippier isn’t giving an inch to either Havertz or Saka at the far stick, and the ball sails out for a goal kick.
74 min: Willock tries to skin Saliba down the left but over-runs the ball. Goal kick.
73 min: Tomiyasu attempts to flick on at the near post, but only bundles the ball out for a goal kick. Arsenal then make their first change of the night, swapping out White for Zinchenko.
72 min: Martinelli’s presence down the left earns a corner. He takes it himself and hits long. Arsenal will have another corner, this time from the right.
70 min: VAR controversy aside – and to be fair, there didn’t seem any clear and obvious reason to chalk off the goal – Arsenal were caught napping after Murphy dragged the initial shot across goal. Willock wasn’t sleeping though.
68 min: VAR finally comes to a decision, and decides there’s no conclusive evidence for any of the three situations: ball out of play, shove, and offside. The goal stands! St James’ Park erupts! So do a few Arsenal noggins.
67 min: Intermission.
Updated
66 min: … and make that a triple check, because they’re also checking for offside on Gordon!
65 min: … but there’s a double VAR check. Was the ball out of play when Willock retrieved it? VAR says no. However there’s a longer look at Joelinton versus Gabriel at the far post …
GOAL! Newcastle United 1-0 Arsenal (Gordon 64)
Joelinton finds Murphy free, just inside the box on the right. His shot across goal looks like flying out of play near the left-hand corner flag. Willock retrieves it and crosses long. Joelinton gets above Gabriel, knocking the ball down for Gordon, who can’t miss from inches!
Updated
63 min: Newcastle make a double change, replacing Almiron and Wilson with Murphy and Willock. And then …
62 min: Martinelli makes good down the left. His dinked cross is headed out by Trippier, but only to Rice, who attempts to return it with interest. He steers an improvised stooping header wide left.
Updated
60 min: Guimaraes barges into the back of Jorginho, a proper calling card. Then he performs the mime for Get Up, Malingerer. The Arsenal man springs up and for a second the situation looks like developing, but everyone calms down quickly enough. Although for how long, who can say.
58 min: The ball rears up off the turf and onto Saka’s arm. It’s an inconsequential moment in midfield, and accidental, but there’s no free kick and the Newcastle fans go ballistic as one. In other news, it’s panto season soon.
56 min: Havertz takes a snapshot from the right-hand edge of the D. It’s deflected through to Pope. Eddie Howe’s face will be quite the image should Havertz score the winner.
54 min: Nketiah takes a fresh-air swipe in the Newcastle box. That was half a chance. His error allows Newcastle to counter at pace, with Almiron bombing down the middle. He doesn’t quite have the pace to tear clear, but lays off to Gordon, overlapping on the left. Gordon enters the box ahead of Saliba, but takes a poor touch and can’t get a shot away. Newcastle still haven’t had a shot on target.
52 min: Gordon looks to have made it clear down the left, but he dribbles himself into a cul-de-sac and is forced to turn tail. Newcastle still haven’t put Raya to work.
50 min: Havertz goes sliding into Wilson. None of the force of the first half – his earlier challenge on Longstaff was considered by VAR to be “reckless rather than dangerous” – but it’s a curious decision by Havertz nonetheless, seeing he’s on a booking. Wilson stays down but the referee waves play on.
Updated
48 min: White does extremely well to dig out a cross near the right-hand corner flag while travelling at pace. He finds Rice in the middle. Rice heads goalwards, but not with the power one would expect. A strange, looping effort that Pope plucks calmly from the sky.
47 min: Rice slips Martinelli into space down the left. Martinelli takes on the freshly unboxed Livramento … and is ushered out of play for a goal kick. The sub finding his feet quickly.
Newcastle start the second half. Burn obviously did more than merely wind himself when landing on his back, because he was necking painkillers towards the end of the first half and he’s not able to continue. Livramento comes on in his place. No changes for Arsenal.
Half-time entertainment. Bayern are midway through doing their usual number on Dortmund in Der Klassiker. Taha Hashim has the details.
HALF TIME: Newcastle United 0-0 Arsenal
Well that was feisty. Havertz and Guimaraes both lucky to avoid red cards. It’s going to be quite a second-half battle.
45 min +3: Guimaraes raised his arm deliberately back there, and his head has definitely gone. He attempts to restart the game with a free kick deep in his own half, and deliberately batters the ball straight at Havertz, who was lurking nearby. Rice isn’t happy at all. It nearly kicks off. The whistle can’t come soon enough if we’re to end the half with 22 men.
Updated
45 min +2: Martinelli has a pop from distance. Pope claims easily.
45 min +1: Guimaraes challenges Jorginho from behind and clips him on the back of the head. Jorginho goes down as play goes on. VAR has a long look and decides there’s nothing in it. Guimaraes is very lucky not to see red.
45 min: Guimaraes attempts to thread a shot into the bottom left from distance. Always heading wide. Raya had it covered. There will be four added minutes.
44 min: Havertz advances down the middle and lays off to Nketiah, who enters the box down the right channel. Lascelles comes over and shoulders the striker off the ball with a mix of power and elegance. That’s fine defending.
42 min: Well, that Havertz challenge certainly got everyone going. On that very subject, here’s Alex Whitney: “Quite the unique news lead for the next batch of papers: Havertz impacts Arsenal match.”
41 min: Newcastle are using their fury as fuel. Almiron barrels down the right and lays off to Trippier, who loops a long cross to Gordon, on the left-hand edge of the six-yard box. Gordon can’t control his feet and the ball clanks away harmlessly.
40 min: Eddie Howe is beyond furious. His mood doesn’t improve when Rice clips Guimaraes late.
39 min: That looked like a nailed-on red card. Newcastle are so incensed that Longstaff and Schar are also booked. So that’s quite the outcome: Havertz could easily have walked for that lunge – cleared by VAR – yet it’s Newcastle who have come out of it with more disciplinary damage!
37 min: Longstaff prepares to break up the left touchline. He’s scythed down by Havertz, who catches his standing leg while sliding in at speed and off the ground. Just a yellow, though. Newcastle are livid. Gordon is booked for saying his piece.
Updated
35 min: Newcastle probe down both flanks. They’re pinning Arsenal back, but there’s no way through to the box. The visitors holding their shape in parsimonious fashion.
33 min: Almiron and Trippier nearly open Arsenal up down the right, but Nketiah comes back to intercept the final pass. Raya still not put to serious work.
31 min: Burn clatters into Saka from behind on the halfway line. Not quite enough for a booking, for some reason. You’ve seen yellow cards awarded for much less. Arsenal aren’t happy about the lack of a booking, not one bit.
29 min: Newcastle work their free kick forward slowly, then Guimaraes pings a left-to-right diagonal into the box. Burn rises at the far stick and heads back across goal … then Wilson hoicks carelessly over the bar from six yards! The flag goes up to save his blushes, though VAR might have got involved had Wilson found the net, which he surely should have done.
Updated
28 min: Burn goes up for a high ball and leaps over both Havertz and Joelinton. He falls on his back and looks to have winded himself. Play stops, but only because Wilson has been upended further upfield. Burn gets back up soon enough.
26 min: Wilson tries to dribble his way past Gabriel down the right, but the defender holds his line and shepherds the ball away. The home fans are getting a little bit frustrated at their team’s inability to fashion a proper chance.
25 min: Mikel Arteta and Toon assistant Jason Tindall have a short conversation on the touchline. These guys, huh?
23 min: Arsenal are getting on top. Rice drives down the left and wins yet another Arsenal corner. Martinelli and Rice combine short, the former eventually crossing for Nketiah at the far stick. Nketiah sends a poor header high and wide; he might have been better leaving it for Gabriel, who was standing behind.
21 min: The corner leads to a lengthy game of pinball in the Newcastle box. The hosts eventually half clear, only for a speculative shot to deflect out for another corner. That one drops to Jorginho, 25 yards out. He flays a wild volley deep into the stand behind. Good pressure from Arsenal, though.
19 min: Guimaraes strips Nketiah of possession and barrels down the right. He sidefoots a pass to release Almiron, who rolls infield for Wilson. The striker tries to return the favour, only to play a pass behind him. Arsenal clear and counter, Saka preparing to shoot just to the right of the six-yard box. Trippier toe-pokes out for a corner.
17 min: Arsenal faff around at the back again. Almiron pressures Gabriel, and looks to have stolen the ball, but then needlessly barges his opponent in the back, letting the defender off the hook. Raya then takes an age to blooter the resulting free kick upfield; yep, it would appear to be a button-pressing ploy all right.
15 min: Guimaraes dallies on the edge of the Newcastle D and is swarmed, then hassled off the ball. Tomiyasu has a speculative crack at goal and the ball’s deflected off Burn and out for a corner. Arsenal work that back to Jorginho, whose attempt to fire through a crowded box doesn’t come off.
13 min: The pace thing might be an Arsenal plan. They take their sweet time over a throw, and then a free-kick restart, causing the referee to wag the old finger.
12 min: The pace of the game drops but the noise in St James’ Park doesn’t. A fine atmosphere. There’s nothing like Saturday afternoon pints.
10 min: … though he’s only allowed back on after a 45-second wait. The 30-second rule, you see, another triumph of officialdom.
9 min: Joelinton, who had taken a whack upside the head, is good to continue.
8 min: Havertz strides down the middle of the park, then slips Saka into space on the right. Saka’s cross is cleared and Joelinton comes off second best in a 50-50 midfield duel with Saliba. On comes the trainer to check what’s what.
6 min: Almiron blazes down the right at such speed he eventually leaves the ball behind. No matter, because Longstaff is behind him, and is able to whip in a cross. Raya flies through the air to punch clear spectacularly.
5 min: Trippier attempts to release Longstaff into space down the right only for Rice to stride into view and take the ball away with calm authority. The early exchanges of this game are being played at a fair old lick.
3 min: … then Saliba takes a chance in his own box but squirms out of trouble stylishly. Not quite breaking news: Arsenal are fully committed to playing out from the back.
2 min: Raya hovers over a backpass and nearly gets closed down by Wilson …
Arsenal get the ball rolling. Raya immediately launches long towards Havertz, who loses possession. Joelinton sends Gordon away on the counter then makes himself available for the return, but the pair can’t unlock the Arsenal defence. A front-foot start for both teams.
… but before kick-off, there are Remembrance duties to carry out. The Last Post is played before a round of warm applause.
The teams are out. They’re dressed exactly as Winston O’Boogie had it. We’ll be off in a couple of minutes. “G’Day Scott,” begins Chris Paraskevas. “Arsenal at St. James’ Park has brought with it the inevitable flood of Dennis Bergkamp x Nikos Dabizas clips on social media. And by x I mean Bergkamp turning Nikos into a literal and metaphorical lamb on the spit, rotating him so fast he ended up somewhere in the Golden Age of Pericles. Here’s hoping for a new highlight of someone in black and white accidentally-but-on-purpose-Cruyff-Turning their marker en route to goal. I love Bergkamp but it’s becoming a bit of an insult to Euro 2004 winner Nikos, not that I’m biased or anything.”
The Beatles have made one or two headlines this week. It’s fitting that these two clubs meet a couple of days after the release of Now and Then, given they both feature on the cover of another 1970s John Lennon artefact, Walls and Bridges.
Mikel Arteta’s turn. “[Martin Odegaard] is not fit and we cannot play him … he is our captain and a really important player but it is an opportunity for another one to stand up and have a great performance … I am really proud of [Eddie Nketiah, who makes his 100th Premier League appearance tonight] and what he has achieved … it is going to be a beautiful game.”
Eddie Howe talks to Sky Sports. “Arsenal are a very good team … we’re in good form and confident after recent games … it’s set up to be a really interesting game … the players were brilliant in midweek … now we have to come back to the Premier League and every game is so difficult … Arsenal are unbeaten and will be a good test for us … we have to implement what we want to do and be a threat.”
Arsenal can go top of the table if they win here tonight. They’d need to beat Newcastle by six goals to do it, mind, after Manchester City thrashed Bournemouth 6-1 earlier.
| Pos | Team | P | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Man City | 11 | 20 | 27 |
| 2 | Tottenham Hotspur | 10 | 13 | 26 |
| 3 | Arsenal | 10 | 15 | 24 |
| 4 | Liverpool | 10 | 14 | 23 |
Newcastle meanwhile have dropped a couple of places as a result Brighton’s 1-1 draw at Everton and Manchester United’s 1-0 victory at Fulham. They can get back to sixth with a draw this evening.
| Pos | Team | P | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | Brighton | 11 | 4 | 18 |
| 7 | Man Utd | 11 | -4 | 18 |
| 8 | Newcastle | 10 | 15 | 17 |
| 9 | Brentford | 11 | 5 | 16 |
There seems little point comparing Newcastle’s starting XI to the free-jazz collection of full-backs Eddie Howe sent out at Old Trafford in the League Cup. More instructive, rather, to check today’s line-up against last week’s Premier League selection at Wolves. No changes!
Let’s take a similar approach with Arsenal, who also indulged in a spot of League Cup experimentation during the week. They’ve made three changes to their last Premier League starting XI. Of the team that began the 5-0 thrashing of Sheffield United, Jakub Kiwior, Oleksandr Zinchenko and Emile Smith Rowe make way; Gabriel, Tomiyasu and Jorginho come in.
The teams
Newcastle United: Pope, Trippier, Schar, Lascelles, Burn, Bruno Guimaraes, Longstaff, Joelinton, Almiron, Wilson, Gordon.
Subs: Dubravka, Dummett, Ritchie, Krafth, Hall, Livramento, Murphy, Willock, Miley.
Arsenal: Raya, White, Saliba, Gabriel, Tomiyasu, Rice, Jorginho, Havertz, Saka, Nketiah, Martinelli.
Subs: Ramsdale, Kiwior, Cedric, Trossard, Vieira, Nelson, Elneny, Hein, Zinchenko.
Referee: Stuart Attwell (Warwickshire).
Preamble
Newcastle United have lost eight of their last ten Premier League matches against Arsenal. They’ve failed to score in eight of those ten games. They’ve lost 19 of the last 22 in all competitions, the most recent defeat a 0-2 reverse in May just gone. History favours Arsenal strongly … but then Newcastle United had only won once at Old Trafford in over half a century before Wednesday night, and look what happened there. So this is set up nicely between two of English football’s upwardly mobile teams. Kick-off is at 5.30pm GMT. It’s on!
