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Right, that’s it from me. Cheers for all your emails and tweets. Until next time! Bye!
Eddie Howe speaks!
It was a brilliant all-round performance. We played with intensity and never let up. We approached the game in a brilliant manner and we did the Premier League proud tonight. The one thing missing from us was that we hadn’t beaten a top-six team - and we deservedly beat them.
“Callum Wilson worked incredibly hard to get back to full fitness. He deserves all the accolades tonight. We’re a massive club with big ambitions. My job is to focus on how we do it.”
The last word for Newcastle, who did a lap of appreciation after the match tonight. Ant and Dec could be seen back slapping with Eddie Howe at the end. The manager has done a brilliant job.
Something to be said from Xhaka’s honesty, but his words do feel a little uncomfortable coming from someone who hasn’t exactly been a leading figure for Arsenal this season.
Xhaka comes out and speaks. He's really sticking the boot into his own team-mates.
So difficult to find the right words after the game. We didn’t deserve to be on the pitch today. I can’t explain to you why we didn’t do the gameplan. Not listening to the coach. It was a disaster of a performance. We don’t deserve to play Champions League. You can be 35, you can be 30, you can be 10, you can be 18. If you don’t have the balls to play, stay at home, stay on the bench. We are very sorry to the supporters.
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Certainly some sobering words from Arteta, in stark contrast to his post-match interview after the loss at Spurs. In the last 11 Arsenal games, there have been six defeats.
“When you are the manager and you need to lift the mood, all you do is please a minority who is obsessed with conspiracy,” emails Yash Gupta. “Arsenal lost this game after the interview Arteta did at Spurs.”
Arteta speaks! Some dynamite quotes in here.
It was a difficult night to swallow. Newcastle deserved to win the mach comfortably. We had nothing in the game. They were much better in the duels, the second balls. A lot of things happens with injuries but that’s not an excuse.
We could not cope with the game we had to play here. I was worried. We tried to change some things, but it didn’t make it better. The execution were so poor. The goals we gave away were so poor.
Newcastle were 10 times better than us. That was not a performance that belonged in the Champions League. There are a lot of question marks over a number of positions. We weren’t good enough.
There’s always a chance in football. Norwich have to beat Spurs. We have to be there in case the chance appears.
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Read Nick Ames's match report from St James' Park
If you avoid seeing a rather gruesome picture of Callum Wilson missing a front tooth, do not click on this link.
Bellerin, realising he has to go back to Arsenal next season …
💚💚💚
— Real Betis Balompié (@RealBetis_en) May 15, 2022
This is the story of a player whose father dreamt of seeing him play for #RealBetis. He came, won a #CopaDelRey and fell in love forever with this Club.
Pure Betis. pic.twitter.com/sISu8ylDMj
“Since Bellerin isn’t around to do the things anymore, which Gunner was it who did the foul throw?!” asks Harriet Osborn.
Tavares. A rare example of the foul throw being penalised!
But … but … aren’t you owned by … hang on.
Football is for everyone. 🏳️🌈
— Newcastle United FC (@NUFC) May 16, 2022
Newcastle United and the whole football community is with you, Jake!
🖤🤍 https://t.co/xMmlj62Y5t
Arsenal simply aren’t a top-four club at present. Of their starting line-up, Tavares, Elneny, Xhaka and Nketiah would be out of their depth in the Champions League, while only Martinelli is good enough on the bench. The rest of Arsenal’s players are either over the hill or young players that need guidance and leadership. Both attributes were badly lacking tonight.
A big goal from Jordan Rhodes, as Huddersfield edge Luton Town in their Championship semi-final play-off. The Terriers go to Wembley where they will face either Nottingham Forest or Sheffield United.
Complacency just won’t be a problem for Spurs at Norwich. Conte won’t allow that. To make matters worse for Arsenal, they might be playing an Everton side with everything to play for. And they will have to psychologically recover from defeat tonight. This is a young team that got annihilated tonight.
So, this is how things stand. With that goal difference, Arsenal need a three-point swing on Sunday. Tottenham play Norwich. Surely it’s only going to go one way.
| Pos | Team | P | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Man City | 37 | 72 | 90 |
| 2 | Liverpool | 36 | 65 | 86 |
| 3 | Chelsea | 36 | 42 | 70 |
| 4 | Tottenham Hotspur | 37 | 24 | 68 |
| 5 | Arsenal | 37 | 10 | 66 |
Full-time: Newcastle 2-0 Arsenal
One of the worst Arsenal performances I have ever witnessed. Odegaard and White slump to the turf in disappointment.
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90+6 min: Arsenal are yet to have an effort on goal in injury time, which gives you some idea of their attacking threat tonight. The game is won.
90+4 min: How does Joelinton have all the time and grace of prime Zidane these days? The transformation has been mad.
90+3 min: Newcastle waste a few more seconds, with their last change: Gayle on for Wilson.
90+2 min: With the entire Arsenal team ahead of him, Cedric tries his luck. No dice. Arteta will be fuming.
90 min: Saka has an effort from range but it goes well over. There will be six added minutes, owing to the injuries to Schär and Martinelli. The game is not completely done yet …
88 min: With this Arsenal defeat and Tottenham’s superior goal difference, Spurs will require just a draw at Norwich on Sunday. The only way for Arsenal to qualify is if Tottenham lose, and Arsenal beat Everton.
87 min: “Bruno, Bruno, Bruno” sing the Geordie nation. He’s been quite the signing.
GOAL! Newcastle 2-0 Arsenal (Bruno Guimaraes 85)
A deserved second goal, and now surely Arsenal are beaten. Wilson is sent through on goal by Longstaff, Ramsdale comes out but the rebound falls to Bruno Guimaraes, who calmly sidefoots the ball into the net. White can’t keep it out on the line! A brilliant display from Newcastle, miserable from Arsenal.
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83 min: A rare chance for Arsenal! Martinelli gets to the byline, crosses deep to Pepe, who nods it back into the six-yard box. There is a bit of a scramble which ends with Odegaard driving a shot towards goal. Three Newcastle players throw themselves at the shot, and it strikes one. Great defending! Newcastle are playing like they are still in a relegation battle. Conte will be punching the air at that one.
81 min: Nearly a sensational strike from Wilson! The striker takes down a high ball with ease, swivels past Elneny and thumps a bouncing ball straight over Ramsdale’s head from a full 45 yards out! The ball looks to be dropping into the net but curls and fizzes just wide! So close.
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79 min: HUGE chance for Newcastle to put this game to bed! Pepe, who has done next to nothing since coming on, plays a woeful, underhit pass across the backline. Murphy steals in, and suddenly it’s two on one at the back. Murphy plays a one-two with Fraser but their own passes are a bit lethargic and with Cedric closing down Murphy, the Englishman fires his shot straight at Ramsdale. That should have been a goal.
76 min: Newcastle respond with two changes of their own: Miguel Almiron is replaced by Jacob Murphy. Allan Saint-Maximin comes off for Ryan Fraser.
74 min: On comes Pepe for Arsenal, who withdraw Gabriel. A defender for an attacker. Arsenal are really going for broke, and they have to. They need two goals to keep Champions League qualification in their own hands. Even a draw here will mean Spurs take a one-point advantage into the final day.
73 min: Another Newcastle chance, they look far more likely to score. Wilson finds some space on the penalty spot, but White gets a good block in and the ball balloons over for a corner, just high and wide of Ramsdale’s top corner.
71 min: Arsenal get a couple of corners, the latter resulting in a long-range strike from Elneny, which bobbles through a crowd of bodies before being snaffled by Dubravka. The visitors’ first attempt on target since the 24th minute.
69 min: Targett is the next to go down, clutching his hamstring. Trippier is warming up, but looks like Targett will continue.
67 min: Newcastle break forward again! Something they have done so impressively is break the lines with their midfielders. It’s how they scored with Joelinton streaming forward from central midfield, and now Longstaff does it down the right, crossing dangerously to the near post. White is there to clear, and he does a good job. The Newcastle fans jeer, with his own goal fresh in their minds. That was good defending, though.
66 min: Martinelli lies crumpled in a heap after a challenge from Krafth. Could be a dead leg, could be something more serious but after a couple of minutes break, Martinelli is OK to continue.
64 min: Close for Wilson! Guimaraes wins something out of nothing deep in Arsenal territory, crosses for Wilson, who volleys it on the fly just a couple of yards over the bar.
62 min: Martinelli with a contender for worst cross of the season, there. Closer to a throw in than any of his Arsenal colleagues. On comes Lacazette for Tavares. The Gunners have gone to a 3-5-2, with Martinelli and Saka as wing backs. Lacazette partners Nketiah up top. Not a Champions League strikeforce, even if they have had their moments this season.
60 min: Lacazette is readying himself on the touchline. Arsenal need a spark.
58 min: A massive goal in the top-four race. Tottenham firmly in the box seat now, as things stand. Still time for Arsenal to turn this around, of course.
| Pos | Team | P | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Man City | 37 | 72 | 90 |
| 2 | Liverpool | 36 | 65 | 86 |
| 3 | Chelsea | 36 | 42 | 70 |
| 4 | Tottenham Hotspur | 37 | 24 | 68 |
| 5 | Arsenal | 37 | 10 | 66 |
GOAL! Newcastle 1-0 Arsenal (White OG 56)
Hope? Ah. Newcastle get the goal their performance deserves. After winning possession from an Arsenal foul throw (!!!!!), Joelinton canters down the left, crosses dangerously towards Wilson and White turns th ball into his own net! The £50m man was at full-stretch but the ball scraped off his studs and headed underneath Ramsdale into the net!
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54 min: Arsenal do seem to have gained some traction from that change. They actually enjoy some possession and a corner! Hope!
52 min: Arsenal make a change: Martinelli for Smith Rowe. They had to do something. My pre-match prediction of ESR being a game-changer was a little off … he was completely anonymous.
51 min: Another corner for Newcastle, who have started with the same intensity. Relentless pressure, although Arsenal clear the corner.
47 min: Yellow card for Nketiah, after a challenge from the Arsenal striker. There is concern for Schär, the recipient of Nketiah’s tackle, with medics crowding around the defender. It was an aerial dual, with the Swiss taking a knock on the head from Nketiah and a bash from the turf as he fell awkwardly. It looks as though Schär lost consciousness briefly, although he is awake now, thankfully. Newcastle are correctly taking no chances, and it will be Lascelles that comes on his Schär’s place. That’s a concussion substitution so Newcastle still have a full compliment of changes left. Lascelles takes the armband from Wilson – the defender is the club captain, even if he can’t get in the starting XI.
Peeeeeep! We’re underway again in the north-east.
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Half-time reading: there’s plenty to admire about this young man.
Half-time: Newcastle 0-0 Arsenal
The Gunners will be delighted to get into the break without conceding. It’s been all Newcastle. As things stand, Tottenham will hold a one-point advantage in the race for fourth, going into the final game of the season.
| Pos | Team | P | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Man City | 37 | 72 | 90 |
| 2 | Liverpool | 36 | 65 | 86 |
| 3 | Chelsea | 36 | 42 | 70 |
| 4 | Tottenham Hotspur | 37 | 24 | 68 |
| 5 | Arsenal | 37 | 11 | 67 |
44 min: Burn makes a stupid challenge on Saka on the right wing – the Arsenal man was going nowhere – and Arsenal have a chance for a breather. Odegaard swings the ball into the box, but it doesn’t clear the first man. Poor.
42 min: Another nervy clearance from Ramsdale. The Arsenal keeper has been very nervy with the ball at his feet, even if he has made a couple of important saves with his hands.
40 min: Arsenal can’t get out of their half. Both Joelinton and Guimaraes are tearing about the midfield like men possessed, both with peroxide blonde hairdos. No wonder the Gunners are seeing double.
38 min: Tomiyasu has a problem, he’s going to have to come off! On comes Cedric, who has the pleasure of dealing with Saint-Maximin for the rest of the evening. The guy had a torrid time against Son in the NLD.
37 min: The corner is cleared, after Lightning Rod Dan Burn’s knockdown falls to Gabriel inside Arsenal’s box.
36 min: Great save from Ramsdale! Newcastle are getting closer! Conte will be licking his chops at this. Saint-Maximin goes past Tomiyasu for the 56th time, cuts inside and whacks a powerful low effort towards the near post. Ramsdale gets down wonderfully to his right, palming the ball away for a corner. Fantastic football all round.
34 min: With all that in mind, it is fair to acknowledge the job that Howe has done in recent months. Yes, they spent a lot of money in January, but only three of those signings start today. Bruno Guimaraes (for admittedly big bucks), Burn (a snip at £13m) and Targett (on loan). That’s pretty good going, to go from where they were to bossing Arsenal with nearly 80% possession.
32 min: Newcastle have had 79% possession in the last 10 minutes. Imagine writing that sentence in 2021.
30 min: Saka, though, has been Arsenal’s sole threat going forward. The English winger has cut in a couple of times dangerously from the right flank but has either been crowded out or shot weakly at Dubravka.
28 min: Tomiyasu needs Saka to tuck in for now. Saint-Maximin is in the mood tonight.
25 min: A break in play, as Callum Wilson has a head injury. Eeeeeeeesh, it’s tooth/teeth issue. He appears to have lost a few of them in a challenge. Not pretty! He’s OK to continue, but I wouldn’t want to watch him eat dinner later.
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22 min: “A yellow card to an Arsenal central defender after eight minutes, so as night follows day, that means a red card before half time,” emails Richard Hirst.
Worth noting that with Everton receiving two red cards in their defeat to Brentford, they have now moved two clear of Arsenal (with 104) at the top of the all-time standings (in the Premier League era).
20 min: Arteta’s mood has not improved. Perhaps one of the physios can give his shoulders a massage. They are hunched up around his ears at present, as though he’s bracing himself for a firework.
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18 min: Double chance for Newcastle! Saint-Maximin sends Tomiyasu for a Newcastle Brown on the left flank, the Magpies recycle play and cut through Arsenal’s defence on the right: Krafth rasping cross-shot towards the back post. Ramsdale gets an unconvincing hand on it and the ball breaks … Gabriel is there to tidy up. It wasn’t a goal-line clearance but if the ball broke to someone in black and white, it would have been an open goal. Newcastle come roaring back, with Joelinton Cruyff-turning his way out of trouble on the edge of Arsenal’s box before seeing his fierce drive blocked by White.
16 min: Wilson and Gabriel get in a tangle near the corner flag. The Arsenal defender looks a little rattled. Arteta watches on, in his normal jittering manner.
14 min: Bruno Guimaraes is good at football, isn’t he?
12 min: Arsenal are wandering around with all the urgency of Benny Fazio on a construction site. Newcastle, with nothing left to play for this season, have all the play so far.
10 min: Wilson spearheads the next Newcastle atttack. The home side are bossing this, but the striker is just offside as he breaks into the plentiful space between Arsenal’s back line and goal. Arsenal need to get hold of the ball for a second. A huge cheer goes up as Longstaff makes a strong sliding tackle on Tavares. Oooof.
8 min: Yellow card for White, who makes a clumsy tackle on the edge of Arsenal’s box. A dangerous ball is whipped to the back post, but no meaningful contact on the ball sees it bounce out for a goal kick.
6 min: Ramsdale dithers on the ball and it’s SO close to a Newcastle opener! Wilson closes the keeper down, but the ball deflects straight to White who desperately boots the ball upfield. That so easily could have nestled in the Arsenal net.
5 min: Arsenal win a corner but Dubravka punches clear.
2 min: Ramsdale slips as he clears the ball but the ball flies to safety.
An email from Charles Antaki: “As far as feelings go, I confess as an Arsenal fan I have a Bad Feeling about this one, much as I had a Bad Feeling for the majority of Arsenal’s games this season, so no change there. The only time I didn’t have Bad Feeling was ahead of the three easy games against Palace, Brighton and Southampton, and look what happened there. So maybe I should gird my loins and conjure up some sort of Good Feeling, though I suspect that’s going to end up as a Bad Feeling one way or another.”
Peeeeeeeep, and we’re off at St James’ Park!
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There is another football match of note happening tonight … you can join John Brewin for that, with things poised nicely at 1-1 after the first leg.
Soooooooo, Callum Wilson starts for the hosts and is also handed the captain’s armband – he’ll play ahead of newly named player of the season, Joelinton. We didn’t see that coming at the start of the season.
Your 2021/22 Player of the Season is Joelinton! 🙌🇧🇷
— Newcastle United FC (@NUFC) May 16, 2022
⚫️⚪️ pic.twitter.com/64PXPJD6G4
For Arsenal, one Brazilian, Gabriel, is actually fit enough to start at the centre of defence (which means Tomiyasu can play right back), another Brazilian, Gabriel (Martinelli), is only fit enough for the bench, which means Emile Smith Rowe comes into the side. White, who had missed the previous three games with a hamstring problem, also comes in.
I don’t know why but I’ve got the feeling that ESR is going to play a big part tonight.
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Team news
Newcastle: Dubravka, Krafth, Schar, Burn, Targett, Longstaff, Bruno Guimaraes, Joelinton, Almiron, Wilson, Saint-Maximin.
Subs: Dummett, Lascelles, Ritchie, Trippier, Fernandez, Fraser, Murphy, Darlow, Gayle.
Arsenal: Ramsdale, Tomiyasu, White, Gabriel, Tavares, Elneny, Xhaka, Saka, Odegaard, Smith Rowe, Nketiah.
Subs: Leno, Lacazette, Cedric, Pepe, Sambi Lokonga, Martinelli, Oulad M’hand, Swanson, Patino.
Referee: Darren England (South Yorkshire)
Preamble
For Arsenal, the maths is pretty simple. Win tonight, and they are in the box seat to qualify for the Champions League ahead of their biggest rivals, Spurs. Anything but victory in the north-east, and Spurs will carry an advantage heading into the final day of the season on Sunday, with a vastly superior goal difference.
| Pos | Team | P | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Man City | 37 | 72 | 90 |
| 2 | Liverpool | 36 | 65 | 86 |
| 3 | Chelsea | 36 | 42 | 70 |
| 4 | Tottenham Hotspur | 37 | 24 | 68 |
| 5 | Arsenal | 36 | 11 | 66 |
Newcastle away is not the fixture Mikel Arteta would have chosen for Arsenal’s penultimate game. The Magpies technically have nothing to play for, having secured their Premier League status for next season, but St James’ Park under the lights is rarely apathetic: the crowd are an understandably excitable bunch and with a host of summer signings on the horizon, the current crop of players will be keen to stake their claim for a starting berth next season.
To make matters worse, the Gunners’ backline will be threadbare, with an injured Gabriel joining the suspended Rob Holding as the newest absentees. Martinelli was also seen hobbling just before his 64th-minute substitution in the derby defeat at Spurs. It remains to be seen whether the Brazilian will start tonight.
The game is a mouthwatering prospect. Join me for a 8pm BST kick-off!
