Newcastle gave Arsenal their first Premier League defeat of the season with a battling 1-0 victory, thanks to a controversial second-half goal by Anthony Gordon at a rain-lashed St. James' Park. Eddie Howe's Magpies, who are unbeaten in their last seven league outings, climbed to sixth in the table and only four points behind Arsenal, who lost ground on Manchester City and could fall further behind Tottenham on Monday night.
The victory capped a brilliant week for Newcastle, who humbled defending champions Manchester United 3-0 in a last-16 League Cup clash at Old Trafford on Wednesday. Gordon scored in the 64th minute, firing home past David Raya from close range after a goalmouth scramble. There was a lengthy break for VAR to check whether the ball went out of bounds, whether there was a foul in the build-up and for offside before Newcastle's fans could celebrate.
The game was high on emotion but lacking in quality for much of the time and tempers boiled over before the break with a flurry of yellow cards. Bruno Guimaraes was fortunate to avoid a red card before the break, as he swung an arm and caught Jorginho in the head.
