When the final two fixtures of the season were looked at for Tottenham it was always going to be unlikely that they would drop points. A 1-0 win over Burnley today means the pressure is on Arsenal to deliver a win at Newcastle.
Should Arsenal fail, they will surrender control of the top four race to Spurs going into the final game. Antonio Conte’s side will play Norwich City who are already relegated and almost certain not to cause Harry Kane and company too many problems.
The manner of the victory was the perfect frustration for Arsenal supporters. A soft penalty of a different nature to the one that gave Spurs the lead in the North London Derby.
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The outstretched arm of Ashley Barnes was deemed to have been in an unnatural position despite the close proximity to the ball being kicked. A lengthy VAR check followed, and Kevin Friend eventually decided to award the spot-kick that Kane inevitably put away.
Arsenal now travel to Newcastle knowing that their expectation is very simple. Win. Doesn’t matter how, does not matter who, just win.
Spurs played far worse than they performed with the motivation of the derby match, and a man advantage. Newcastle are coming off the back of a 5-0 humbling from Manchester City.
That said, since the arrival of Eddie Howe, the Magpies have been vastly more impressive. Arteta managed to beat Newcastle 2-0 at the Emirates but that was just the second game of Howe’s tenure.
Conte though has given his rivals a blueprint to approach the game, especially considering the lack of first-team options available to his Spanish counterpart due to injuries. Despite having a day’s additional rest, Arsenal need to be smart in their play.
Newcastle, with now nothing to play for, are likely to be more expressive. Burnley too attacked in the second half and Spurs looked to exploit the spaces in behind. Were it not for Nick Pope, it would have been a simple win.
Allan Saint-Maximin, Miguel Almiron and Callum Wilson are sure to be on the offensive and when they overcommit, Arsenal need to counter. Martin Odegaard will be critical for Arsenal in finding the gaps in the Magpies’ structure.
Speaking ahead of the game, Arteta said that he had seen a reaction already from his players. After a Friday of recovery, the squad returned with the desire to respond to the derby defeat.
“The excitement that they've shown me every day. The way they've come in today with the energy that they were with today to play the game and very willing to go there and perform at the highest level,” Arteta said.
Only Monday will reveal whether the players will respond but the worry will of course be what the team will look like. Gabriel Magalhaes and Ben White are doubts. Rob Holding is suspended, and Thomas Partey and Kieran Tierney’s seasons are done.
