Newcastle claimed a crucial victory over Arsenal in a tight contest that highlighted their defensive resilience and Arsenal's struggles in the final third. Mikel Arteta’s side, unaccustomed to trailing, found themselves behind just 12 minutes in, as Tino Livramento’s long ball led to a cross from Anthony Gordon, which Alexander Isak headed home between defenders to open the scoring.
Arsenal pressed for an equalizer, but Newcastle’s defense held firm. William Saliba’s header set up an opportunity for Mikel Merino, whose volley was blocked by Lewis Hall, keeping Arsenal at bay. Arteta adjusted his tactics, moving Thomas Partey into midfield and bringing on Oleksandr Zinchenko and Ethan Nwaneri to add creativity, but Newcastle goalkeeper David Raya made a crucial save to deny Isak’s strike.
Despite late efforts and an intense push by Arsenal, they couldn’t find a breakthrough, with Declan Rice’s back-post header going just wide in the dying minutes. This result marks Arsenal’s third consecutive Premier League game without a win, a streak that threatens their title ambitions, especially as they’ve conceded as many goals in their last six matches as they did in the first 22 of 2024.