GUNNERS CHAMPIONS LEAGUE DREAM DENTED BY NEWCASTLE AFTER LOSING 2-0 AT THE St. JAMES PARK.
Arsenal’s top-four hopes are left in tatters after a 2-0 defeat against Newcastle United handed the initiative to Tottenham Hotspur with just one game remaining in this Premier League season.
Plenty of Newcastle huff and puff in the early stages wasn’t replicated by way of goalmouth action. A hairy moment where Miguel Almiron closed down Aaron Ramsdale was as close as the ‘Magpies’ came to finding an early breakthrough. It was in fact Arsenal who forced Martin Dúbravka into the first meaningful action of the game as the Slovakian stopper made a routine stop to deny Bukayo Saka. Allan Saint-Maximin was Newcastle’s brightest spark in the first half, as he stepped inside from the left to unleash a rocket, which appeared for all the world like it had fired Newcastle into the lead, but for a sensational Ramsdale stop that ensured the scores remained level at the break.
Ramsdale was powerless to deny Newcastle taking the lead 10 minutes after the break though. Joelinton marauded down the left, delivered a teasing ball into the box and Ben White turned into his own net, despite Callum Wilson wheeling away in celebration. Whilst he may not have been able to claim the opener, Wilson nearly had a goal of his own, but he rifled over on the volley following Bruno Guimarães’ cut-back. Mikel Arteta shuffled his Arsenal pack relatively early by taking off two defenders in exchange for two forwards, but the effects were muted to say the least.
Despite having nothing to play for and no desperate need for three points, Newcastle were relentless in their efforts to preserve their lead and ought to have doubled their advantage when Jacob Murphy burst clear on the counter, but his effort was easy enough to beat away for Ramsdale. Martin Ødegaard spurned Arsenal’s best chance of redemption and Newcastle went straight up the other end and laid the game to rest when Guimarães latched upon a loose ball to fire home Newcastle’s second and effectively end Arsenal’s Champions League dream.
