NEWCASTLE: Whoever thought it was going to be easy?
Newcastle United flashed their soft underbelly at St. James’ Park as their Champions League hopes took a dent in a defeat to Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal.
As good as the Gunners were, the Magpies were well off their usual best on Tyneside, as goals from Arsenal talisman Martin Odegaard and an unfortunate own goal from Fabian Schar kept things interesting in the title race, as well as the top four spots.
The result saw Arsenal move back within a point of leaders Manchester City, with the Magpies remaining in third, with one of their two games in hand on fifth-placed Liverpool, two places and three points back, used up.
Despite disappointment, Eddie Howe’s men play another before Jurgen Klopp & Co. kick a ball again. But pressure is building before the trip to Leeds United, a team refreshed with the presence of wily operator Sam Allardyce. The big question is, can Newcastle deal with it?
With fans across the city calling for it, Howe eventually relented and threw both Aleksander Isak and Callum Wilson into the starting XI at the same time.
Ultimately, it was an experiment he is unlikely to revisit.
That attacking approach did bear early fruit, though, with the Magpies out the blocks like a dash.
Within two minutes of the start, Jacob Murphy, the other component of the Newcastle front three, had flashed a low drive off the foot of Aaron Ramsdale’s post.
Moments later a slick move down the right saw Bruno Guimaraes presented with an opportunity to strike. His shot, however, was blocked by a combination of Jakub Kiwior’s arm and leg. Referee Chris Kavanagh gave it, but the VAR gods were not shining down on the Magpies this time. The decision was reversed on a second viewing.
The visitors went in front against the run of play. And where the hosts had lacked quality with that final pass in the final third, Norwegian maestro Odegaard showed them how it’s done.
Cutting in from the right the midfielder had absolutely no right to score from 30 yards, but with arrow-like accuracy he picked out the bottom corner of Nick Pope’s goal, through Sven Botman’s legs, for 1-0.
In many ways, despite all the effort and endeavor, from this moment on, it felt like the game was lost for Newcastle.
Arsenal, sniffing blood, went for the jugular. Gabriel Martinelli was denied by Pope, then it was Bukayo Saka’s turn to bring the best out of the England international.
Martinelli flashed another one wide as the Gunners swamped the Newcastle backline before Pope again sprawled to deny Odegaard a second on the stroke of half-time.
As they had done in the first, Newcastle went on the front foot in the second. Murphy turned the Arsenal backline inside out before dinking the ball onto the head of Isak, who crashed it off the post again.
The Newcastle push continued as Schar, who was to suffer misfortune at the other end soon after, brought a reaction stop from Ramsdale.
The Arsenal front three were a constant thorn in the usually solid United backline and it was Martinelli down the left who gave the most headaches.
A trademark cut in from the left saw the Brazilian curl off the bar before beating Botman on the break for the second goal. His ball in from wide was dangerous, but unlikely to find an Arsenal shirt. It did, however, clip Schar and the deflection left Pope with no chance.
And that was that, despite throwing the kitchen sink at Arsenal in the closing stages, a goal never really looked like coming. The wait to secure a place in the top four goes on.
All eyes now turn to Elland Road next weekend and while three points at the relegation-threatened Whites will not ensure Champions League football, it would definitely plant one foot in a competition that the Magpies have not reached for two decades.
