Bukayo Saka scored continuously in the fifth game, leading Arsenal to a magnificent 4-1 victory over Newcastle in the Premier League on Saturday night, putting them just two points behind the leaders Liverpool.
In Short
Arsenal’s Early Lead
Transformed from a dormant side after their Wednesday night defeat in Porto, and inspired by wingers Saka and Gabriel Martinelli who fought in that Champions League match, Arsenal was active right from the start, taking a two-goal lead within 24 minutes.
Loris Karius, almost six years into his first Premier League appearance for Newcastle due to Martin Dubravka’s illness, had little security in his goal. He was unable to clear Gabriel’s header, which Sven Botman inadvertently put into his own net, and when Martinelli cut back for Kai Havertz to stroke home the second, he was completely exposed.
Fans finally had some respite in the second half to stretch their legs a bit – but they were quickly hit with another blow as Saka cut in from his left and cracked home a superb strike, before Jacob Kivior scored from a corner header at the other end, which Karius could only stumble towards in his path.
There was a wave of joy for the traveling fans when Joe Willock moved forward against his former club with six minutes of play remaining. It was Newcastle’s first goal at Arsenal in nine years. However, they remain in eighth place, trailing the top four by 15 points and 10 points behind fifth-placed Tottenham.
Arsenal might have felt they had to redeem themselves after the disappointing loss following the VAR decision allowing Anthony Gordon’s winner to stand at St. James’ Park in November, but with this result and performance, their main statement is their strength in the race for the top three.
An electric evening at Emirates Stadium ⚡️
— Arsenal (@Arsenal) February 25, 2024
Relive our 4-1 victory over Newcastle United now 👇 pic.twitter.com/9TMco04Zuf
Player Ratings
Arsenal: Ramsdale (7); White (7), Saliba (7), Gabriel (8), Kivior (7); Rice (7), Odegaard (7), Jorginho (8); Saka (8), Havertz (8), Martinelli (8)
Substitutes used: Trossard (6), Smith Rowe (6), Nketiah (6), Nelson (6), Elneny (N/A)
Newcastle: Karius (5), Trippier (5), Shaw (5), Botman (5), Liveramento (5), Longstaff (5), Guimaraes (5), Miley (5), Almiron (6), Gordon (6), Isak (6)
Substitutes used: Barnes (6), Murphy (6), Willock (7), Lascelles (6), Burn (7)
Man of the Match: Bukayo Saka (Arsenal)
How Arsenal edged past Newcastle
Newcastle, making their Premier League debut for Karius – and only their second game for the club since the start of their Carabao Cup final almost a year ago – had an extraordinary story before the match, and the goalkeeper would have been relieved to get his hands on an early Saka shot. Declan Rice drove one away and punched.
But it was only a sign of what was to come from the fired-up Gunners.
“Arsenal kept up their relentless drive, using their expertise in set-piece situations to unravel the deadlock. Gabriel’s precise header off Saka’s corner caught Karius off guard, and Botman’s accidental redirection sealed the deal as Newcastle scrambled to tidy up their defense.”
David Raya and Arsenal fans absolutely loving it. [TNT] 🔥pic.twitter.com/dwnYnLnQ2s
— AfcVIP⁴⁹ (@VipArsenal) February 24, 2024
Moments later, the hosts doubled their lead, with Martinelli charging into the box and being charged down for a penalty, which he charged in for Havertz to steer back into the net and bring Newcastle back onto the canvas.
Immediately after that, the hosts got their second, with Martinelli charging into the box and being charged down for a penalty, which he charged in for Havertz to steer back into the net and bring Newcastle back onto the canvas.
The audience was on the edge of their seats and restless as the game unfolded. Sean Longstaff made a quick jump after the restart to prevent Martin Odegaard from advancing Havertz. Martinelli made another sharp move towards the end, while Carius saved well from a Sakha shot as Arsenal pressed for more awards.
Newcastle finally found space in the Arsenal box in the 43rd minute, but David Raya quickly came out to stop Miguel Almiron’s progress. They were happy just to hear the halftime whistle. But the start of the second half was just like the first – Havertz should have put Arsenal ahead just three clear seconds after the restart, but when Martinelli played him in one-on-one, his shot went wide.
Immediately after, Newcastle’s first shot came, Anthony Gordon cut inside and shot at Raya, and Alexander Isaac took the rebound before blasting over the crossbar, as Newcastle started to find their feet in the match. But Sakha’s composure ended their resistance.
Teeno Liveramento knew what Arsenal and England winger wanted to do – cut in from the left to shoot across goal – but he couldn’t stop him. An outstanding performance from the in-form Sakha. When Kiwior quickly reached the end of Rice’s corner, and the ball collided with Mile and Karius’s left hand, it was game, set, and match, giving Arteta the chance to rest Sakha, Havertz, and Odegaard.
Newcastle – who saved face with a good move down the left, allowing Dan Burn to stop Ville from a looping header on his former home ground – have failed to win any of their last 12 trips to this stadium. The late goal denied Arsenal a club record eighth consecutive home clean sheet against Newcastle – but the result was never in doubt as Arteta’s side showed their true strength.
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta
“We put in a great performance. Credit to the boys for such a big preparation in just two and a half days. The way they did everything, the determination, the aggressiveness, they played with a lot of courage. “I believe our victory was entirely merited.””
“They’re finding ways to score in different manners. It’s very satisfying, we could have scored even more today. There are still some things we need to improve and get players back.”
“The credit for fixing the players goes to the staff, but when we were in Porto, I could see that we were ready to play. It’s very good to see that reaction and support in the stadium, and we go again.”
“The team is in form, we’re in a good moment. Players are performing individually, we want to go to second, third, and fourth places, and I like this mentality. “In Porto, we lacked the bravery we demonstrated today to take decisive actions.”
About Jorginho: “He’s a top player. When an opponent has a certain behavior, a setup, as I can imagine the game, he can have a big impact. He was fantastic again today. He’s certainly world-class but today we were excellent personally. He’s well trained, what we did today and giving him a hard time.”
Newcastle disappointed with their first-half performance
“”Newcastle’s manager Eddie Howe voiced his disappointment, especially concerning the team’s first-half display. ‘I feel we never truly found our rhythm throughout the game,’ he remarked.” They put us under pressure and I thought we’d cope with it and come through it, but we never got out of it, we’ll learn a lot from that first 45.
“Every game when we concede goals is a concern. We’re working behind the scenes on many things to improve it, but it wasn’t clear in today’s performance. It wasn’t good enough to avoid conceding from set plays.”
“It was a mix of clear honesty [in the halftime] and how we’re going to play in the second half. “There was a significant leap in progress on that front.” We were a dominant team and we had some chances and you thought can we get the next goal? The game can turn.
“”The athletes who have regained fitness have truly thrived amidst the demanding conditions of this season.” Today was difficult but I felt we showed our character in the second half and we’ll need to do the same against Blackburn in a big game for our season.”
What’s next?
Arsenal will visit Sheffield United in the Premier League on Monday, March 4th, for Monday Night Football; kick-off at 8 pm.
Meanwhile, Newcastle will host Wolves in the Premier League next Saturday at 3 pm before traveling to Blackburn on Tuesday evening at 7:45 pm for the fifth round of the FA Cup.
