Review

Arsenal close gap on leaders with thrilling win at Newcastle

7 May 2023

Martin Odegaard celebrates his goal v Newcastle 1

Martin Odegaard scores in 2-0 victory while West Ham are all but safe after beating Man Utd

Arsenal moved a point behind leaders Manchester City with a hard-fought 2-0 win at Newcastle United that keeps their title hopes alive.

Position Pos	Club	Played Pl	GD	Points Pts
1	Man City MCI	38	+61	89
2	Arsenal ARS	38	+45	84

Newcastle started in electric fashion. Jacob Murphy hit a post and then the home side were awarded a penalty for handball, only for it to be overturned by VAR.

NEW

0-2

ARS

TV Info - Broadcasters

Arsenal went ahead against the run of play in the 14th minute, Martin Odegaard drilling in a low shot from 25 yards for his 15th goal of the season.

Back came Newcastle, roared on by their fans, and Arsenal were indebted to Aaron Ramsdale for a number of saves, the best coming in the 49th minute from a Fabian Schar close-range header.

Arsenal doubled their lead on 71 minutes when Gabriel Martinelli’s cutback was poked into his own net by Schar.

Despite more Newcastle pressure in an end-to-end match, Arsenal hung on to became only the second side after Liverpool to win at St James’ Park this season.

They have 81 points, a total only the 2003/04 "Invincibles" team beat with 90, and are guaranteed a top-two finish for the first time in seven seasons.

City, who have played a match fewer than Arsenal, can increase the gap to four points again next Sunday when they visit Everton, just before Arsenal host Brighton & Hove Albion.

See: When can the champions be decided?

West Ham all but safe

West Ham United all but secured their Premier League safety with a narrow 1-0 win over Manchester United thanks to an error from David De Gea.

WHU

1-0

MUN

TV Info - Broadcasters

Man Utd had started the match at London Stadium the brighter, but West Ham scored with the match’s first shot on target in the 27th minute.

Said Benrahma’s low effort squirmed past the outstretched hand of De Gea. It was a league-leading fourth error leading to a goal this season by the ’keeper, who blotted a historic 540th appearance in all competitions for Man Utd, a record for the club’s goalkeepers.

Man Utd’s response for an equaliser came only in stoppage time when substitute Anthony Martial weaved his way into the area, but his shot was easily parried by Lukasz Fabianski. From the resulting corner Martial’s close-range glancing header was off target.

A first league win for David Moyes over Man Utd since he left Old Trafford in 2014 takes West Ham to 37 points in 15th place, seven points clear of the bottom three.

Position Pos	Club	Played Pl	GD	Points Pts
17	Everton EVE	38	-23	36
18	Leicester LEI	38	-17	34
19	Leeds LEE	38	-30	31
20	Southampton SOU	38	-37	25

Top-four race heating up

The defeats for Newcastle and Man Utd mean both clubs still have work to do to secure a top-four finish and UEFA Champions League qualification.

The pair are being pursued by a Liverpool side who have won six straight Premier League matches.

Newcastle's cushion above the fifth-placed Reds has been reduced to three points, while back-to-back losses have left Man Utd only one point above their rivals from Merseyside. But both clubs have a match in hand over Liverpool.

See: How clubs qualify for Europe