Alexander Isak headed Newcastle United to their first Premier League win in five matches as they beat Arsenal 1-0 to dent the Gunners’ title hopes.
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The decisive moment came in the 12th minute when Isak combined with Anthony Gordon, heading the ball into the roof of the net for his third goal in four appearances at St James’ Park.
Arsenal rarely threatened, registering just one shot on target, which came in the first half when Mikel Merino's effort was blocked on the line.
Isak threatened a second for the hosts on the hour-mark as his attempt stung the palms of David Raya, while Declan Rice’s deflected strike went just wide of the far post just under a minute later.
Rice then had a golden opportunity to equalise at the death as Bukayo Saka's cross dropped to him six yards out, but he headed wide.
The win take Newcastle up to eighth, while Arsenal remain third and would find themselves eight points off the top should Manchester City beat AFC Bournemouth later on Saturday.
How the match unfolded
After an open start, Newcastle got in front when Gordon’s cross was headed beyond Raya by Isak.
An end-to-end first half saw chances for either side, the best of which fell to Merino who, on his return to St. James’ Park, saw his strike repelled by the retreating Lewis Hall on the line.
Newcastle returned after the interval with their sights set on a second, though Joe Willock could only fire over at Raya’s near post.
Ethan Nwaneri was brought on to make an impact in the final third for the Gunners, but almost played a part at the wrong end when his tackle broke kindly for Isak, though his strike from distance was kept out by Raya.
Rice missed a huge opportunity at the death, heading Saka’s delivery wide from close range, with Newcastle holding on for the win.
Arsenal stumble again
Mikel Arteta’s side were tipped to challenge Man City once again for the Premier League title this term, though their performance against Newcastle further highlighted their recent fragilities.
It was an unusually blunt display from the Gunners, who managed just one shot on target during the contest, which came courtesy of Merino in the first half. Saka, Kai Havertz and Leandro Trossard all found it difficult to penetrate the hosts’ stubborn defence.
For all their possession, they created very little and lacked a player to pick out the tight spaces in the final third. One wonders if the injured Martin Odegaard could have provided just that.
While the Gunners were off-colour, they could have snatched a point at the end. Rice was picked out beautifully by Saka in second-half stoppage time but could only head his attempt wide of Nick Pope’s net.
Having only lost one of their first 25 Premier League matches in 2024, Arsenal have since been beaten in two of their last three (D1).
Alexander the Great back on form
Newcastle’s recent run in the Premier League has coincided with Isak and Gordon’s absence, but the pair combined with devastating effect to open the scoring on Saturday.
Isak headed home his 12th goal in as many matches at St. James’ Park, but his task was made a simple one given the pinpoint accuracy of Gordon’s delivery. The England international proved a handful for Arsenal’s defence throughout the match.
Shortly after playing a part in the opener, Gordon was again attacking the Arsenal defence, this time seeing his cross narrowly evade his team-mates with the slightest of touches.
The hosts were worthy of the victory, though, and should have had more goals to show for it with Isak and Joelinton going close. The victory is their third against Arsenal in the last four matches and a huge one in the context of their season.
Isak’s timely return to the scoresheet is a welcome boost for Newcastle, and he will be hoping to continue his run of form against Nottingham Forest next Sunday.
| Position Pos | Club | Played Pl | GD | Points Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Liverpool
LIV
|
11 | +15 | 28 |
| 2 |
Man City
MCI
|
11 | +9 | 23 |
| 3 |
Chelsea
CHE
|
11 | +8 | 19 |
| 4 |
Arsenal
ARS
|
11 | +6 | 19 |
What the managers said
Eddie Howe: "It was 95 minutes of concentration and consistency in our attitude. We managed and controlled some very good players pretty well today. It's three points but it means so much because we hadn't won for a while in the Premier League. I'm sure it will do us the world of good."
Mikel Arteta: "We deserved to lose today. I thought we started really well and were really dominant. We didn't defend the box well enough. Credit to them. They scored a great goal with a good ball. Then the game changes and you start to play a different game. You have to adapt and we didn't do that well enough. I am very frustrated."
Club reports
Newcastle report | Arsenal report
Next Premier League fixtures
Key facts
Having only lost one of their first 25 Premier League matches in 2024 (W21 D3), Arsenal have since lost two of their last three (D1). The Gunners have lost successive away matches in the league for the first time since May 2022.
Newcastle have won three of their last four Premier League home matches against Arsenal (L1), as many as their previous 23 beforehand (W3 D8 L12).
Arsenal have fallen behind 1-0 in four of their last six Premier League matches, as many as their previous 31 beforehand. Indeed, the Gunners have conceded the opening goal in three successive away matches in the competition for the first time since December 2019 (5 in a row), prior to Mikel Arteta’s arrival as manager.
Only once have a team come from eight points behind top spot after 10 matches and won a title, Blackburn Rovers in 1994/95 in a 42-match season.