Arsenal suffered back-to-back away defeats in the Premier League after losing 1-0 to Newcastle United on Saturday afternoon.
Premier League
Result: Newcastle United 1-0 Arsenal
Date: 02 November 2024
Venue: St Jame's Park Stadium
William Saliba returned to the side after missing the Liverpool game through suspension while Aleksander Isak passed fit to start up front for the Magpies.
It was the home side who got the breakthrough after 12 minutes when Anthony Gordon did well to pick out an unmarked Isak, who sent a header past David Raya for his second goal in as many league games.
The Gunners, meanwhile, struggled to get a hold of the ball for large parts of the first half as they struggled to create any openings in the final third.
That proved to be the trend for the remainder of the first half, as the final ball was not falling for Mikel Arteta's charges while Newcastle were unable to carve out chances at the other end.
With the Gunners still struggling to carve out chances in the second half, Arteta opted for a double change as 17-year-old Ethan Nwaneri and Oleksandr Zinchenko replaced Mikel Merino and Gabriel Martinelli.
Even with the introductions in the second period, the Gunners struggled to carve out any chance in the Newcastle box, as goalkeeper Nick Pope barely had a serious save to make in the 18 yard area.
The Magpies, meanwhile, were happy sit on their lead without creating much going forward and with no number nine on the pitch for Arsenal, it seemed pretty straight forward.
The Gunners could have rescued a point in second-half stoppage time when Bukayo Saka did well to pick out Declan Rice, who failed to steer his header on target from six yards out as Newcastle held on for the win.
