Arsenal Vs Newcastle United: 5 things we learned from

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LONDON, ENGLAND – DECEMBER 16: Mesut Ozil of Arsenal celebrates with Ainsley Maitland-Niles of Arsenal after scoring his sides first goal during the Premier League match between Arsenal and Newcastle United at Emirates Stadium on December 16, 2017 in London, England. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images) /

4. It’s the result that matters

At half-time, Arsenal had 76.8%. They had made nearly three times as many passes as Newcastle [408 vs 138], had had 12 shots, compared to the Magpies’ two, and controlled the game masterfully for the whole of the first 45 minutes. Perhaps most significantly, of their 408 completed passes, 178 were made in the final third. This was domination, if without a cutting edge.

But they did not build on the command that they enjoyed up until that point. In fact, by the end of the game, there were more than a couple of moments of nervousness as Newcastle pushed for an equaliser. As long as the lead is only one goal, the win is far from guaranteed,

This was not the free-flowing performance that it should have been after the first-half mastery. There were cracks in the display, elements to improve upon. And yet, after just two points from their last nine, Arsenal secured the all-important win. This was more about the result than the performance. In that regard, this was a job well done.