Arsenal 2-0 Newcastle: 4 talking points from Premier League win

Arsenal banished their Anfield demons with three valuable points at home to Newcastle on Saturday as goals from Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli secured a 2-0 win.

It was interesting to see how Eddie Howe would set up his team for this one. Known for a high pressing and front-footed style based around possession, he opted to use a more pragmatic approach in a bid to stifle his opposition.

Newcastle frustrated Arsenal by sticking 11 men behind the ball in a deep low block, one that when turned over possession went straight for the long pass in behind to Callum Wilson. It made for a drab affair, one that the hosts played their part in.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang missed a guilt-edged chance when he struck the post for the Gunners’ best opportunity of the half, an effort that came after Aaron Ramsdale superbly tipped Jonjo Shelvey’s long range effort onto the crossbar.

Arsenal 2-0 Newcastle: 4 talking points a crucial Premier League victory with goals from Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli

An improvement after the break was essential, and that’s what they got.

A quicker, more fluent Arsenal came out in the second half and with the tempo raised they got the goal they sorely craved. Some lovely combination play between Emile Smith Rowe, Nuno Tavares and Bukayo Saka finished with the star boy hitting a fierce drive across goal and into the far corner to ease tension in the ground.

Gabriel Martinelli then came on for the injured Saka and made an immediate impact as he latched onto Takehiro Tomiyasu’s clever ball to volley a gorgeous effort past Martin Dubravka with just his second touch.

Mikel Arteta’s side saw the game out from there relatively comfortably to secure three valuable points after last week’s humbling. Nothing short of a win would have sufficed and it’s now full steam ahead to Old Trafford on Thursday for a mouth watering clash with Manchester United.

Here are the talking points.

1. Decision to Play Sambi Lokonga Justified

The argument to take Sambi out of the team and play Ainsley Maitland-Niles off the back of his eight-minute second half against Liverpool was, quite frankly, nonsense.

Arteta decided that the best way for the Belgian to respond to that tough spell at Anfield was to make amends against Newcastle, a wise decision and one that was justified with the midfielder arguably the best player on the pitch.

Still only 21 years old, as the future of this midfield with Thomas Partey and Granit Xhaka edging closer to 30 and Maitland-Niles and Mohamed Elneny possibly not here beyond the season, giving Sambi as many minutes as possible is how he will develop best.

With Partey less involved and offering nothing especially progressive on the ball, Sambi took charge of the centre of the pitch and played some delightful passes in both halves in an attempt to inject some pace into Arsenal’s play. Creating six chances in the game, that figure is the joint-most of any player in a single Premier League game under Arteta.

His decision making on the ball was excellent and ahead of a trip to Old Trafford this level of performance is precisely what will be needed. A good call from the manager and one he will be pleased he made.

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2. Nuno Tavares’ Strange Performance

If there is somewhere to critique Nuno Tavares then it is in his decision making. In the first half he wasted possession on four standout occasions: his ballooning shots.

Credit to him, undeterred by some horrendous shooting he kept plugging away and tried with both his feet, but such were the quality of his efforts that fans were even heard shouting ‘don’t shoot’.

A mixed bag in that opening 45 minutes, after the break he was far more effective in possession and his exceptional athleticism stretched Newcastle on numerous occasions. Tactically he was given more freedom to underlap and join the five lanes of attack from the interior, a position he picked up in the build-up to Saka’s goal where he produced a delightful assist.

Getting the nod once again over Kieran Tierney, while there may still be some management of the Scot’s fitness – getting him up to peak physical strength before returning – it does seem like the Portuguese has nailed down the left-back slot.

It’s testament to his character that after a dreadful second half against Liverpool and some poor end product in the opening 45 minutes against Newcastle that he came out fighting after the break and was one of the best players on the pitch. Sensational second half showing.

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3. Nicolas Pepe No Show

Bukayo Saka being forced to hobble off injured is a sight that no supporter will ever not feel concerned about. He’s so crucial to everything Arsenal do and adds technical security in wide areas that others can’t provide.

Being on the right side of the attack, the natural replacement for him in the team is Nicolas Pepe. Vastly different players with alternative skillsets, but positionally he’s the one you’d expect to come on.

Arteta changed things up and brought on Gabriel Martinelli instead, despite the Brazilian being more suited to the other two positions in the attack. It was a call that said as much about the youngster as it did about Pepe.

It was the same against Watford, albeit for barely three minutes, but on this occasion, the trust shown in Martinelli and apparent lack of trust in Pepe offers a good insight into just how far away the Ivorian is from getting into this team. His performances haven’t warranted inclusion, and while Martinelli had struggled last time out against Leeds it’s clear from Arteta who is doing enough in training to be earning the minutes.

Depending on how Saka’s injury develops, the likelihood now is that Martinelli will be the one who gets the nod against Manchester United should Arteta persist with this system.

The most important thing for Martinelli has been to make the most of his rare opportunities. He’s done just that.

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4. Takehiro Tomiyasu Shows New String

Takehiro Tomiyasu has been brilliant since the moment he arrived at Arsenal. The right-back slot is his own and he’s adjusted to the Premier League superbly for a player without any prior English experience.

Such is the competence of his performances that he often goes unnoticed. Doing his job effectively, focus tends to be shifted elsewhere. That’s a credit to the professionalism he demonstrates each and every week.

But there are some who would like to see more from him in an attacking sense. While he wasn’t signed to be a bombarding and relentlessly overlapping full-back (that’s not his remit) some of his contributions in the final third has been singled out as lacking.

Against Newcastle he found himself in advanced positions throughout as Arsenal dominated the ball, and some of the passes he picked out were excellent. This attacking side to his game hasn’t had the chance to sing with his role different in this team, yet it stood out on Saturday.

That pass for Martinelli’s goal? While the finish will take all the plaudits, the weight of delivery from the Japanese was delectable. And in doing so, it meant both full-backs grabbed assists.

Overall, a superb showing from Tomiyasu that showed there is more to him than defensive resilience and winning every aerial duel.