Pain in the Arsenal
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3 positives & negatives from impressive victory over Newcastle

By Harry Dowsett

Arsenal's Italian midfielder Jorginho (L) fights for the ball with Newcastle United's Brazilian striker Joelinton (R) during the English Premier League football match between Newcastle United and Arsenal at St James' Park in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, north east England on May 7, 2023. (Photo by Lindsey Parnaby / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or 'live' services. Online in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No video emulation. Social media in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No use in betting publications, games or single club/league/player publications. / (Photo by LINDSEY PARNABY/AFP via Getty Images)
Arsenal's Italian midfielder Jorginho (L) fights for the ball with Newcastle United's Brazilian striker Joelinton (R) during the English Premier League football match between Newcastle United and Arsenal at St James' Park in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, north east England on May 7, 2023. (Photo by Lindsey Parnaby / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or 'live' services. Online in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No video emulation. Social media in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No use in betting publications, games or single club/league/player publications. / (Photo by LINDSEY PARNABY/AFP via Getty Images) /
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Arsenal kept their Premier League title dream alive with an impressive 2-0 victory away against Newcastle United to move within just one point of Manchester City. 

Skipper Martin Odegaard opened the scoring for the Gunners with a sublime effort from range to secure a 1-0 lead heading into half-time. Fabian Schar then turned the ball into his own net with 20 minutes remaining to effectively seal the victory for Arsenal

The result sees the Gunners keep the pressure on Manchester City, who have a difficult period to contend with over the next few weeks. Here are three positives and negatives from the game that could potentially be pivotal in the Premier League title race.

3 positives and negatives from 2-0 Newcastle United win

Positive #1: Aaron Ramsdale’s heroics

Every team that wants to seriously challenge for league titles must possess an incredible goalkeeper that consistently produces big saves when it matters most. In recent weeks, and again against Newcastle, Ramsdale has proven he can be that keeper for Arsenal.

He made a total of five saves against the Magpies, with his excellent reaction save from a Schar header being the pick of the bunch. The 24-year-old has long been lauded for his distribution, and it is now time for us to truly appreciate his shot-stopping capabilities too.

Negative #1: Oleksandr Zinchenko’s defensive errors

First of all, I would like to say that I am a massive fan of Zinchenko’s. His composure on the ball is a huge reason why we have improved so drastically as a team this season. However, in recent weeks, he has made far too many defensive errors that have been costly, and he was fortunate to avoid the same fate against Newcastle.

One moment in particular, in which the Ukrainian missed the ball, allowing Jacob Murphy to race onto it and drive towards the box, so easily could have resulted in a goal were it not for Gabriel Martinelli’s defensive work rate. We should avoid being too harsh on Zinchenko as he does offer plenty going forward, but he certainly needs to work on the defensive aspect of his game.

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