3 positives & negatives from impressive victory over Newcastle

Positive #3: Statement victory

This victory will send a massive statement to Manchester City and they will now know that while the league title remains in their hands, we are ready and waiting to pounce on any potential slip-ups. Arsenal were perhaps expected to drop points in this fixture given the quality of Newcastle and the Sky Blues would have been hoping to face Everton with a greater points cushion.

Now, though, Pep Guardiola’s side must travel to Goodison Park, a stadium in which they have previously struggled, and get the three points – and they must do that in between two huge matches against Real Madrid in the UEFA Champions League.

Negative #3: A slow start

Despite the impressive nature of the win, it is also true that we started the game slowly and could have been a goal down inside the first ten minutes after the home side smashed the ball onto the post. Against a team of Newcastle’s calibre, that would have been a disaster.

With tough fixtures still to come, namely against Brighton & Hove Albion at home and an away trip to Nottingham Forest, we will need to improve in that area if we are to come through those encounters unscathed.