Arsenal produced their best performance of the season in Newcastle win

Arsenal looked like they’d succumb to a Magpie blitz; the next major institution to feel Newcastle’s wrath amid a backdrop of fervent Geordies.

Eddie Howe’s rising Toon Army have evolved St. James’ Park into the cauldron it’s long been destined to become. Only two teams had beaten Newcastle on home soil since Howe took charge (Liverpool and Manchester City), and hope rather than optimism clouded the collective consciousness of Arsenal supporters heading into Sunday’s contest.

Sure, victory over Chelsea was a timely confidence booster, but Howe’s smartly drilled and aggressive Newcastle were a different animal.

A whirlwind of an opening act was expected on Sunday, and Newcastle came ever so close to delivering when Jacob Murphy’s effort cannoned off the post. The first five minutes were the stuff of nightmares for Arsenal supporters, with their side performing as if they’d been chucked in a washing machine against their will.

Arsenal produced their best performance of the season in Newcastle win

Newcastle were relentless in the opening exchanges, but Chris Kavanagh’s decision to award a penalty for Jakub Kiwior’s ‘handball’ proved to be the break in play the visitors so desperately needed. With VAR concluding that Kiwior’s thigh had denied Bruno Guimaraes’ shot from testing Aaron Ramsdale, Arsenal remained on level terms and the break allowed ample time for a re-grouping.

The improvement perhaps wasn’t immediate, and Martin Odegaard’s pinpoint effort certainly came against the run of play, but the Norwegian’s strike was the perfect antitode for Geordie hostility. Silence befell St. James’, and the Gunners settled.

What ensued on Tyneside was arguably Arsenal’s most impressive performance of a 2022/23 campaign littered with majesty. We’ve seen Arteta’s side dominate at Stamford Bridge and at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium this season, as well as beat Man Utd and Liverpool at home, but there was a refreshing grittiness to this performance that harmoniously accompanied their controlling demeanour.

This was not Arsenal at their free-flowing best, although they did create the best three chances of the first half, but Arteta’s Gunners at their most cohesive and street-wise. They managed the contest superbly in an incredibly challenging environment.

Sunday’s bout was a throwback Premier League affair with a physical Newcastle outfit trying their utmost to dishevel the young visitors. Kavanagh was scandalously reluctant to dish out any punishment for the hosts’ aggression that occasionally crossed the line, but Arsenal refused to feel sorry for themselves and they certainly gave as good as they got. The Gunners’ emotional intelligence eventually got to Howe’s side, with the Newcastle manager admitting his frustration at Arsenal’s game management in the second period.

“They [Arsenal] managed the game well from their perspective. They slowed it down with lots of breaks of play which was frustrating for us,” he said post-match.

Howe, however, doesn’t have much of a leg to stand on given his side’s ability to shave time off the clock without the ball being in play. Arsenal were treated to Newcastle’s dark arts in the reverse fixture, so we’ll call this a little bit of revenge.

The Gunners’ game management which stifled the hosts and ensured they couldn’t gather any momentum was just a part of their stellar showing on Tyneside. The midfield was utterly dominant, Jakub Kiwior impressed again, and Arteta was as proactive as he’s ever been.

After falling flat on his face against Pep Guardiola a couple of weeks back, the Spaniard coached superbly in this one. His decision to start Jorginho over Thomas Partey was most certainly vindicated, and he hooked Oleksandr Zinchenko for Kieran Tierney just when Newcastle were starting to get some joy down Arsenal’s left. That threat dissipated following the Scot’s introduction.

After keeping the hosts at arm’s length following a quick start to the second period, Arsenal’s second goal was the dagger with Fabian Schar enduring a bit of karma for an egregious foul on Gabriel Jesus by converting Gabriel Martinelli’s cross into his own net.

Newcastle sustained pressure down the stretch, but there was a resilience tinged to the Gunners’ performance that rendered the Magpies’ attempts to breach Ramsdale’s goal futile. The visitors were not conceding at St. James’, with a couple of last-ditch Granit Xhaka interventions, some more Rambo heroics, and a hint of good fortune ensuring Arsenal kept their tenth away clean sheet of the season and their first since 12 March.

There was a bit between Arsenal’s teeth which Ramsdale said was inspired by the infamous ‘All or Nothing’ clip from last season’s crushing defeat at the same ground. The Gunners’ performance on Sunday was the ultimate depiction of their growth over the past 12 months, and their triumph has allowed their title dream to remain a possibility for at least another week.

Arsenal may not end up winning the Premier League title, but this was a performance of champions.