3 standout Arsenal players from the hard-fought 1-0 win against Newcastle

Limping towards the finish line it is then – in truth, was this Arsenal side ever likely to do it any other way?

The Gunners made us all sweat on Saturday night as they did just enough to defeat Newcastle in the Premier League, their 1-0 win adding to recent ones over Brighton and Sporting CP in the category of nervy, hard-fought results.

It owed primarily to a solid backline display, with the home team glad to let their opponents have the ball and daring them to find a route past David Raya. Some desperate attacking moves, in turn, made sure that Mikel Arteta would have to be content with the defence-first approach rather than keep up hopes of a two or three goal winning margin.

Three standout performers for Arsenal after their narrow 1-0 win against Newcastle

That only adds to the anxiety levels but it has served them well in 2025/26 and it proved sufficient for the three points here.

Here are the three standout Arsenal players from a tense, yet happy outcome versus Eddie Howe and his low-flying Magpies. If you haven't already, check out Arsenal's player ratings from the win against Newcastle.

Standout #1: Piero Hincapié

Even if Riccardo Calafiori is his first choice, the boss can surely appreciate how well Piero Hincapié is performing of late.

He was switched on from the first whistle against Jacob Murphy and competed well in every duel he faced. Furthermore, his tenacity in open play gave Newcastle scant encouragement down the flanks, meaning they were often forced into congested central areas from which they thus created very few chances (though Yoane Wissa let Arsenal off the hook late on).

There was little to note in an offensive sense but that is because of the game-state and the Gunners’ priority of holding onto what they had, rather than anything bad from Hincapié. The Ecuadorian now looks the part in red and white and Arteta has a big call to make on whether or not Calafiori reclaims his spot after injury.

If it is not broken…    

Standout #2: David Raya

Perhaps a strange choice; David Raya did not have much to do despite the fact Newcastle hogged the ball and there was little to catch the eye in terms of playing out from the back (just be thankful there were no heart-in-mouth moments this time).

Yet he makes the cut here because of the welcome solidity he offered in goal, at a time when nerves were jangling in the stands. As always, his proactivity to catch crosses worked to thwart goal-scoring opportunities before they even happened, while he had to be sharp to keep out a horrible, swerving strike from Sandro Tonali in the first half.

Those contributions fit into the ‘every-little-helps’ mindset of Arsenal; Arteta’s men only do the bare minimum to win matches and Raya does the ‘small’ things – like being good in the air – of which no one will ever know the true value.

He deserves some recognition.

Standout #3: Eberechi Eze

In a world of indecisive and out of form Arsenal forwards, Eberechi Eze is like a breath of fresh air for this run in.

Fans watched as Viktor Gyokeres spurned a counter-attacking chance at the end, and Noni Madueke incurred their wrath by squandering attacks through a mix of heavy touches or just poor delivery in the final third.

Meanwhile, Eze got the ball from Kai Havertz in the eighth minute and did what perhaps only he can do in this Gunners team – smashing it first time into the top corner. You simply cannot put a price on that sort of quality in a title race.

He seems to have the LW locked down and his livewire style so often provides the greatest hope for an Arsenal goal.

Thankfully, Eze declared himself “alright, all good” when speaking to Sky Sports about his withdrawal in the second half; his clinical, maverick streak is the one thing which makes fans believe that Arsenal can win this title if it comes down to goal difference.

Protect him at all costs.

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