First thoughts: Newcastle (A)

My raw reaction on the final whistle to Newcastle vs Arsenal

Here are my initial thoughts at full time, giving my big picture view, what positives I am taking from the match, and the negatives.

Main takeaway: Playing well still matters

One of the things that it seems like we have heard so much already this season is that all that matters is getting the results. This is something that especially has been the case with regards to Liverpool who have conjured similar late heroics to win so far this season.

Results matter (duh) but if you are getting them and the underlying performance isn’t there when the adrenaline of the late goals wears off and you can see it in the cold light of day it can be concerning.

The opposite is true when you batter a team and the ball just doesn’t go in the net, the referees make weird decisions, or just any number of things that can give you a “footballing.” In the moment after the game ends it doesn’t really feel better to know that you were the better team and that if you play like that more often you will come away with a win. It doesn’t help when you are online, and people give you the “warra trophy” or the banter from opposition fans but that can point in a positive direction.

This match felt like it was going to be the latter and last season (especially the second half of last year) I am not sure if Arsenal would have been able to do this. This season with the reinforcements and depth added the team was able to play through the injustice (even if it did knock the focus for a while) to continue to pile on pressure and create the chances that ultimately won them the match.

Last season, Arsenal after the 80th minute were one of the worst attacking teams in the League, here Arsenal were able to get an equalizer and a winner. What made me really happy was that Arsenal were able to really push Newcastle back and while they were in search for a goal(s) they didn’t panic and found the right balance of getting forward without leaving the back door open, showing urgency without taking aimless shots.

Here is how things looked from the 68th minute until the end of the match.

That’s just really good and being really good is a great way to earn points. This match was a good reminder of that, and I am so glad that we were able to come away with all three points capitalizing on a very favorable weekend of results.

Positives: