Newcastle vs Arsenal: Notebook

Thoughts and clips from watching the Arsenal match

Pre-match

No real surprises here on the lineup. Only change is Saliba back for White at center back. This is by the looks of things the standard 4-2-4 that Arsenal have been using this season.

First Half

2 - Arsenal get their first look at goal through Trossard. Declan Rice wins the ball back and then has a nice slide to touch the ball to him. He drives forward without too much support and drags the shot wide.

5 - Newcastle play through the press really well. Quick passing move and movement/rotation that Arsenal’s players can’t handle.

7 - Merino slices at a shot from 30+ yards out. That’s not a good one.

11 - Timber makes a smart run from deep and he is in lots of space. His first touch isn’t great but he gets lucky with the bounce to be able to set up Saka. Saka’s shot is pretty tame and off target.

12 - Newcastle score. 1-0

Partey wins the header but it falls to Isak and isn’t cleared all the way. It is worked out wide right and Gordon plays a great first time cross that Isak heads home.

It is a little bit of a broken play but Arsenal are caught very narrow here but hard to find too much fault in this one.

16 - Joelinton with a little bit of a nasty foul after Saliba lets it run on him. That could have earned a yellow.

18 - Arsenal create a bit of an opening. Martinelli plays a really nice ball into the box for Havertz who elects to stand one up at the back post to Saka. Saka probably needs to be wide open to be winning those with regularity though.

19 - Martinelli able to take on Livramento 1v1 and puts in a dangerous cross. Good defending from Bruno G to stop it from getting to Trossard in a dangerous spot.

That’s the end of the first period. Arenal did a bit more than Newcastle, but the had the best chance and turned it into a goal. Overall, it was a pretty even match between the two teams.

23 - That is the second straight Rice free kick that is so off. He was so good against Liverpool and his first two have not been great.

24 - Gordon dangerous again, he drives at Timber and his stood up cross/shot needs a deflection to be kept out.

25 - It is probably an instruction but it is so weird that Timber just checks his run here after making the pass. Like he must not get too advanced or attacking.

27 - CHANCE

Rice has a good delivery here, it is nodded back by Saliba and it falls to Merino and it is blocked by Newcastle. It is a good one but tough with so many bodies in the way. Needed some luck.