Arsenal were beaten by Newcastle United 2-0 last night as the Magpies knocked them out of the Carabao Cup with a 4-0 aggregate win.
The Gunners had been stunned at the Emirates in the first leg, conceding two goals without reply. However, after a fine run of form, which ended with them beating Manchester City at the weekend, fans were confident they could overturn the deficit. There was belief within the squad and among supporters that Arsenal had the quality to mount a comeback, but Newcastle had other ideas.
Arsenal have played in many hostile stadiums before, but on this occasion, they simply were not good enough. The team struggled to impose themselves on the game, and their usually reliable attacking players failed to deliver. Newcastle, on the other hand, looked sharp from the start, pressing with intensity and showing more purpose in possession. The St James’ Park atmosphere may have caused Arsenal some problems, and it certainly did not help that Newcastle had the ball in the back of the net very early on, even though the goal was disallowed. That moment only served to boost the home side’s confidence further.
Newcastle were far more assured and fully deserved their victory, never looking like a team that would let Arsenal back into the tie. They were solid defensively, limiting Arsenal’s attacking threat, and took their chances well when opportunities presented themselves. Matthew Upson believes Arsenal did not perform as expected and appeared to lack energy throughout the match.
He said on BBC Live:
“Arsenal were not at their best. Whether the occasion against Man City at the weekend played into it or whatever it was, the team looked a little flat and a couple of players were out of sorts.”
Ultimately, Arsenal were second-best on the night and can have no complaints about the result. Newcastle showed more hunger, took their chances, and handled the occasion better. The Gunners must now focus on their next fixture and find a way to respond positively after this disappointment. Newcastle, meanwhile, will take great confidence from this victory as they progress further in the competition.
ADMIN COMMENT
So here are some simple rules which I must insist commenters follow….
You agree not to give any personal abuse to other Arsenal fans. Everyone is allowed to hold their own opinions even if you disagree with them. It COSTS NOTHING TO BE POLITE TO OTHER ARSENAL FANS.
It is not about one other game but the whole schedule, extending the champions league groups into January has put an extra strain on clubs in Europe and qualifying from a two legged League Cup final while maintaining the challenge in the league and in Europe was always going to be a hard task.
That’s a salient point. There are an increased number of games which puts a strain on teams.
The number of injuries has also built up this season which has added to the difficulty of maintaining challenges on multiple fronts.
So bring numbers in to help the squad lol
Nabilo,
Make all the excuses you like. But season after season when this club has to produce it consistently fails to do so.
That has nothing to do with the revamped Champions League.
That’s just a convenient excuse that make you feel better.
But in reality, we all know that Arsenal haven’t got what it takes when push comes to shove.
Newcastle didn’t do what was expected and instead came at Arsenal from the beginning. The lucky offside goal was an omen for things to come. Missing a couple of chances was a sideshow. Newcastle went for the throat and their second goal was testament to how they bullied us.
I did expect a better showing after Sunday but it was untidy and a bit chaotic tbh. At the time I thought Arteta was very slow to make changes against City, especially as we had them on the ropes. However, the starting 11 should have been fresh last night and should have done better. Arteta got caught out by Howe
Again Sue. Referring to your last sentence.
Absolutely right. I only commented as I saw it.
Howe has Artetas tactics in his pocket.
I think that’s what I was saying