Arsenal have often found St James’ Park to be a difficult venue, but on Sunday 28th September, they finally broke that pattern.
Late goals from Mikel Merino and a trademark Gabriel header from a corner sealed a dramatic 2-1 comeback victory over Newcastle United.
There were several notable takeaways from the performance from my perspective.
Eze Shines as Central Creator
Eberechi Eze did not record a goal or assist, yet produced one of his finest displays in an Arsenal shirt.
Operating centrally, he consistently probed Newcastle’s defensive lines, threading passes that few others would even attempt. The issue was not his vision but the lack of teammates on the same wavelength to capitalise on his creativity.
This performance underlined that Eze thrives as a central playmaker. Arsenal may still need another player alongside him who can read and respond to his style.
Gabriel’s Redemption and the Title Race
Arsenal had lost on their previous two Premier League trips to St James’ Park and by the 83rd minute another defeat looked imminent at 1-0 down.
This time, however, Arteta’s side refused to give up. The 84th-minute equaliser sparked belief, and with eight minutes added on, the Gunners surged forward for the winner.
Gabriel had been criticised for his role in Newcastle’s opener but responded with a commanding display at both ends of the pitch. His performance was capped by the decisive late header and underlined by his numbers on the day:
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1 goal
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Most defensive contributions
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Most headed clearances
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Joint-most tackles
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Joint-most interceptions
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100% ground duels won
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81 touches
It was a complete modern centre-back showing, reflecting both resilience and outright leadership.
Beyond the individual performances, this result carried major significance in the title race. With Liverpool losing 2-1 at Crystal Palace, Arsenal’s win narrowed the gap at the top to just two points. The dynamics of the campaign may have shifted in Arsenal’s favour as a result.
Do you believe this victory proves Arsenal can go the distance in this season’s title battle?
Daniel O
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Ever since the Liverpool vs Arsenal match, I have some Liverpool neighbors that let my ears can’t eat grass.
But there is peace and tranquility since Sunday, what a classic Arsenal produce on hostile territory, West Ham could be facing us at a very bad time
Dan O, amongst the lessons I sensed the pgmol treats Arsenal differently. A myriad times the pgmol chief thief tries to assert the refs’ decision the world can’t be convinced about Gyokeres penalty. Not too far we’ll just see their inconsistencies this week with their pen decisions. That day’s flawed decision had hardened the future decisions of refs. There will be too much scrutiny. If that pen was given we could have seen more Arsenal goals given the dominance of Arsenal in that particular moment.