Newcastle United vs Arsenal. Premier League.
St James' Park, NewcastleAttendance52,194.
Match report and free highlights as Newcastle beat Arsenal 1-0 at St James' Park; Anthony Gordon's finish enough to take three points and end Gunners' unbeaten start to Premier League season; Newcastle move up to sixth while Arsenal miss chance to move level on points with leaders Man City
Sunday 5 November 2023 07:03, UK
Arsenal missed the chance to move level on points with Premier League leaders Manchester City as their unbeaten start to the season came to an end with a 1-0 defeat by Newcastle at St James' Park on Saturday Night Football.
Anthony Gordon's controversial goal in the 64th minute, which was subject to a four-minute VAR check, proved the difference in a fiery clash between two teams who finished in the top four last term.
Despite a lack of first-half goalmouth action, temperatures reached boiling point before the break when Kai Havertz was booked for a reckless lunge on Sean Longstaff before Bruno Guimaraes was perhaps fortunate not to see red for an off-the-ball forearm on Jorginho.
The match settled down in the second half and despite some relentless late pressure from Arsenal, Gordon's strike from Newcastle's first shot on target gave Eddie Howe's side a memorable win to move them up to sixth in the table and extend their unbeaten league run to seven games - but Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta was furious with the decision to allow the goal.
"It's a disgrace," Arteta told Sky Sports. "It's embarrassing. That's how I feel and that's how everybody feels in that [dressing] room. You cannot imagine the amount of messages we've got saying this cannot continue. It's embarrassing. I'm sorry, embarrassing.
"I feel sick. That's how I feel. I feel sick to be part of this. It is not good enough and we cannot accept that."
The defeat was a missed opportunity for Arteta and Arsenal, who failed to join Man City at the Premier League summit following the champions' 6-1 victory over Bournemouth earlier in the day. The Gunners are third, two points behind north London rivals Tottenham who can move further clear when they face Chelsea on Monday Night Football.
After a scrappy opening 15 minutes, Arsenal - without their influential playmaker Martin Odegaard who was unfit - began to build momentum, but after forcing a series of corners had only Jorginho's skied volley and William Saliba's wayward header to show for their efforts.
Newcastle had barely threatened before Callum Wilson blazed Dan Burns' knockdown over the crossbar from in front of goal in the 29th minute.
An intense physical first half was low on quality and littered with full-blooded challenges, one of which raised the home fans to fever pitch as Havertz's late lunge sent Longstaff sprawling. That sparked a players' melee that took referee Stuart Atwell some time to control, with Havertz, Longstaff and Gordon eventually shown yellow cards.
Furious Newcastle assistant Jason Tindall made clear to the Arsenal bench what he thought of Havertz's mistimed challenge. A third Newcastle player, Fabian Schar, was booked soon after to the wrath of Magpies fans.
Arsenal threatened to on the stroke of half-time, but Gabriel Martinelli's fierce drive was comfortably held by Nick Pope.
Gordon lifted the home fans soon after the restart as he ran across the edge of Arsenal's box looking to make space for a shot, but he was crowded out.
Declan Rice became more influential for the Gunners and he headed wide before Newcastle broke the deadlock in the 64th minute.
Both substitutes had hand in the goal soon after entering the action as Jacob Murphy's shot span wide and was kept in play by Joe Willock, whose cross was flapped at by David Raya before being headed down by Joelinton for Gordon to turn home.
There then followed a lengthy delay - four minutes and six seconds to be precise - before the goal was confirmed as VAR checked whether the ball had gone out of play before Willock's cross, whether Joelinton had fouled Arsenal defender Gabriel and if Gordon had been offside.
Newcastle were dealt an injury blow when Murphy popped the same shoulder which had kept him of recent games and was replaced by Matt Ritchie.
The Gunners probed for an equaliser but their front line continued to misfire, creating no further chances on a disappointing afternoon for the north Londoners.
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta told Sky Sports: "I praise my players for the performance and the way we played. We didn't deserve to lose the match. We lost the match because of the clear and obvious decisions. It's embarrassing. A disgrace. That's what it is. A disgrace.
"There's so much at stake, we put [in] so many hours. I am here to represent the football club and get my team to compete at the highest level possible. The margins are so small. It's a disgrace, it's embarrassing. That's how I feel and how everyone feels in that [dressing] room. You cannot imagine the amount of messages I got saying this cannot continue. It's embarrassing.
"I have to be here now to say it is not acceptable.
"I don't know how to feel. I am wasting my time. We are wasting our time. I don't want to be in the hands of people. It's difficult enough to compete against this team. It cannot continue. It's embarrassing. There's too much at stake. The consequences are too big."
Newcastle head coach Eddie Howe told Sky Sports: "We're in the dark, we're stood by the side of the pitch seeing VAR on the screen but with no pictures. I haven't seen anything other than what I saw at the time. It looked a good goal to me.
"It was a tough game. Massive win, full credit to the players for what they gave today it was a battling performance. Maybe not the game we expected it to be in terms of style from both teams. The midfield battle was important, we had to try and stay in the game in that way. Joelinton was huge and all three midfielders really helped us.
"When you don't concede you're always in a game. It wasn't the game we prepared for but you have to show different sides of your game to win and I think we have that in the group at the moment."
On player of the match Anthony Gordon, Howe said: "He's got used to what's expected of him. He had sight of it at the end of last season, he came back fitter from the Euros which was successful for him. That helped his confidence and he's been brilliant for us this season. And he's shown versatility."
Sky Sports' Jamie Carragher:
"The big one is about whether or not the ball went out. I don't think there's a foul while the offside is very difficult to see.
"There's lots of stills of the ball on the line or people saying on social media that the ball is out, but the camera angle we have here is not conclusive.
"I'm glad in some ways it's still been given. My first thought was that it was offside, mainly because it felt there was only one Arsenal player behind the two Newcastle players.
"I don't think it's a foul."
Newcastle are on the hunt for revenge when they travel to Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League on Tuesday, kick-off 5.45pm. Eddie Howe then revisits his old side Bournemouth in the Premier League next Saturday live on Sky Sports, kick-off 5.30pm.
Arsenal host Sevilla in the Champions League looking to move a step closer to the knockout stage on Wednesday, kick-off 8pm. The Gunners then welcome Burnley to north London on November 11, kick-off 3pm.
