Match report – Participant scores – Arteta response – Video
If the tone for Wednesday’s Champions League sport was set with that barely careless first minute reserving for Declan Rice, we started final night time’s encounter with Newcastle with an depth that they only couldn’t stay with from the off.
We gained a nook within the first 60 seconds, which noticed Ben White flick a header on and Bukayo Saka shoot over the bar. A minute later Kai Havertz nearly caught the goalkeeper in possession and managed to shut down the defender he laid the ball off to in the identical motion. Mikel Arteta wished a giant ambiance, and his gamers knew they needed to contribute to that proper from the beginning.
With simply the one change to the facet, Jorginho changing Leandro Trossard, it was primarily the identical XI that struggled in Porto, however this efficiency was chalk and cheese. Generally you’ve gotten an off-night, latest Premier League type means that what we noticed final night time is much extra aligned with what this Arsenal group is able to.
The primary aim got here from a set-piece. Saka whipped within the nook, Gabriel made an awesome run and obtained header in the direction of aim which compelled a good save from Loris Karius, however because the ball scuntled across the Newcastle field, it got here off the knee of Sven Botman and went over the road. Objective line know-how was wanted, however it was in and it was 1-0.
Newcastle may barely get the ball, and once they did, Arsenal gamers swarmed them like offended bees. By the twenty sixth minute, 53% of the sport had been performed within the Newcastle last third. Kieran Trippier needed to have a sit down. It was 2-0 by then too. The second aim was a factor of magnificence. Jorginho’s very good go matched Gabriel Martinelli’s dynamic run throughout the opposition backline, and when he pulled the ball again, Havertz was there to fit residence his seventh aim of the season.
Saka and Odegaard mixed brilliantly for the previous to create an opportunity for Martinelli, however sadly he couldn’t get above the ball fairly sufficient to go residence – that will have been one of many targets of the season if he’d planted that header into the highest nook. Martinelli shot over, Karius saved from Saka after he long-established an opportunity for himself within the field, and Ben White – feeling a bit unnoticed as a result of all of the motion was up the opposite finish – flattened Anthony Gordon (as a result of why wouldn’t you wish to try this?), and for good measure did it once more earlier than the break. There was so much to love about this half of soccer. Nice targets, very nice Arsenal soccer, and Ben White clattering Anthony Gordon. Worth for cash.
It ought to have been sport over early within the second half when one other pretty Arsenal transfer noticed Havertz via on aim, however he dragged his shot large. I feel he was good once more final night time, and considerably counter-intuitively maybe, it’s moments like that which make me suppose there’s nonetheless much more to come back from him. A nasty miss, for certain, however he precipitated Newcastle issues all night time together with his motion, and no participant on the pitch gained extra aerial duels than him.
Newcastle had been a bit higher within the second half … for a couple of minutes possibly. There was a shot from Gordon which Raya saved comfortably, Alexander Isak popped one over the bar, however they didn’t actually threaten with any consistency. Nonetheless, all of us have our personal trauma stage in the case of 2-0 (no matter how effectively we’re taking part in), so it was vital we put the sport to mattress.
It was becoming that we did with one other glorious transfer. Havertz intercepted, Odegaard discovered Rice who performed it again to the German first time, and he laid it outdoors to Saka. The defender didn’t wish to let him again onto his left foot, however was powerless to cease him, and his shot nestled into the far nook for 3-0. That was at all times going to be the sport, and the factors, however we weren’t content material with that.
A Jakub Kiwior ball excessive for substitute Trossard resulted in an Arsenal nook. Rice whipped it in, and the Polish worldwide was there to flick a header in through the hand of a Newcastle defender. It was entering into anyway, the TV stated it was an personal aim, however it’s formally a Kiwior aim, and after a extremely strong few weeks for him at left again, it was nice to see him make that type of contribution.
Arteta made adjustments, the sport fizzled out kind of, however with each side having made a variety of substitutes it was a bit extra ragged than beforehand. Joe Willock obtained one again for them, operating away from Emile Smith Rowe to loop a header in in opposition to his former membership, however that total passage of play seemed a bit drained from Arsenal. Which isn’t essentially a criticism, they put so much into this efficiency after taking part in midweek too (which Newcastle didn’t), so it’s comprehensible.
Smith Rowe nearly made up for it with a aim on the finish different finish, however Huge Dan Burn cleared it off the road. His final Arsenal aim got here in April 2022, within the 4-2 win over Chelsea, so he should be determined to get again on the scoresheet. Hopefully that can come quickly. In his numerous substitute cameos, he has proven he nonetheless has the positional consciousness, and fingers crossed he can discover the end sooner relatively than later.
Afterwards, Mikel Arteta stated:
I feel we had an awesome efficiency, huge credit score to the boys after simply half a day to organize for the sport. The best way they executed the whole lot – the depth, the dedication, the willpower, the aggression and development in the whole lot that we had been doing with the ball. They performed with a variety of braveness in opposition to the group and we obtained rewarded. I feel we absolutely deserved to win the sport.
There’s little question about that. This was a dominant efficiency, in opposition to a group whose gameplan would have been about being bodily and intense, however who simply weren’t allowed to execute that due to how good we had been. I believed the Rice / Jorginho midfield axis labored actually, rather well and was basic to how effectively we performed. We had 18 photographs, 8 heading in the right direction, and the possession stats solely look vaguely equal as a result of we allow them to have a little bit of the ball when the sport was clearly gained.
To reply to the disappointing efficiency in opposition to Porto was very pleasing, however extra importantly we needed to take three factors to maintain up with Liverpool and Metropolis, and we did that in emphatic type. To not point out one other good enhance to the aim distinction, and a few measure of revenge for what occurred in our earlier sport in opposition to them, one thing skipper Martin Odegaard referenced in his post-game interview. They clearly felt that they had a rating to settle right here, and boy did they try this.
There’s now over every week till we play once more, Sheffield United on Monday week, so it’s probability for individuals who have given so much in the previous couple of weeks to recharge their batteries, and hopefully to get one or two or three of the injured gamers again. Gabriel Jesus was on the bench final night time, however clearly he was an emergency possibility, and one we didn’t want so there was no have to threat him. Let’s hope we are able to get a couple of extra our bodies again.
For now, let’s take pleasure in what was one other very spectacular efficiency from this Arsenal group. Have an awesome Sunday of us, again tomorrow with extra, and an Arsecast Additional.
Till then.
