How costly could Arsenal dropping points to Newcastle United prove to be?

Arsenal had greater control of possession but lacked inspiration in the face of Newcastle’s solid defensive system. This result could favour Manchester City.

In a closely fought duel at the Emirates Stadium, Arsenal dropped points and drew 0-0 with Newcastle in the 19th match of the Premier League.

Manager Mikel Arteta did not execute any changes to the team that beat Brighton 4-2 last weekend. On the other hand, Howe has tinkered with Newcastle with Callum Wilson coming on in place of Wood to lead the attack.

This was the first time Arsenal and Newcastle have faced each other in the Premier League since March 2, 2022. At the time, the two teams were also fighting for the top half of the table in the Premier League.

With this result, Arsenal reached 44 points in the Premier League table, opening up eight points ahead of Manchester City, who play Chelsea on Thursday. Newcastle went to 35 points, in 3rd place.

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Arsenal had their best chances early in the match

Throughout the first half, Arsenal controlled more of the possession and created the best scoring chances. The first ten minutes saw more pressure, with Xhaka having the chance to score at the near post after Martinelli’s throw-in.

Odegaard’s main goal-scoring opportunity came just four minutes from time after Saka had saved well from Nick Pope’s chance.

Newcastle gradually gained more space in midfield and controlled possession more in the remainder of the first half, but the quality of the match dropped due to unsuccessful counter-attacks and lapses in final passes from the attacking field.

Moreover, the refereeing took a negative turn with several stoppages and a sequence of five yellow cards in a 15-minute interval (three for Arsenal, two for Newcastle).

Newcastle started to attack with more players in the offensive field during the second half, but the lack of real chances remained for several minutes.

Newcastle held the Gunners at bay in the second half

Gradually, Arsenal regained control of the match with dominance of possession, while Newcastle changed their strategy to a compact defensive system.

A great scoring opportunity came in the 79th minute, with Odegaard firing in at the far post where Martinelli won the toss and headed firmly, narrowly missing the target.

But the big moment came in the 88th minute after Pope made a sensational save to prevent a goal from young Nketiah, whose performance was below par.

In added time, in the 95th minute, a controversial move marked the final moments after the ball slipped off the arm of a defender inside the penalty area. The Arsenal players asked for a penalty, but the referee did not consider it and the match ended in a draw.

Zinchenko’s good performance in this match was noteworthy, leading the Arsenal players in the number of touches and complete passes, with a success rate of over 90%, according to Sofascore figures. In addition, he was the most active player in final third.

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