Arsenal blew the doors off of a weakened Newcastle side 7-3 at the Emirates Stadium on Dec. 29 in a thoroughly entertaining finale to 2012. However, don’t let the final score fool you, Newcastle was neck and neck with the Gunners right up until the 69th minute and also had 56 per cent of ball possession compared to Arsenal’s 44. Theo Walcott led the way for the Gunners with a hat trick while Olivier Giroud added a pair with Lukas Podolski and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain chipping in with a goal apiece. Six of Arsenal’s seven goals came in the second half.
Arsenal got off to a relatively quick start with Walcott giving them the lead in the 20th minute. Demba Ba scored for Newcastle two minutes before half time to level things at 1-1 heading into the break. All hell broke loose when the two sides returned to the pitch for the second half with Oxlade-Chamberlain scoring just five minutes later to put Arsenal up 2-1. The score was level again in the 59thminute when Sylvain Marveaux found the back of the net for the visitors.
The Gunners took a 3-2 lead in the 64th minute on a goal by Podolski, but that lead lasted only five minutes as Ba scored his second of the match to even things up at 3-3. Walcott then put Arsenal out in front in the 74th minute when he made it 4-3. Giroud scored a pair of insurance markers in the 84th and 87th minutes and Walcott earned his hat trick in the first minute of stoppage time.
Walcott, who’s still unsigned, had the game of his life and is well on his way to a career year in the Premier League. One wonders why manager Arsene Wenger waited so long to try him out in the middle of the pitch and if England manager Roy Hodgson will now follow the Frenchman’s lead the next time Walcott plays for his country. The 23-year-old now has 14 goals on the season in 20 games with eight of them coming in league play. He also had a hat trick in a 7-5 League Cup win over Reading near the end of October.
As you can see by the scoring summary, the game really took off in the second half. However, each time Arsenal pulled ahead, Newcastle clawed their way back into the game and evened things up. This trend ended with Ba’s goal in the 69th minute though and Arsenal pounded four more behind Newcastle keeper Tim Krul after that while Giroud was denied his third and the team’s eighth when he rattled a late shot off of the woodwork.
The win was important for the Gunners since Man United, Man City, and Tottenham all won their matches. Arsenal has won four league games in a row, but still sits 16 points behind league-leading Manchester United (49 points). They’re nine behind second-place Man City (42 points), three behind Spurs (36 points) and just a pair behind Chelsea (35 points). Everton and West Brom are level with the fifth-place Gunners at 33 points each. Everton takes on Chelsea on Dec. 30, which means Chelsea will pull ahead further or Everton will pass Arsenal after the match.
Ratings for Dec. 29 vs Newcastle
Wojciech Szczesny 6.5
It’s hard to criticize in a 7-3 win, but giving up three goals can’t become a habit. He made some pretty good saves, but earned the win without being exceptional.
Bacary Sagna 5.5
Not a good game for Sagna. He didn’t look good on Newcastle’s second goal and had trouble with the speed of winger Gabriel Obertan.
Laurent Koscielny 6
Koscielny played for Per Mertesacker who was out sick. He had a decent game, nothing more and nothing less.
Thomas Vermaelen 6.5
Vermaelen played well enough and didn’t make any noticeable mistakes.
Kieran Gibbs 6
Gibbs struggled defensively, but played well on the attack. He didn’t look too good on Newcastle’s second and third goals as he was out of position on them. He helped in the offensive zone though and his skills resulted in a couple of goals for teammates.
Mikel Arteta 7
Arteta had a solid game albeit unspectacular.
Jack Wilshere 7
Didn’t do too well on Demba Ba’s free kick goal, but other than that he had a fine game as usual. His passing was spot on most of the time and he did a good job coordinating the attack.
Santi Cazorla 7
Another steady performer who played well and mad things happen. Came off after 86 minutes.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain 7
Finally got on the scoreboard with a nice goal and had a good game out on the wing. Has the potential to get better. Came off after 74 minutes.
Lukas Podolski 8
The German international had one of his best games of the season, especially in the first half. He scored a goal, his passing was great and he got stuck in all game long. Came off after 82 minutes.
Theo Walcott 9.5
Almost a perfect game from the young England international. He scored three goals and set up another two. All three goals involved class finishes while his third also showed a lot of grit and determination. He can play in the middle and his play on the wing was also just as good as witnessed by his fine cross to set up Olivier Giroud’s first goal.
Substitutes:
Olivier Giroud 8.5
Came on in the 74th minute for Oxlade–Chamberlain. He had an excellent game with two goals and almost had a hat trick but was foiled by the woodwork.
Aaron Ramsey NA
Came on for Podolski in the 82nd minute.
Francis Coquelin NA
Came on in the 86th minute for Cazorla
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