Five things we learned as Arsenal suffer damaging 1-0 defeat vs Newcastle

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Arsenal have suffered a 1-0 defeat to Newcastle United in the Premier League.

The game at St James’ Park was always going to be a difficult one. Arsenal had lost twice in their last three visits there, and that number has now gone up by one.

Alexander Isak’s first-half goal sealed the win for Newcastle, and Arsenal need to have a long hard look at themselves for their performance.

Five things we learned from Newcastle 1-0 Arsenal

Leandro Trossard’s struggles continue

Trossard can be a difficult player to watch at times. That was the case against Newcastle United today, especially in the first half.

The Belgian got on the ball well, but he slowed the game down on multiple occasions. He failed to create anything meaningful in the final third and that hurt Arsenal.

Anthony Gordon had an easy day against Jurrien Timber

Gordon is one of Newcastle’s best players, but every Arsenal fan would’ve backed Timber to get the better of him.

However, the Dutchman inverting gave Gordon all the space in the world, and he had a very easy game on the right flank against Arsenal.

Poor refereeing once again

It was a typical away day at St James’ Park. The home support was incredible, and they put the referee under pressure every time he had to make a decision.

Sadly, John Brooks couldn’t handle that pressure. Almost every 50-50 decision went Newcastle’s way, and you could see the frustration among Arsenal players as the game went on.

Arsenal are missing Martin Odegaard

Odegaard has been out with an injury since after the third game of the season, and Arsenal have mostly done well without him.

However, if there’s one game that showed how much Arsenal missed Odegaard, it’s the clash at St James’ Park against Newcastle on Saturday. Arsenal need him back ASAP.

The title race could be over

If Manchester City win their game against Bournemouth, Arsenal will be eight points behind Pep Guardiola’s side. That is a huge difference. No team in history has overcome such a deficit after 10 games to win the English league title in a 38-game season.

Football is a funny game and anything can still happen. But, an eight-point difference may just prove to be too much to overturn. Arsenal’s title hopes could well be over.