Arsenal fell to their first league defeat of the season as they lost 1-0 at Newcastle in a challenging game.
Mikel Arteta’s side engaged in a fierce physical battle, and were impressive defensively for most of the clash, but could not find the back of the net to cancel Anthony Gordon’s second-half goal.
There were a number of controversial refereeing decisions throughout the game, both for and against Arsenal, and whilst overall they did dominate possession, they did not do enough in front of goal as they only registered one shot on target.
Arsenal were without captain Martin Odegaard and striker Gabriel Jesus, and both absences were massively felt as Eddie Nketiah and Kai Havertz failed to replicate their attacking prowess.
Arsenal player ratings in Newcastle defeat
David Raya – 4/10
The Spaniard failed to impress again, as whilst he coped well for the most part, he was at fault for the decisive moment as he was beaten in the air by Joelinton for the goal.
Ben White – 6/10
Had some promising moments on the ball before being substituted in the second half.
William Saliba – 8/10
Did not deserve to be on the losing side. He nullified Callum Wilson and was dominant in the air.
Gabriel Magalhaes – 4/10
The £100k-a-week defender was far from his usual high level, giving the ball away a number of times before contributing heavily to the goal.
Takehiro Tomiyasu – 6/10
The defender was solid for the most part at left-back, having been selected over Oleksandr Zinchenko following a fine run of form, before moving over to the right, but was one of the players who could have done better for the goal.
Jorginho – 7/10
Battled well in midfield and added composure to a difficult game in which he was the subject of heavy fouling from the opposition.
Declan Rice – 9/10
Easily Arsenal’s best player and perhaps the best player on the pitch. Drove Arsenal forward superbly whilst also contributing defensively. Deserved to be on the winning side.
Kai Havertz – 5/10
Delivered one of his better performances but caused controversy with a reckless tackle in the first half which riled up the home crowd. Showed occasional flashes on the ball but was ineffective in the final third.
Bukayo Saka – 4/10
Was far from his usual standard as Newcastle tripled up on him, and he was relentlessly fouled particularly in the first half.
Failed to provide a spark of creativity, and was too slow at getting a shot off.
Gabriel Martinelli – 5/10
Had some promising dribbles and tried to inject some pace into the side, but struggled in a physical battle with Tino Livramento in the second half. Could have done better with one shot in the first half.
Eddie Nketiah – 4/10
Struggled to physically impose himself on the game. Won some fouls but could not help Arsenal create anything before being substituted.
Substitutes
Oleksandr Zinchenko – 6/10
Leandro Trossard – 3/10
Fabio Vieira – 5/10
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