With the dust now settled on a big win for Arsenal over Newcastle United, it’s time to reflect on what actually happened during the 1-0 win at The Emirates.
The Gunners had Eberechi Eze to thank for the three points. The England man’s stunning inside the opening 15 minutes proved enough to pile the pressure back in Man City’s direction.
For Mikel Arteta, it was all about just getting the win.
But after another nervy display, there was plenty to digest and Arsenal Insider have looked at THREE key things we learnt from Arsenal’s win over Newcastle.
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This defence will be responsible for any trophies won
This was a game where Arsenal had to dig deep. Yes, Newcastle didn’t threaten too much in the final third but there was still pressure and a nervousness from inside the stadium all game.
Arsenal’s back four, though, once again showed how good they are.
Gabriel and Saliba were rocks at the heart of the defence while Piero Hincapie continued his rise into being one of Arsenal’s best players. Ben White, too, also contributed.
Come the end of the season, if there are any trophies to show for the season, then it will be Arsenal’s defence who take the plaudits.
Arsenal need Bukayo Saka back ASAP
It was a brief cameo from Bukayo Saka but in that 15 minutes he was on the field, he already showed why Arsenal miss him so much.
If he is now fit and available to play, then he simply has to be in the team every single week.
Mikel Arteta simply cannot afford to drop or rest his best players now. It’s crunch time, and Saka has proven time and again he is the man for the occasion.
Arsenal have to capitalise on big moments or face failure
There were a few moments in this game where Arsenal could have put things to bed and made the entire day easier.
Instead, they blew their chances time and time again.
One key moment to highlight this was when Viktor Gyokeres broke clear with Arsenal having four players on the counter-attack.
Instead of Bukayo Saka or Gabi Martinelli finding themselves in on goal, Gyokeres messed up a simple pass and allowed the Toon defence to steal the ball back.
This simply has to be better. Man City do not waste such moments and with things so tight, it needs sorting from an Arsenal point of view and quickly.
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