LONDON — Arsenal made darn sure VAR wasn’t required against Newcastle this time.
Their 4-1 thrashing of the Magpies at Emirates Stadium on Saturday was an emphatic course correction from November’s reverse fixture, a 1-0 loss that was Arsenal’s first of the season. In that prior match, Anthony Gordon‘s controversial strike decided a frenetic contest, which prompted Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta to brand the officiating a “disgrace” amid heated words exchanged between the two clubs at all levels.
That defeat left a bitter taste in north London, so much so that the desire to right perceived wrongs informed the pre-match stadium build-up on Saturday. Sources have told ESPN that while the additional light show, tifos, flags and motivational videos were designed to rally supporters for an unusually late weekend kickoff, it was also in part a reflection of the desire to gain revenge over a team with whom they have developed an unexpectedly intense rivalry of late.
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This fixture last season ended in a 0-0 draw and widespread anger among Arsenal’s players and staff about what they believed was excessive timewasting — the ball was in play that night for around eight minutes less than the average Premier League game.
That was an example of the dark arts, which Porto also employed in Wednesday’s Champions League last-16, first leg clash with the Gunners at Estadio do Dragao, where Arsenal were beaten 1-0. In the aftermath, the Gunners faced accusations of naivety and questions over whether their goalscoring form of late was the product of soft opposition rather than proof of their potency.
Both were answered in commanding fashion here. Arsenal dominated the match, so much so that Newcastle did not even register a shot in the first half.
“In sport, things happen for a reason so you have to learn from that,” Arteta said of his side’s response after the loss to Porto. “If you feel sorry for yourself for three days, what happens? It’s about learning. We did that. We cannot cry. We have understand why that happened and be better.”
“We fully deserved to win,” he added. “If we want to be the best club in the world we have to have the best stadium and best atmosphere in the world that’s for sure. Thank you so much for everybody who turned up today with that attitude. Thank you to the club as well for pushing for that and trying to generate that atmosphere because it makes a huge impact for the team.”
The pre-match package helped whip the crowd into a frenzy, which Arsenal replicated on the pitch, producing a blur of movement and high-pressing that overwhelmed Newcastle in the first half.
These days, if the Gunners don’t get you from open play, they certainly will from set-pieces. Newcastle contributed to their own downfall as former Liverpool goalkeeper Loris Karius, playing his first Premier League game in six years, made a brilliant stop to deny Gabriel Magalhaes from Bukayo Saka‘s 18th-minute corner only for Tino Livramento to hit Sven Botman with his attempted clearance, which fell across the goal line.
Kai Havertz added a well-worked second from Gabriel Martinelli‘s cutback before Saka scored in his fifth consecutive league game in the 65th-minute and Jakub Kiwior struck on 69 minutes from Declan Rice‘s corner. That was Arsenal’s 18th league goal from a set-piece this season, a division high.
Former Arsenal academy graduate Joe Willock headed in a consolation goal six minutes from the end to deny the Gunners a clean sheet their performance deserved, but it did little to dilute the powerful statement Arteta’s side had made in the title race.
