Thank you very much for joining me. Plenty going on in a goalless draw. Here is Nick Ames’ match report from the Emirates.
Updated
Neville on the shirt pull: “Arteta has a right to be annoyed. VAR should get involved here.”
Gary Neville says the handball is not a penalty. Good that he agrees with me. “Never in a million years is that a penalty.”
Arteta: “Newcastle have not played like this against any other team, so it is great credit to our players. We should have had two penalties to win the game.
“We always try to improve our team and this window is still open.”
Arteta seems very angry about the penalties. I think the shirt pull was probably a penalty but the handball would have been incredibly harsh.
Mikel Arteta: “I am so proud of my players. We controlled the game. We had two scandalous penalties. They were both penalties.”
Everton are a bit bad. Andy Hunter saw how bad.
Manchester United saw off Bournemouth. Jamie Jackson was there.
Fulham beat Leicester. Here is Ben Fisher’s report.
Eddie Howe: On the handball: “At that stage of the game you are thinking ‘please no, the lads have given so much in the game’. It would have been a travesty.
“I take a very good defensive display, good mentality from the group. We weren’t defending in ones, it was twos or threes around the pitch. I don’t think there was any period in the game where were OK, it was hard work throughout.
“I think a couple of self-induced moments caused us problems early on. We settled around 15 mins. Nick Pope only had one save to make.
“I was a little disappointed we couldn’t pose them more of a threat. Our counter-attacking play wasn’t at its usual standard.
“Our defensive performance has been very good, that does happen because three or four players, it’s because of everyone.
“We wanted to attack the game, we wanted to be ourselves. I think due to the reality of the situation that didn’t happen because Arsenal played really well.
“I think the next step of us it to have a bit more quality on the ball.
“January is a long month, we will assess as we go through. There are no plans to add at the moment.”
Dan Burn: “Huge result. I thought Arsenal were really good, they are a tough team to figure out. They started really well but we weathered the storm.
“Saka is a great player, he can go both ways. The wingers helped me a lot to double up on him. We have a good mix of young lads and experience, one we weathered we grew into the game. It’s a good result.
“It is tough mentally to play against Arsenal.
“We believe in the philosophy the gaffer has brought in. We are a close-knit bunch of lads.”
Seventeen shots from Arsenal but only four on target. Newcastle only had one on target all night.
It didn’t get a mention in the MBM, as there was a lot going on at the time, but congratulations to Jamal Lascelles for getting his second booking as an unused sub this season.
I think the game might be more remembered for Arteta’s moaning on the touchline. Newcastle were wasting time but is generally what teams do against top of the league. I think Arteta might need to learn how to deal with these situations better.
Elsewhere …
Everton 1-4 Brighton
Leicester 0-1 Fulham
Man Utd 2-0 Bournemouth L
“Not a supporter of either team, so as a neutral the time wasting is infuriating,” says Dan Christmas. “I hate to say these words, but the refs need follow the Fifa directive of adding on as much as necessary. 5 minutes is short changing the neutrals, never mind Arsenal.”
That is the first time Arsenal have dropped points at home this season, a sign of how well they are doing.
Full time: Arsenal 0-0 Newcastle
Arsenal were certainly the better team but Newcastle defended superbly from start to finish. Manchester City will be the most pleased with the result but Newcastle and Eddie Howe will not be far behind.
Updated
90+5 mins: Xhaka crosses onto Murphy’s arms. Arsenal want a penalty but the referee says no. VAR says no too! Arsenal and Arteta continue to fume.
90+3 mins: Newcastle are still wasting time. Every time the ball goes dead, their fans (including a topless man or two) celebrate it like a goal. Burn wins them a corner …
Trippier comes to take and finds Joelinton at the back but he cannot control the header, and eventually it goes out for a goal kick.
90+1 mins: Arteta moans at the fourth official over the five minutes. While he is, Wood goes through on goal but does not have the pace and has to wait for support. It turns out he is offside and it does not matter.
90 mins: Five minutes added on. I suspect Arteta wants more.
“Following up on Andy Flintoff (not that one)‘s point,” says Adam Roberts, “I have never understood why referees can’t or won’t give a foul but also book the fouled player for simulation if they have tried to con the referee into deeming it a more serious foul than it is with subsequent harsher punishment.
88 mins: Pope finally has to make a save of note. Xhaka flicks a ball on to Nketiah, he takes a shot and whacks a low shot at goal that is repelled by Pope’s feet.
Soon after Nketiah is in the box again, he flicks the ball up and it Botman. Arsenal claim it is handball but is is certainly not.
Updated
86 mins: Longstaff is down, Willock is hobbling and Schar is limping. It’s been a tough night for Newcastle.
Saint-Maximin is coming on.
85 mins: Arteta has a word with the fourth official about timewasting.
Willock bursts down the left but it leaves him in some pain and needs to stretch before hobbling away.
Down the other end … Odegaard sends the ball to Xhaka waiting near the penalty spot in space but the midfielder gets his studs stuck in the ground and does not makes contact.
83 mins: Trippier sends in a corner to the front post and gets it sent straight back to him. Eventually, it comes out to Murphy on the right, from where he sends in a looping cross that Schar heads just wide.
81 mins: Trippier sends the ball towards Wood in the box but it goes over his head, despite that Newcastle win a corner.
Andy Flintoff (not that one) says: “Maybe if referees were empowered to give yellow cards for “embellishment” (even if fouled), then players would take notice and stop doing it? (Oh, who am I kidding, there would be an immediate backlash, and things would go back to what they were before).”
79 mins: Martinelli again gets into space on the left but is quickly closed down, forcing Newcastle to put it out for a corner to stop the danger. Pope flaps at the corner on its way to Xhaka at the back; he lifts a cross back into the six-yard box but Newcastle get rid.
Arsenal win another corner, which Xhaka sends to the near post where Martinelli flicks it to the back post and just wide.
77 mins: Martinelli tries to go past Trippier but the defender reads every move, forcing the Brazilian to cross straight at Pope.
75 mins: Trippier wins a corner on the right. It goes into the box but the referee pulls things up for a foul.
Tomiyasu is on for White.
“Struggling to break down a tough and well organised side, 70 minutes gone and no subs as yet. I think it’s clear what Arteta thinks of Fabio Vieira,” says Thomas Atkins.
73 mins: Martinelli whips in the corner, Burn gets his head on it and Newcastle clear.
Saka gets an arms to the face from Joelinton, and the crowd want blood! The referee ignores them, admittedly.
71 mins: Zinchenko turns up in central midfield to win the ball back, he lays it off to Saka who crosses to Martinelli. The Brazilian takes a shot but it comes off a defender for a corner.
69 mins: Willock gets an accidental backhand in the face after fouling Nketiah. There is nothing in it but I assume he wants the Arsenal striker sent off.
Updated
67 mins: It is all Arsenal now, Newcastle cannot get out of their half. Nketiah drives into the box but a defender gets a touch on the ball, allowing Pope to come and claim.
Newcastle are bringing on Wood for Wilson and Murphy for Almiron.
65 mins: Saka burns Burn on the right, allowing him to get into the area but Joelinton is there to bail out his teammate. Saka has a corner on the right as a result but it is cleared.
63 mins: “As someone who is often quite critical of referees,” starts Russell Eberts. “I think tonight’s official has done very well under difficult circumstances.
“As an Arsenal fan, watching Newcastle complain about every single call makes me worried about the future of top four matchups in the PL. Arsenal have earned their yellows as well, but at least they aren’t complaining every single time.”
61 mins: Saka gets a little knock in the face from Burn, much to the amusement of the defender. He stays down, allowing Sky to show how Burn pulled down Gabriel in the box when Saka took that free-kick a few moments ago.
“Everton0-4 Brighton,” Mary Waltz points out. “Do you understand now why I talk of soup so often? Well, the Championship will be a new thing to live through.”
Lordy.
59 mins: Saka lines up the free-kick on the right. While he is waiting, Almiron is booked for moving forward after the referee tells him where 10 yards away is. The cross eventually comes in but is punched clear by Pope, helped by a defender.
57 mins: Xhaka plays a bouncing pass into Odegaard on the edge of the box, he takes a touch and takes aim but whacks the ball high and wide while under pressure from a Newcastle player.
Joelinton is booked for taking down Saka on the right wing, just outside the box.
55 mins: Joelinton hobbles back on.
Xhaka misses his pass to Martinelli by a couple of yards. The Swiss midfielder has been pretty poor tonight. Considering he is on a booking, I’d be surprised if he lasts the 90 without being subbed.
Elsewhere … Everton 0-2 Brighton (Ferguson)
53 mins: Joelinton is down rubbing his left knee after clashing with Odegaard. The medics come to provide some treatment.
51 mins: Newcastle are playing with a touch more gumption going forward in this half and are causing Arsenal some problems.
49 mins: Xhaka pushes over Wilson, resulting in Trippier having a word with the referee to demand a second booking.
The free-kick is sent to Schar a the back post, who loops his header over.
After some dreadful passing around the back from Arsenal, Newcastle win the ball back, culminating with a great cross from Almiron but Wilson cannot make a good enough connection.
Some praise for Alex Book …
From Aidan McNally: “Well said Alex Brook. I see a difference between an attempt to get to a ball, and blatant cheating.If referees stamp down on the latter we will get a better game.
“Also I would love to see an orange card. Don’t want to send the player off, but yellow plus in the sin bin for ten.”
From Ben Hayes: “Totally agree with comment of Alex Book (wonderful name for a part time ref) at 20.37. Too many refs ignore outrageous “tactical fouls” just because they are early in the game.”
47 mins: Zinchenko slides a ball into a channel for Nketiah. He takes a couple of touches in the box before trying to pick out Odegaard, only for a defender to whack clear.
Saka goes down the right and puts in a cross but again there are black and white shirts to clear.
Second half
Here we go again!
Alex Book says: “Watching Arsenal v Newcastle on TV, and as a part time ref of my son’s u12s, hearing Gary Neville say “the referee has created a problem for himself” by (correctly) handing out early yellow cards is infuriating. He hasn’t created any problems, the players have by committing caution-worthy fouls. Of course we have to accept that refereeing standards will be inconsistent - they are human - but can commentators PLEASE take more responsibility for putting an end to this culture of ref-blaming. Respect? My arse.”
The Football Daily is back! Have a read.
“Seems like a lot of fouls and injuries,” suggests Jay Van Wassenhoven.
”Can we get an estimate of what would be the World Cup stoppage time to be added?”
I think it would have been tripled.
Half time: Arsenal 0-0 Newcastle
The half ends with Joelinton missing a great chance at the back post. Arsenal certainly started off the brightest but Newcastle have turned this match into a proper scrap. Neither goalkeeper has had to do much. The referee has handed out five yellow cards, which is the most telling thing about the opening 45 minutes.
45 mins: Two minutes added on.
44 mins: Arsenal try to break on Newcastle but a sea of black and white shirts chase back with Trippier dispossessing Martinelli.
Manchester United 1-0 Bournemouth (Casemiro)
42 mins: Trippier launches the free-kick into the box, Burn goes down inside the area but the referee awards a foul in Arsenal’s favour.
VAR checked to see if there is a penalty somewhere within the stramash.
Xhaka is booked for taking down Schar. The referee has been the busiest man so far. The match is now officially “scrappy”.
40 mins: Arsenal look to take a quick throw but Newcastle assistant Tindall gets to the ball first and knocks it away, much to the home supporters’ chagrin.
Newcastle players surround the ref after Odegaard pulls back Almiron. Andrew Madley produces the yellow card again. He’s had a busy half.
38 mins: Almiron gives Xhaka a tap on the ankles from behind, leaving the Arsenal man in pain. Due to his love of handing out yellow cards a few minutes ago, referee Madley decides he can’t dish out any more in the near future.
36 mins: Zinchenko passes the ball straight to Wilson about 35 yards from the Arsenal goal, he takes a couple of touches and passes it through to Joelinton but he cannot find an angle for the shot.
Real person Gary Naylor has some big ideas.
With transitions so important these days @Will_Unwin, so too is the little foul that stops play and allows a defensive reset. An individual yellow card is probably too much, but why not penalise persistent offences by docking a sub for the next match for every ten team fouls?
— Gary Naylor (@garynaylor999) January 3, 2023
34 mins: Joelinton sprints back to try to dispossess Odegaard, which he succeeds in doing. Admittedly, he achieves by kicking him in the ankle and giving away a free-kick.
Odegaard lifts the free-kick into the box for Gabriel to attack but his header is off target.
32 mins: Newcastle are very compact with 10 men behind the ball. Arsenal are biding their time, waiting to find a gap in this defensive structure.
Nketiah is booked for pulling back Schar. A bit pointless from the Arsenal striker, considering the defender is in his own half.
30 mins: Nketiah is fouled again, this time by Burn. Newcastle need to regain a little bit of focus.
Looks like Newcastle are now putting three men on Saka to keep him as quiet as possible.
28 mins: Guimaraes is the first man in the book for sliding rather late on Nketiah, which should appease Arteta.
Guimaraes is soon joined in the ref’s notebook by Wilson for a very high boot on Saliba. It is a “striker’s challenge”.
26 mins: Since the break in play for Joelinton’s injury, it’s all been a touch slow. On the touchline, however, it is far more fun because Arteta is lambasting the fourth official over a free-kick Newcastle won on the halfway line.
24 mins: “Does anyone else remember that slightly strange BBC interview where Steve Crossman seemed to think it was important to buy retro fizzy cola bottle sweets from Bury Market and take them to Trippier at Atletico Madrid (I guess tripe is harder on get on a plane)? asks Tom Stratford.
”Trippier just looked fairly bemused by his efforts. Possibly because you imagine Pick N’Mix doesn’t feature highly on a Diego Simeone fitness regime diet.”
Thankfully, I have no recollection of this.
22 mins: Joelinton is on the deck holding his head after a coming together with White. It looks like White’s boot makes contact with the Brazilian’s forehead. After a bit of treatment and a check for an obvious concussion, he sits up.
Fulham are winning at Leicester through Mitrovic.
Updated
20 mins: Burn does well to hold up Saka and bloke his cross. Only another mins to go, Dan.
“After an hour with my two-year-old grandson, I pass out,” emails Jeff Sachs. “I hope you can stay up the whole game.”
We still have hope, that’s the important thing.
18 mins: Trippier swings in a corner from the left onto Schar’s head but he loops the ball over.
Elsewhere … Brighton are 1-0 up at Everton thanks to Mitoma.
“After a bright start Everton has given up a goal,” says Mary Waltz. “I naively hoped 2023 would be different. Sigh.”
16 mins: Odegaard gets to the byline on the right and tries to jab the ball into the danger area but it rebounds off a defender and then Pope, hitting the Norwegian on the way out of play.
Bukayo Saka v Dan Burn could be the telling individual battle in this game. As much as I like Burn, it looks he will need to be at his best to stop the England winger tonight.
14 mins: I look after my two-year-old daughter on Tuesdays and do not usually work but it is nice to make an exception for this. Admittedly, after chasing a toddler all day, watching Premier League football is somewhat of a relief. This looks like a it could be far more fun making sure she does not eat every object she finds in the house.
Nketiah takes the ball from the halfway all the way to the box, he does a couple of dummies before laying into Xhaka’s path to hit but his connection is poor.
12 mins: Wilson has Newcastle’s first shot with a low drive from the edge of the area but Ramsdale is fully behind it.
“Good to see Butler-Oyedeji on the bench!” says Mark Barbara. “With Smith-Rowe out and Maitland-Niles not around any more, we needed another double barrel surname.”
Always good to see an academy graduate get the call-up.
10 mins: Trippier lumps a free-kick from the halfway line into the box for Schar to flick on. Thankfully for Arsenal, there is a defender there to collect it and clear.
8 mins: Saka, who has looked really impressive, dribbles through the middle before slipping a pass out to Martinelli, who plays it through to Xhaka but he cannot keep his cross in play. Arsenal are looking good here. Newcastle need to up their game.
“I’ve always appreciated the MBM,” says Justin Madson, “particularly as a US fan who does not have the money to pay for 6 separate streaming services to watch football. At this point though, often the most exciting moment is when “1 new update” appears and the page is yet to refresh. Is it Peter Oh with another legendary play on words? Mary Waltz sharing the struggles of an Evertonian Californian? Gary Naylor, who is definitely real, saying some comment to put MBM’ers up in arms? No, turns out it was just Darwin Nunez blootering another shot into the stands. Too bad, it could have been something interesting.”
Sadly, most the time it is just me blathering on.
Updated
6 mins: Saka collects the ball on the right wing and drives for the box, beat a couple of defenders for pace to get to the byline, from where he gets into a shooting position but Pope blocks it.
The ball comes back to Saka in the box and he goes down under a challenge but the referee has no interest in it.
4 mins: It is very wet in north London this evening. Properly chucking it down.
Martinelli gets the ball in space on the left and bundles his way into the box. White sprints in and tries to shoot but it just loops up towards the touchline, where Martinelli is waiting to knock it back to Odegaard. The Arsenal skipper steadies himself but cannot get over the ball and volleys it well over the bar.
2 mins: Burn whacks the ball long but well beyond Wilson, allowing Ramsdale to collect. Arsenal try to pass the ball around but barely get time to think under pressure from the Newcastle press.
“So, thanks to nominative determinism, do we think Trippier is a tripe fan?” asks Joe Pearson.
He is from Bury and they do plenty of it in Bury market.
Kick-off
Peep! Peep! Peep! Here we go!
“I wonder if it is the weather, these Scandinavians. Are always having an existential crises.”
Jeff Sachs fears the cold.
“Oh lord,” says Charles Antaki, “Mikel Arteta has gone and done it - he’s trained his players to play for exactly 96 minutes and then stop, allowing the other side to walk in a few goals before the final extra-extra-time whistle. Arsenal fans are very familiar with the many ways in which the side can screw up and crash out, but this would be a new one.”
I reckon they can push it to 97 minutes.
Keith Barclay re Trippier: “FYI: one of the 5 yellow cards was in the Carabao Cup so does not count...”
Of course.
“Hello from a rather chilly Sweden,” says Julian Menz. “As a Chelsea fan, I find myself facing multiple existential questions.
“IGrowing up in the 80s and especially 96? when Keegan had his magnificent moment, I would have been more than happy for the Toon to win something. As a London publican at the time, I can vouch for the fact that their supporters are class.
“Now though, I am hoping Arsenal win, in the vain hope that we might be able to scrape into 4th.
“I have to admit I spent a few years living up Finsbury Park, Muswell Hill, Bounds Green, but still.
“Wanting Arsenal to win? Actually, I hope they win the PL to be honest. My club are shite at the moment, it’s a London Thing.”
“I live in Peru and a traditional dish there is Cau Cau,” says Jimmy McManners. “Made of potatoes cooked in tripe (and the jelly that comes from it when boiled), aji amarillo (yellow chili) and huacatay (a Peruvian mint, mild in flavour) I avoided it for six years, and when I finally ate it, I regretted avoiding it for so long.”
Sounds filling.
Mikel Arteta: “They are a really good side in a good moment. It will be a great test.
“We always look to play at the highest level.
“We have other players to step in. Eddie has done really well and the team have stepped up.
“We try always to maximise 96 minutes.
“I can’t other people’s expectations, I can only manage the players ands staff.”
“You can tell Mr Sachs,” emails Mary Waltz, “that as an Everton fan good food helps me get through the fear and loathing of a relegation battle. Large volumes of booze is no longer an option so pork, beef, offal, and large quantities of fresh veg are my anti-depressants.”
“Hi Will,” says Mark Mackarel. “I thought Kieran Trippier had got himself suspended for this game by getting a yellow against Leeds? Nervous Arsenal fan grasping at straws here.”
He is definitely playing, so enjoy the nerves.
Howe also ruled out Newcastle having a clause to sign Cristiano Ronaldo if they qualify for the Champions League, which is funny on every level.
Eddie Howe: “I think it will produce a good game. From our perspective we need to at our best tonight.
“Tactically, they play a very high level game, so we have to be tactically good to be in the game. We have our way of playing, too, so it will be interesting to see who comes out on top.
“He [Callum Wilson] is keen to play, he’s had a period at the World Cup, he came back and picked up an illness, which was a blow. He is back and ready.
“I think there is pressure on both teams. There is pressure on us, we have lived well with that pressure this season.”
“Happy New Year!” Happy New Year, Peter Oh. “I can’t believe you’re still on about Mary Waltz’s tripe (soup-making adventures)!
“As for the reader on jury duty. It’s clearly a case of guilt by (Football) Association.”
I have no new ideas, as you well know, Peter.
“I’m in Portugal and tripe is still widely eaten,” says Tim Stappard in reference to tripe soup. “In fact the nickname for people from Porto is Tripeiros.”
“You can tell Mr. Pearson ( see 1854) that my Romanian tripe soup experiment went well,” says Mary Waltz. “I grew up in southern California and had many versions of home cooked Menudo, Mexican tripe soup, but the Romanian version was different, but satisfying.”
Jeff Sachs emails: “Seems winter influencing MBM recently with many comments about food.”
We all need to stay well-fed, Jeff.
Les Ferdinand thinks there are no weaknesses in the Arsenal team, which is a bold statement.
For legal reasons, I omit the sender’s name.
“Absolutely gutted to be stuck sitting in a dreary, fluorescent-lit waiting room on jury duty instead of at the pub watching my Arsenal go 10 points clear.
“Be mindful: your commentary could be the difference between a “guilty” verdict or exoneration…”
Good to add an extra layer of excitement to the blog.
“I Ciorba de burta this on holiday in Romania a few years back,” says Darren Hall. “One of my friends, Valerio, tried it and said ‘it tastes like a farmyard’.”
There could be a new forward at Arsenal soon, if they can sort out a deal with Shakhtar Donetsk.
Mikel Arteta on the big match.
If you would like some match-relevant content, then I can offer that too.
Updated
Naturally, some of you might want me to further discuss the team news. However, Joe Pearson wants to take us back to a chat in my most recent MBM on Sunday. “Wanted you to know that I made Ciorba de Perisoare last night, based on a couple recipes I found online. Unique flavor profile that I don’t think I’ve encountered before. And a startlingly vibrant orange color (tomato paste and sour cream will do that). Anyway, thanks for opening my eyes (and palate) to a whole new world of foods! And good luck to Mary Waltz with her upcoming Ciorba de Burta experiment!”
What a world we live in.
Starting lineups
Arsenal (4-2-3-1): Ramsdale; White, Saliba, Gabriel, Zinchenko; Partey, Xhaka; Saka, Odegaard, Martinelli; Nketiah
Subs: Turner, Tomiyasu, Holding, Tierney, Vieira, Lokonga, Elneny, Marquinhos, Butler-Oyedeji.
Newcastle (4-3-3): Pope; Trippier, Schar, Botman, Burn; Guimaraes, Longstaff, Willock; Almiron, Joelinton, Wilson
Subs: Dubravka, Lascelles, Saint-Maximin, Ritchie, Lewis, Manquillo, Wood, Murphy, Anderson
Preamble
Not many would have expected this fixture to first v third but here we are. Both teams thoroughly merit their positions in the Premier League after fantastic starts to the season.
Arsenal have returned from the World Cup firing, brushing aside West Ham and Brighton on their way to extending the lead at the top to seven points. With Manchester City having to wait until Thursday to face Chelsea, the gap between first and second could grow wider tonight to put more pressure on Pep Guardiola and his charges.
It will be up to Newcastle to stop Arsenal and they have shown themselves more than capable of doing that against the very best this season. Eddie Howe has created a cohesive unit and turned them into serious top-four contenders. There is real quality all across the pitch at Newcastle and they will be confident of doing a job on the Gunners. They will be motivated by the fact a win would send them second in the league.
Let’s hope for a cracker!
Kick-off: 7.45pm GMT
