Righto, Louise Taylor’s match report is with us, which means we’re done here. Enjoy the rest of the weekend, and do join John Brewin for today’s final Premier League game. Ta-ra!
“Rather than the usual suspects for manager of the season,” says Richard Hirst, “can we have an over-achieving manager of the season? Could include De Zerbi, Emery, Silva and O’Neill for starters.”
It’s always a thing isn’t it? MOTY almost always goes to the title-winner, even if he’s backed by state wealth. I guess it’s hard to argue with, and of the lads you name, only Silva has actually been in situ for the full season. But agree that all three have done superbly well.
“That Liverpool game really looks like the defining one – assuming City see it through,” says Max Wilson. “If Arsenal had hung on, you feel they beat West Ham and Southampton. Think you called it in the MBM of that match.”
Yup, I agree with you and myself. I guess they might still have lost focus against West Ham, but a win at Anfield would have sent a very strong message that they’d be in it until the end. It’s mad really, even after Liverpool’s equaliser and those Ramsdale saves, Arsenal still had a chance to nick it when Martinelli broke, only to botch his pass to Saka, who’d have been in. Had they shown that desire to score again for the duration of the second half and not just in added time, I think they might’ve managed a third goal.
“Rivals fixated on the mistakes,” says Gabe, “but any Chelsea fan can tell you that Jorginho has sublime vision and rhythm on the ball. He turns slower than the Titanic, which is obviously suboptimal, but so long as you set the team up to keep him away from icebergs then you’re golden.”
I don’t know about that – I totally get the good aspects, but I’m not sure it’s possible to hide his physical shortcomings against the better sides. He played nicely today, but.
“MOTM,” begins A Whitenew. “A shout for Kiwior as well, for a guy who’d started only one match prior and contributed to the shutout, plus we really didn’t hear his name mentioned much in any mistake situations. Maybe not MOTM, but very impressive nonetheless.”
Yup, Arteta spent cashmonay on him because he rates him and, as per the below, I’d wager he’s regretting trusting Holding, a player he knew wasn't really good enough. Other hand, though, it’s easy to understand why he wasn’t keen to to toss a kid into such a highly-pressurised environment.
Our next match kicks off in a mere 26 minutes.Follow all the build-up here:
I enjoyed that. Arsenal needed that and so did “this league”. Chances are, Man City retain the title, but they need to be forced to win it and chances are they’ll now have to.
Full time: Newcastle United 0-2 Arsenal
Arsenal are still in the title race! They close the gpa top a point, behind City by a point having played a game more, while Newcastle remain third two points ahead of Man United who play shortly.
Updated
90+5 min Ruckus! Schar, who must be ticking, shoves Nketiah, Nketish shoves Schar, and both are booked.
90+3 min Newcastle have gone for this and threatened at the start of both halves. But Arsenal have a bit more quality, and have been well worth their win in the final analysis.
90+3 min Jorgiunho is Gary Nev’s man of the match, which is to say Mikel Arteta knows more about deploying his resources than I do. I’d have gone Odegaard or Martinelli, but I can’t argue with the call.
90+2 min Saint-Maximin moves in off the left, creates an angle, and curls towards the far post; Ramsdale pokes behind well enough. He’s played well today.
90+1 min We’ll have six added minutes.
90 min Arsenal half-clear a corner, and when Newcastle try sticking the ball back in the middle, it drops to Schar on the edge of the box, and he pikes a decent volley high, David Narey-style.
89 min “Teams will just make the keeper the captain so every time there’s a dispute it’ll take at least two mins to resolve,” says Graham Mooney, but that’s not a problem; if the captain is in net, it’s the vice who’s allowed to speak to the ref, done and done.
89 min Arsenal have disappeared the last 20 really well here.
87 min “Thank you for the report about the absolutely bonkers Lyon Montpellier match, emails Alexandre. Incidentally, you posted it at the 69th minute, and 69 is the number of the département Lyon is in and often used as shorthand to refer to it. Lacazette scored four times, but so did a Montpellier player – Elye Wahi if you want the name. Two players scoring four times in a game must not happen often. As it was, what settled the match in this battle between Lacazette and Wahi was a goal from the s- called best defender in the world – surely you have not forgotten Dejan Lovren? Anyway, who’s the best league in the world now? Have a good end of the match, though it looks like it’s settled (but then again, it’s Arsenal we’re talking about) and thank you very much as always for the MBM!”
I’ll level with you, I’d backed lyon in my little acca, which is why I was abreast of it, but yup, I can’t off the top of my head think of a match in which two players scored four. Anyone?
86 min Yet more changes, Artetz sending on Nelson and Nketiah for Saka and Jesus. Both take their time departing, as you would.
84 min Anderson waits for a loopy ball to drop and does really well to chop inside Xhaka before going down, shrieking like he’s walked in on his parents enjoying a spot of friendly wrestling. But Xhaka didn’t touch him, so no penalty.
83 min Arsenal have done a good job in keeping Newcastle at arm’s length since scoring the second goal. It’s a funny thing really, because on the one hand, we could cite all sorts of improvements in discipline and attitude today – or on the other, we can point to an almost-penalty and two post-hits as the difference.
81 min Another change for Newcastle as they look to muster one last go, Anderson and Targett on for Joelinton and Guimaraes.
80 min Now tow changes for Arsenal: Odegaard and Martinelli off, Partey and Trossard – who looks not unlike the Guardian’s Owen Jones – on.
78 min Martinelli again hauls Arsenal up the pitch, and that’ll be his final contribution to the game. He’s played really well today, stretching play, creating, giving Trippier plenty of problems.
78 min Double change for Arsenal, Gordon and Saint-Maximin on for Willock and Wilson.
77 min On which point, it was suggested to me here that only the captain be allowed to speak to or approach the ref.
76 min “On Oliver’s point about the behaviour of Arsenal,” says Samuel Campbell, “all teams do it although some more than others. But what I find most frustrating is the officials reluctance to do anything about it. Timewasting doesn’t get punished until after the 90th minute most games and referees allow themselves to be surrounded and intimidated and bullied by players. I really don’t understand why it has come to be accepted.”
I guess it’s what happens when boundaries are gradually pushed; they end up miles away from where they were to begin with, without anyone realising until it’s too late to reset them.
76 min Team news is in for our final game of the day.
74 min There’ll be a knock-in effect of this win, if Arsenal can see it out – with little margin for error, Guardiola will have to keep picking his strongest side, rather than resting players at Everton next weekend, a match which splits the two Madrid legs. Arsenal need to make them win the title, rather than surrender it.
73 min Burn lunges in on Saka, booting him up in the air, and is booked.
Updated
GOAL! Newcastle United 0-2 Arsenal (Schar own goal 71 min)
I’m surprised we don’t see more like this. Arsenal counter with the bionic Jesus, who sends Martinelli away down the left. He slows down Botman then drags the ball away down the side of him, crossing low, and with Sachar forced to play it, knowing Jesus is behind him, he can only poke past Pope. Game over?!
Updated
70 min Jesus skirts around the outside of Burn, who has to fight himself not to concede a penalty, blocking behind instead; Pope gets the first ball in away, then catches the second.
69 min Tangentially, Lyon, who led Montpellier 1-0, have come from 4-1 down to beat them 5-1, Alexandre Lacazette scoring four times – including a 90+10’ winner!
67 min Out on the touchline, Schar snaps into a challenge, poking away from Jesus before piling through him via carefully-considered bodycheck. This game isn’t far from combustion, and SCENES of GROWN MEN behaving in EXACTLY the way that NO ONE wants to see.
66 min Trippier swings around the ball, curling towards the far post, and Ramsdale comes, sending a flap behind. The ref, though, gives a goalkick, and while we wait for that to be taken, Burn holds back Xhaka who’s losing the run of himself in pleasingly amusing fashion.
65 min Willock dashes around the outside of Saka, who slides in and either does or doesn’t get a toe on the ball; the ref reckons not, so it’s a free-kick to Newcastle down the left, to be swung in by Tripper. In the meantime, Almiron is sent on for Murphy.
63 min Guimaraes, who’s putting himself about physically as ever, finds a similar shooting lane to the one through which Odegaard scored, but Ramsdale repels his effort.
62 min “KDB was absolutely unrecognizable at the beginning of the season and continued being horrible through the World Cup, says Eagle Brosi. |Credit to him for being able to pick himself up and get back to his standards. But the team of the season isn’t based on the last 10 games – that’s why it’s pretty clear the Odegaard gets in before him, I would even say that Willock and Guimaraes are in front of KDB in terms of the 34 games played this season.”
That’s true, but I’d accord greater value to performances put in with the title in the balance. I still went Odegaard and Fernandes, but I could totally understand why others would put De Bruyne in ahead of one or both.
61 min Yup, Tierney replaces Zinchenko, and I wonder if Howe might soon try Saint-Maximin to roam about either flank.
60 min Kieran Tierney will soon be on for Arsenal and that makes a lot of sense: Zinchenko, though a lovely player, is something of a defensive liability against a side as good as Newcastle. It’s a risk worth taking against less accomplished sides, but Arsenal will want to win this to nil.
58 min Burn lanks out of defence and slides a surprisingly cultured pass into the path of Isak – he’s been quiet today. But he’s so easy and louche on the ball, racing down the outside of White before cutting back for Willock, who enjoys the moment of certainty that he’s scoring against his old side … only for Xhaka to slide in and make a fantastic saving challenge!
57 min Falling backwards, Pope flaps away a corner that might’ve curled inside the far post, and eventually Kiwior sticks the ball behind for a goalkick.
56 min Then, as Newcastle counter, Zinchenko wins an important header, Arsenal counter-counter, and Martinelli slips inside to Jesus whose curler is deflected behind.
55 min Arsenal win a free-kick out on the right, but Butn heads Odegaard’s free-kick away easily enough
53 min “Mostly agree, says Francis Mead of my team of the season, “mostly agree - but then I remembered De Bruyne – you can’t leave him out – I guess to replace Rodri? or Zinchenko?”
I don’t think he’s had that good a season, he’s just been brilliant in recent weeks. I’d not oppose the line that he’s been crucial in deciding the title, in which case he could play instead of Fernandes, but I left him out because the two I picked ahead of him have been more consistent, I think.
51 min Lovely behaviour from Martinelli, taking a pass from Jesus down the left-hand side of the box and stepping over the ball both feet so that when Schar stops, looking to block a shot that doesn’t come, he shifts it and measures a curler that clips the top of the bar! This is a gorgeous game of association football.
50 min Newcastle win a corner, it picks out Schar, and he should score! He makes a decent connection too, thunking a header goalwards from close range … but it’s straight at Ramsdale, which isn’t to minimise the quality of the save he produces, improvising ti fling a forearm at it, pranging the ball to safety! He’s produced some ridiculous work at clutch these last few weeks.
Updated
48 min Murphy has played really well today and also lately; here he is again, getting in behind Zinchenko then weaving past him on the outside – his defensive weakness is a problem against the better sides – and while his man slides off to who knows where, he dinks a cross that Isak heads against the post! That’s the woodwork contacted at the start of each half!
47 min If Arsenal can keep a clean sheet without Saliba, that’ll do them a lot of good – I wonder if Arteta regrets preferring Holding to Kiwior for the three drawn games. Obviously I can understand why he did, but the fact that he then made the change makes me think he deems it an error.
46 min “I can’t be the only person who tires of watching this Arsenal side after about 20 minutes?” wonders Oliver. “Constantly pleading to the referee for every decision, confronting officials over the slightest thing, making mountains out of molehills, and a manager who thinks the technical area is optional and can’t stop remonstrating with the fourth official. When they play well they’re great, but outside of the lovely team moves they seem like a side packed full of snide, whinging, petty players. Or is this just me?”
I’m sure it’s not just you, but that sounds like almost every football I’ve ever seen.
46 min We go again…
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— Daniel Harris (@DanielHarris) April 28, 2023
“What with Haaland at Man City and Ødegaard at the Arse,” wonders Russell Richardson, “seems like the EPL is running on fumes of Norwegian excellence. Could it be that NOT going to Qatar kept these guys fresh?”
Perhaps; I reckoned at the that last eight was the best outcome for teams with players taking part, as they’d be match-fit for the resumption without having played too much or been too elated or disappointed. But in terms of peaking now, I guess it’s likely that having had a few weeks off ishelpful.
Half-time email: “Wow! There are some goals in there,” says Graeme Arthur of my team of the season. “I might quibble with Stones at right back over Trippier and it’s obviously hard on Grealish. I wonder if a better side could be made out of another league? And what if teams representing countries were made up of players who played in that country’s league, rather than by accident of birth (of a grandparent)?”
Yup, I could allow Trippier, and I’d back the Prem XI against one from anywhere else; I think we’ll see why when City meet Madrid this week.
Newcastle started really well and looked certain to score at some point. But a(nother) superb goal from the inspirational Odegaard established Arsenal in the match, and it was pretty even thereafter. The next goal is crucial – stick with me for other such insight.
Half-time: Newcastle United 0-1 Arsenal
That was a fantastic half of Premier League FootballTM. We’re in for a belter after the break.
Updated
45+7 min Last action of the half? Not a chance! Odegaard runs across the face of goal, shimmying a shot, and Burn slides off towards town, buys a drink in Circus Circus, and Odegaard is in! It looks for all the world like 2-0, but he’s imprecise, rifling straight at Pope!
45+5 min This is getting tetchy now, Wilson and Xhaka exchanging sentiments when Newcastle don’t return the ball after Xhaka receives treatment for injury. I imagine they’re unconvinced he’s in much trouble.
45+3 min Newcastle win a free-kick 40 yards out which Trippier will punt into the box, and he does a decent job of dropping it on Schar’s swede. But his mate can impart neither power nor direction, bobbing into Ramsdale’s gloves, and that should be the final action of the half.
45 min We’ll have five additional minutes, which is nice to see – after more realistic time-keeping during the World cup, we’ve regressed to one or two then three or four, regardless of how matches have gone.
45 min “The KDB vs Odegaard comparison is a tough one,” reckons Joe Pearson. “Odegaard has twice as many goals as KDB (15-7), but fewer than half as many assists (7-16). If you have Haaland to pass to, you rack up the assists, I guess. Overall, though, my feeling is that KDB is more consistently excellent.”
I’d almost always go with the player who’s got a track record, and De Bruyne turned it up when he really had to. But Odegaard looks like his spiritual successor.
44 min Saka runs away from Guimaraes, who introduces studs to calf trying to make it look accidental. He does very well to avoid a card there, and Gabriel and Jesus both remonstrate.
Updated
‘43 min “Martinez, Fernandes?!” says Alistair Donegan but not Kane? Laughable. Even Rashford has had a worse season.”
I said it was off the top of my head, but even then I’m not certain Kane plays left-wing or midfield.
41 min Odegaard carries the ball forward again and has Martinelli to his left! But he perhaps holds on longer than he should so that while the pass when it arrives isn’t a bad one, it sends his man a touch wide so that he has to cross when he’d have expected to shoot and Newcastle clear.
40 min “Were I Norwegian,” emails Kári Tulinius, “I’d be ruing the fact that Ødegaard and Haaland didn’t end up at the same club. They’ve never quite clicked in the national team, even though they have all the skills and attributes to strike up a partnership in the mould of Raymond Kopa and Just Fontaine. If they ever click, Norway could pull up trees in international competitions.”
Yup, I’m certain that’ll work itself out, and two players of their quality can make a major difference in qualifying for major tournaments.
39 min Newcastle are back in the ascendancy now, Trippier feeding a clever ball into the box from down the right, Joelinton receiving on the half-turn to muscle around the outside of Jorginho before White slides into a fine, saving challenge. The resultant corner comes to nowt.
38 min Eeesh, Pope goes to clear as Saka puts him under, his standing leg gives way as he kicks, and the ball only narrowly avoids ricocheting into the unguarded net.
37 min Trippier swings out and Odegaard heads clear. He has been sensational these last few weeks.
36 min Xhaka concedes a free-kick out on the right, and Newcastle pile the big men forward…
35 min A thought for team of the season, off the top of my head: Ramsdale, Stones, Saliba, Martinez, Zinchenko, Rodri, Odegaard, Fernandes, Saka, Haaland, Rashford.
33 min Arsenal counter again, Martinelli drawing two men to him down the left side of the box then looking to backheel a pass that’s intercepted. Phew! This game has a serious pace to it.
32 min “Odegaard a beautiful player,” says Franky Vlaeminck. “KDB thinks so too, but still wrecked his team’s arguably most important game of the season!”
Yup, De Bruyne was brilliant that night, but Odegaard has, I think, had a better season. On which point, who’s in our team of the season?
30 min Straight back down the other end and a corner for Arsenal; it goes short and Willock – who’ll be desperate to impress against his former club – bundles through Saka and Odegaard to avert the potential danger.
29 min Now it’s Murphy marauding forward, crossing low from the right, and Ramsdale makes a smart late decision to dive low and poke away with his hand before Wilson can reach the ball.
27 min And as I type that, here the come, Guimaraes into Wilson who turns around the corner, and here comes Willock marching into the box! But when he opens body to pass into the far corner, he takes the conservative option, looking to get it on target rather than hit the side-netting, and Ramsdale saves easily enough, This is a really excellent game so far.
26 min Newcastle’s high line is causing them problems because Arsenal are playing around them in midfield, meaning there’s no pressure on the ball stopping through-balls measured in behind. They do, though, look good for a goal at some point.
24 min Here come Arsenal again, Saka stuck in one-on-one when Xhaka feeds one into his stride! Newcastle are struggling at the back here, and a clever first touch takes Botman out of the equation! But as he tries to get back at his man, Saka opts to lash rather than place his shot, and it clatters Pope in the chest before bouncing to safety! Might Arsenal rue these two missed chances?
23 min This is much better from Arsenal, whose extra quality and composure on the ball is making a difference now.
21 min Excellent from Arsenal, building from the back, before Odegaard paints a luscious pass between centre-back and left-back – he’s on one here – putting Martinelli away! But his first touch doesn’t quite take him away from Burn, whose breath on his neck means a hurried shot that Oppe blocks.
19 min “A successful season for NUFC – if they finish third this season – will be getting 3 points in their Championa League Group, reaching one cup final and finishing top six,” says Em Jackson. “Whilst signing three international quality players e.g. Declan Rice.
An unsuccessful season would be no points in Europe, out of every Cup by the end of January, Howe sacked as the club struggle to get above 9th between start of season and Xmas before struggling to attract players in January because of alleged instability in the boardroom due to failure in the summer (this coming August) to sign players.”
Ha! Newcastle are still Newcastle, yet not quite Newcastle anymore.
17 min On Odegaard, by the way, I wasn’t convinced by him a last season, sentiments I presumably shared in these pages. But he’s been brilliant this, the brains and heart of this side, and 15 goals is a very serious return for a player still with scope to improve. Physically, he seems a totally different specimen now.
15 min Arsenal had barely mustered attack prior to the goal, but excuse me while I interrupt myself because here come Newcastle again! Murphy, played into space at inside-right, looks to have a free run on goal … but a poor touch allows Martineli to jump in and challenge. Newcastle will know they still have the game to boss this, and they’ve continued playing with tempo and aggression – but that’ll mean gaps into which Arsenal can counter.
FINE GOAL! Newcastle United 0-1 Arsenal (14 min)
Martin Odegaard is a beautiful footballer! The free-kick isn’t cleared properly, and with Newcastle expecting a cross, Saka sends the ball to Jorginho who squares to Odegaard and, from 25 yards, he clobbers a low, left-footed drive through a set of legs and inside Pope’s near post! He has been colossal all season, growing these last few weeks, and who saw that coming?!
Updated
13 min Xhaka robs Joelinton so Guimaraes rugby-tackles Martinelli, doing well to avoid a card. Free-kick Arsenal, 35 yards out, left of centre…
11 min “Alex McLeish, James McFadden, Gary Gillespie, you’re spoiling us Scots today. Some peak Jim McLean Dundee United next, maybe. Or Fergie’s Aberdeen. Wembley 1967. Hampden a decade later? Happy days.”
Here’s some Wee Jim for you, and on the subject of Gillespie I’ll never totally get over him wearing the number 2.
NO PENALTY TO NEWCASTLE!
10 min I’m not sure why it took so long to overturn that, nor why Chris Kavanagh kept us waiting a few more seconds after walking back onto the pitch – OK, he probably enjoyed the drama – but it’s the correct call.
9 min Did the ball hit Kiwior’s knee first? I think it did you know! He’s going to escape here, and rightly so. The ref goes to the screen….
PENALTY TO NEWCASTLE!
8 min The corner goes short, is squared to Guimaraes on the edge, and he sweeps a firm shot that hits Kiwior on the arm! That’s unlucky, because he was pretty close to the ball and didn’t extend his arm massively…
8 min Newcastle win a corner down the right….
7 min “Let’s be honest, top four for Arsenal isn’t a regression given the money behind other clubs,” says HK Henry. “Second should be Newcastle’s goal next season though.”
It’s not so much about finishing position if Arsenal go from second to fourth but challenge again, fair enough. But fewer points, and it’s a problem.
5 min “It’s hard for the Arsenal fan to look beyond the end of the season,” says Charles Anrtaki. “The worry is that after flying so high, the only way might be down. There are plenty of objective reasons why that might not be the case, but there will be a sense of exhaustion, and almost certain disappointment at not making it right to the summit this time. So the temptation will be just not to think about anything for a while. A couple of smart summer purchases will help lighten the mood, and by August, tails will be up again; but this season will play out in a minor key – especially if, as seems likely, they don’t get a win here today.”
Yup, I agree with that – the signing of Jesus made such a difference to the mood last summer – but botching the title, if indeed they do, will scar.
3 min Here come Newcastle again, Joelinton robbing Xhaka who dallies on the ball and doesn’t chase back, again finding Wilson down the left whose shot is deflected behind for a corner which comes to nowt.
2 min Wow! Newcastle attack for the first time, Willock appearing on down the left and cleverly threading a square pass for Murphy, who steps inside onto his left foot and thwacks with his laces against the base of the post! Arsenal were sleeping at the back there!
Updated
1 min Arsenal knock it about trying to take the sting out of things – they do it well. Newcastle are playing their usual 4-3-3, Isak off the left. I’d wager he’l be aiming to attack Kiwior from there.
1 min Away we go!
“Some will say a good next season for Arsenal has to be the title – it’s the only place left,” emails Joshua Hardie. “But Liverpool have shown you need consistent excellence for 5 years to nick one title against the Machine. So for both, top four and making it through the groups stages of the CL will be good (and fun). It’s going to be a merry go round of seven teams for a shine, yet…”
I’m not sure top four will be adequate for Arsenal. They don’t need to win the thing, but a challenge is surely necessary, otherwise it’s regression.
“G’day Dan!” begins Chris Paraskevas, “1:30 am kick-off here. I remember the 4-4 draw vividly. Tioté’s equalizer thankfully seems to get more airtime on PLP promos these days than the Bergkamp/ Dabizas ‘turn’. The 4-4 was a critical moment in Alan Pardew’s reign, although possibly a false dawn in the long run. The same could be argued of Bobby’s side when they won 3-1 at Highbury. This has a different feeling to it ... I think Eddie Howe is building something special. Speaking of which, time for a snack...”
That game was maybe the centrepiece of what the internet insists we call Arsenal’s banter era, but they’re a different animal now … or are they?
Our teams are tunnelled and there’s a serious row inside the ground. If Newcastle start quickly, Arsenal might find it hard to stick with them. AND HERE THEY COME!
“Ah yes, quality footage from Anfield in the 80s there,” says Adam Hirst. “Gillespie on the goal-line for the second, absolutely impossible to be onside, then a blatant flop from Ian Rush for the penalty. No wonder we all complained about it. They wouldn’t have won a title with VAR.”
I don’t know, in the end they had the best players, so.
“It is a big call from Arteta to drop Partey for Jorginho,” reckons Yash Gupta. “According to Arsenal fans comments in the Guardian match report section, Partey’s form had dropped massively in recent matches so a change was coming. But Jorginho in? It’s one thing to pass the ball when you have peak Kante or Kovacic available and a back three for protection and even then he struggled. Eddie Howe must’ve instructed one of his midfield players to mark him and take him out of the game, much easier when Saliba is absent too.”
Yeah, it makes sense broadly speaking because I agree Partey has been off it. But I’m struggling to see how it makes sense for this match against these opponents.
On which point, if I was a Premier League club looking to go up a level, I’d be considering Big Ange very carefully. I may have been swayed by how decent he seems and he may be happy where he is, but if I’m Daniel Levy or Todd Boehly – for the avoidance of doubt, I’m not – I’m asking the question.
Celtic are SPL champs again. Rangers will be grateful for the little Neil Lennon interregnum that came between Brendan Rodgers and Big Ange.
A question: what constitutes a good season for these sides next term?
Email! “Good morning from Pittsburgh!” says Eric Peterson. “There’s an angle to yesterday’s Manchester City penalty kick-taking controversy that’s being overlooked. We’ve covered Erling Haaland’s selflessness, giving Ilkay Gundogan the chance for the hat trick, along with Pep Guardiola’s disappointment at Haaland not taking the PK as per his assigned responsibility. The missing part of the equation is the on-field captain of Manchester City yesterday, and his responsibility as a player-leader to remind Haaland that he needs to be the one to take the kick. That was Gundogan. It’s hindsight, for sure, and I certainly can’t blame Gundogan for accepting the gesture - who else in the world really thought, with so little of the game left against a relegation candidate, that it would’ve been an issue anyway. But, that’s the ruthlessness that we’ve all noted and celebrated in Guardiola during his magnificent run with City, and it was called for yesterday from their captain.”
I can't get exercised about this. I might be misremembering, but it feels like in the 80s this was quite normal behaviour – see Gary Gillespie here, for example.
Or Norman Whiteside here…
More good news at Newcastle.
🏆 We've done it!#NUFCWomen ⚫⚪ pic.twitter.com/SLIns9B3HD
— Newcastle United Women (@NUFCWomen) May 7, 2023
Interesting: Vincent Kompany has signed an extension to his Burley contract, which now runs until 2028. I’m a little surprised as I’m sure he has options, but he’s obviously really happy at the club and in the area, so probably doesn’t feel the need to go elsewhere (and potentially mess up his chances of succeedding Pep Guardiola).
So where is this game? I’m certain Newcastle will look to get the ball forward quickly, using Trippier for width down the right and trying to create confusion in the Arsenal defence. Arsenal, on the other hand, will be looking for Odegaard to pick holes with Saka and Martinelli pulling their full-backs out of position.The more I think about it, the more I fancy the home side.
Elsewhere, needing a win to secure the title, Celtic have just scored a second goal at 10-man Hearts. Rangers, meanwhile, are drawing 0-0 with Aberdeen at half-time.
Gary Neville disagrees with my preamble, saying that Arsenal have “gone under a little bit” when conceding big goals in big games. I guess it’s hard to argue with that, but I also think that complacency led to those concessions.
You’ve got to laugh. William Gallas has just sagely advised Gabriel to be a leader.
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I should note that Allan Saint-Maximin is on the Newcastle bench today after a(nother) month out injured. Arsenal have looked vulnerable down their right-hand side recently, and i’d not be surprised to see him given half an hour to get after it.
We’re watching a little run-through of Arsenal’s various title wins and I still can’t get my head around what happened in 1989, the greatest end to a season I’ve ever seen – it beats Man City and Agüero in 2012 because it had rivals in direct competition.
I am, though, a little surprised Arteta has gone for Jorginho not Partey. Presumably he was happy with how the former played in midweek – and perhaps disappointed with the latter’s recent form – but the kind of physical challenge posed by Newcastle will be tough for the Italian. Perhaps the idea is that his calmness in possession slows things down, but I’d not back him on the ball with Isak, Willock and Wilson charging about.
I guess Newcastle might play a 4-4-2 with Wilson and Isak up front as a pair. That would be very interesting to see and a proper test for Jakub Kiwior, making just his second league start for Arsenal. I do wonder, though, if that might leave them short in midfield – I guess they’d keep Joelinton, Willock and Guimarãs very narrow, with Murphy left to supply width.
“Feels like an amazing atmosphere already and there’s only a few people in,” Eddie Howe tells Sky. He wants the crowd to get involved and is starting Wilson and Isak together for lots of reasons. Sean Longstaff’s injury partially forced his hand, but he’s looking forward to seeing how they impose their physicality on proceedings. Shay Given says he went to training this week and was impressed by the spirit; Howe replies that bringing him in helped fortify the connection between the players and the club’s past.
We’ll chat them through presently, but Mikel Areteta is talking to Sky. He’s really happy Gabriel is fully fit, calling him an important player, and his gameplan means he’s gone for Jorginho not Thomas Partey – noting that every time he has to pick a team it’s difficult. He always adapts to what the opposition do, so has planned for Newcastle in terms of what he’s asking his defenders to do, and is really pleased with Aaron Ramsdale’s growing maturity, saying he reads the game much better than before. His players have been at it for 10 months now and, though the aim was top four, they now need to “keep digging”. He’s spoken to his players about their capitulation at SJP last term, saying “football is full of opportunities and they have a beautiful one”.
Let's have some teams!
Newcastle United: (a potential 4-2-3-1): Pope; Trippier, Botman, Schar, Burn; Joelinton, Willock; Murphy, Guimaraes, Isak; Wilson. Subs: Dubravka, Dummett, Gordon, Saint-Maximin, Lewis, Targett, Manquillo, Almiron, Anderson.
Arsenal (an implacable 4-3-3): Ramsdale; White, Gabriel, Kiwior, Zinchenko; Jorginho, Odegaard, Xhaka; Saka, Jesus, Martinelli. Subs: Turner, Tierney, Partey, Smith Rowe, Nketiah, Holding, Trossard, Vieira, Nelson.
Referee: Chris Kavanagh (Ashton-under Lyne)
Preamble
Little under a year ago, these sides met at this venue with Newcastle – recently safe from relegation – disbursing a tousing that near-enough ended Arsenal’s Champions League hopes. So what’s changed since then? Well, a lot … but also not a lot.
To take Newcastle first, the indecent brutality of their performance that night remains the pro forma for everything they do – they repeated it in August’s thunderous 3-3 draw with Man City, still one of the games of the season – but there’s greater confidence and quality about them now. They still enjoy winning like a team unaccustomed to it – see the photos posted on social media after every positive result – but they now expect to be posing and rightly so. Eddie Howe has drilled the meanest defence in the Premier League – 27 goals conceded all season – and though they need to score more, there’s the sense that an improvement is well within their ambit given the age of their attacking players and ability to sign reinforcements in the summer.
Arsenal, meanwhile, have delivered a season way beyond what anyone expected of them. Helped by a favourable start which allowed them to build momentum, the consistency of their work before the World Cup was almost unprecedented and underpinned by a work ethic that had opponents struggling for air.
But again, though, they’ve faltered when it really got on top and must surely win today to maintain their dim prospects of a first league title since 2003-04. It’s easy to say they’ve bottled it again, a narrative that’s dogged the club for the best part of two decades, but the reality is less facile that that. In consecutive draws against Liverpool, West Ham and Southampton it felt like it was conceit rather than fear that did for them: first, they overestimated their reliability of their defence, backing themselves to see out a narrow advantage because they thought they could; then, they relaxed when in charge of a game, thereby inviting their opponents back into it; and finally started in the manner of team convinced victory was there for them and if they were good enough to turn up.
So now what? Well, Arsenal really need three points not so much to prolong the fanciful notion that the title race is still in progress, but to prove to themselves that they can beat a side of Newcastle’s calibre when they really have to. Should they fail, their run-in will show one win in six league games – a collapse by any standard, leaving lesions that may never heal. They know the chance offered to them this season – Pep Guardiola devising a new style, Jürgen Klopp building and Erik ten Hag settling – is unlikely to repeat next, and while they’ll doubtless back themselves to improve, there’ll be plenty of pain to process first. This is going to be intense!
Kick-off: 4.30pm BST
