September 28, (THEWILL) — Gabriel Magalhães proved the match-winner at St James’s Park, heading home Martin Ødegaard’s corner delivery to complete Arsenal’s stunning comeback against Newcastle United.
The Brazilian defender capped off a remarkable turnaround that saw the Gunners overturn a first-half deficit to claim a 2-1 victory on Tyneside.
Arsenal dominated the opening exchanges with Eberechi Eze forcing an outstanding save from Nick Pope, whilst Viktor Gyökeres appeared to have won a penalty after being fouled by the Newcastle goalkeeper.
However, VAR intervention spotted Pope’s slight touch on the ball, leading referee Jarred Gillett to overturn his initial decision.
The visitors continued pressing, with Leandro Trossard striking the inside of the post before further chances fell to Eze and Bukayo Saka.
Newcastle took the lead against the run of play through a well-worked set-piece routine. Sandro Tonali’s excellent delivery found Nick Woltemade, whose header nestled perfectly beyond David Raya after the German had made contact with Gabriel inside the penalty area.
The goal left Arsenal trailing at half-time despite their superior play throughout the opening period.
Mikel Arteta’s side increased their intensity after the break, with Eze operating effectively as a central playmaker. Jurriën Timber missed two significant opportunities before Arsenal’s pressure finally told when substitute Mikel Merino flicked home Declan Rice’s cross to level the contest.
The Spaniard’s introduction had provided the aerial threat Arsenal needed to breach Newcastle’s stubborn defence.
The winning goal arrived from another set-piece situation, with Gabriel timing his run perfectly to meet Ødegaard’s corner kick and power his header past the helpless Pope.
Arsenal’s persistence in the final third ultimately paid dividends, ensuring they left the North East with all three points after a thoroughly entertaining encounter.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
