November 04, (THEWILL) – Arsenal’s unbeaten start in the English Premier League season came to an end on Saturday, as Newcastle secured a controversial 1-0 victory at St. James’ Park.
The lone goal came in the 64th minute from Anthony Gordon, whose close-range tap-in was allowed after a lengthy VAR review. The Gunners controlled possession for much of the match but struggled to create clear chances.
Declan Rice was at the centre of the field in place of the injured Martin Odegaard while Eddie Nketiah led the line but he found little joy against Newcastle’s well-organised defence. Rice and Kai Havertz failed to provide any creative spark, which Arsenal sorely needed in midfield.
Gordon’s goal was the subject of a three-minute VAR check after claims the ball went out of play in the buildup. Despite protestations from Arsenal, the review found insufficient evidence to disallow the goal. The Gunners pushed for an equaliser late on but looked void of ideas against the Magpies’ deep defensive block.
The defeat ends Arsenal’s 10-match unbeaten run and sees Newcastle climb to sixth place on the table. Arsenal are still third but that will be until teams below them like Liverpool and Aston Villa play on Sunday. The Gunners will look to bounce back when they host Burnley next weekend. Newcastle travel to Bournemouth for their next game.
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.
