Arsenal secured a dramatic 2-1 win over Newcastle at St James’ Park on Sunday afternoon, with Mikel Merino and Gabriel scoring late on to cancel out Nick Woltemade’s opener
Arsenal finally put an end to their losing streak at St James’ Park, securing a hard-earned three points on Tyneside.
The Gunners believed they had won a penalty when it seemed that Nick Pope had brought down Viktor Gyokeres, but VAR ruled that the goalkeeper had managed to touch the ball slightly. Leandro Trossard then hit the post with a close-range shot.
Arsenal were made to pay for their missed opportunities when Nick Woltemade scored from a short corner routine. However, Arsenal found a late equaliser through Mikel Merino, who rose highest to head in at the back post.
Gabriel then snatched victory with a header from a corner in the 96th minute.
Here’s how Daily Star Sport rated the performances of the Arsenal players.
David Raya, 6 – Could do little about the Woltemade goal, beaten by a great headed effort, reports Football London.
Jurrien Timber, 8 – Excellent cross to find Eze while also defending well against Gordon early on. Had a great headed chance saved by Pope early in the second half but overall had a brilliant game.
Cristhian Mosquera, 5 – Made a couple of mistakes, with misplaced passes and touches, a key one leading to the corner, which Woltemade scored from. Left the field at half-time with probably his least impressive performance so far.
Gabriel Magalhaes, 7 – Was lucky not to be picked up by VAR for raising his arms unnecessarily to Woltemade in the aftermath of his goal. Was arguably lucky to escape giving away a penalty late on as well.
However, all was forgiven when the Brazilian scored a late header from a corner to secure victory.
Riccardo Calafiori, 6 – He delivered some excellent passes and combinations, but earned a yellow card after bringing down Livramento in transition.
Martin Zubimendi, 7 – At times, he masterfully controlled the midfield and provided the pass for Timber’s chance, which eluded everyone. 7.
Declan Rice, 8 – He supplied the pass to Trossard for the shot that hit the post. Often picking up the ball from deep, it was usually up to Rice to lead the transition.
He had to be vigilant in his defensive duties to stop Jacob Murphy from scoring, tracking back to prevent a one-on-one situation and completely dominated the game. What a performance!
Eberechi Eze, 8 – Had a chance from the edge of the box, volleyed low to the bottom right, saved by Pope and another more straight at the England keeper. In the second half, Trossard’s cross found the former Palace man again, but this time he volleyed over.
Bukayo Saka, 6 – Managed a couple of shots before the thirty-minute mark, both of which were saved by Pope. Struggled to make his mark on the game as he would have liked and was eventually substituted in the second half.
Viktor Gyokeres, 6 – Had a couple of early opportunities, both of which were comfortably saved and well blocked. Had a chance to strike when bearing down on goal but chose to check back instead and lost possession.
Had an opportunity to level the score around the 81st minute but sent his shot over the bar.
Leandro Trossard, 6 – Hit the post in a crucial first-half situation from a potentially tight angle; at the very least, he should have tested Pope.
However, he had a decent game overall and delivered some quality passes in the final third.
Substitutes:
William Saliba, 7 – The Frenchman brought additional solidity and composure to the defence after coming on.
Mikel Merino, 7 – Rose highest to connect with Rice’s cross and secure the equaliser.
Gabriel Martinelli, n/a – Didn’t make much of an impact after his introduction.
Myles Lewis-Skelly, n/a – Failed to make a significant contribution after coming on.
Martin Odegaard, 7 – Delivered a superb late pass to Myles Lewis-Skelly who should have done better. Despite his short time on the pitch, he made a massive impact with the corner that led to the late goal.
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