Mikel Arteta said: 

"We deserved to lose today. I thought we started really well and were really dominant. We didn't defend the box well enough. Credit to them. They scored a great goal with a good ball.

"Then the game changes and you start to play a different game. You have to adapt and we didn't do that well enough. I am very frustrated. We got dragged into a game they are looking for constantly and we couldn't play the game that we wanted. We had two big chances – Mikel (Merino) had a big one, Declan (Rice) had a big one. We lacked answers.

"You know the game they (Newcastle) want to play – it’s clear. You get dragged into that kind of game too often and we weren’t good enough and didn’t have enough answers to get out of that constantly, especially to create the threat that we needed and discussed.

"They are really good at what they do. They drag you into the sort of game they want. They are all big and very physical, Joelinton especially.

"We started the game really well, we were on top of it, we looked sharp and alive and the one action: direct play, second ball, ball out wide - they're so good at that - unbelievable shot and finish.

"Then the energy shifts, you know the game they want to play is clear. You too often get dragged into that kind of game, we couldn't find the answers to get out of that, but credit to Newcastle as well for what they do.

It's not about the hope of winning the title. It's about being our best version of each other every single week. Today we weren't our best version. We have to look at ourselves, congratulate Newcastle and then move on."

Almost 12 months to the day since Anthony Gordon's winner, 1-0 KO'd the Arsenal once again at St. James' Park on Saturday; last season's scorer turning provider with a superb cross for Alexander Isak to head in the only goal of the game.

That came just 12 minutes from the first whistle, but November spawned another monster result for Newcastle against the Gunners thanks to a collective team effort that never allowed the visitors to dominate proceedings. Getting ahead and staying ahead is an excellent habit to have acquired.

Having got this far in the season with few if any standout performances, today brought a raft of eye-catching displays: Sean Longstaff was particularly inspired in the centre as Sandro Tonali returned to the bench on a day when the side looked more balanced than of late. Hollow in West London last weekend, solid on Tyneside this one.

The industry of Joe Willock and Joelinton strengthened a left side that was excellently anchored by Lewis Hall - Willock putting everything into the hour that he gave against his old side and hopefully taking another step closer to both consistency and fitness.    

Shifts were put in across the field in the successful pursuit of a first league win in six attempts once that vital goal had given Eddie Howe's side something tangible to fight for. Some welcome echoes of previous epic home victories were evident, ranging from applauding throw-ins and blocks to Nick Pope's Tindall-inspired timeout. The words 'pressing' and 'intensity' returned to conversations.   

Chances were always going to be at a premium, but Isak's third goal in a week was in equal parts vital and brilliant: enough to deservedly eclipse an Arsenal side for whom ex-Magpie Mikel Merino was invisible, save for one goalbound effort in the first half that Hall thankfully blocked.

Beaten for only the third time in 28 PL games during 2024, Arsenal came desperately close to taking a point in second half added time when Bukayo Saka's right wing cross fell to Declan Rice, who headed wide of Nick Pope's goal from barely six yards out.

The tenth league game of a season that has produced results and performances at different times finally saw Newcastle knit both into one unbeatable display - even Mikel Arteta had nothing to moan about this time, while VAR was thankfully as unobtrusive as it had been when absent in midweek.

Victory raised the Magpies four places to eighth, but by Monday night that had become eleventh. 

Like audible support for the manager during the game, the full-throated roar that rang out at full time told a rather different tale to what may have been deduced from browsing social media recently. As ever though, the danger round here comes from over-reaction and excessive mood swings - from the worst ever to the best; something that cost us here against Dortmund in the afterglow of PSG.   

Improvements are discernible but problems haven't gone away - not least the threat of losing both of our current central defensive pair to suspension and the very real difficulty of successfully grafting a £38m former Leicester winger into the starting line-up. 

That it's arguably easier for us to play against this level of opponent rather than one deploying what we're now obligated to call a low block is also an ongoing issue. Regardless of whatever the bigger picture may be though, this was a grand day out and a result to savour. 

Biffa