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Arsenal (a) Premier League
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Date: Monday 1st April 2019, 8.00pm Live on Sky Sports Venue: Emirates Stadium Conditions: Nothingy Programme: £3.50 |
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Arsenal |
Newcastle United |
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2 - 0 |
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| Half time: | 1 - 0 | |
| Score Sheet: | ||
(30)
Ramsey
(83) Lacazette |
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Teams |
||
|
Leno |
Dubravka |
|
| Substitutes: | ||
|
(60) Aubameyang for Iwobi (67) Elneny for Ramsey (84) Mikhitaryan for Ozil |
Ki
for
Hayden (67) Kenedy for Ritchie (75) Muto for Perez (77) |
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| Subs not used: | ||
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Cech Jenkinson Nketiah Suarez |
Darlow Manquillo Fernandez Shelvey |
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| Bookings: | ||
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*None | |
| Dismissals: | ||
| None | None | |
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Referee:
Anthony Taylor ("Cheshire")
- a fourth outing in charge of us this season, coming after our visits to
Manchester United (lost 2-3), Burnley (won 2-1) and Huddersfield Town (won
1-0).
*We
thought Mo Diame had been booked - as did Sky - but the Premier League report
didn't include a yellow card. |
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Attendance: 59,869 including just under 3,000 away fans. Although that total figure refers to seats sold, in reality there were significant unoccupied places and a turnout of nearer 50,000. Jon Bercow may have had a valid excuse for being otherwise engaged but where were all the other paper hats?
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||
Tonight's
match programme was the latest in Arsenal's season-long reworking of
previous cover designs to celebrate 100 continuous years of their
participation in top-flight football. |
Goals |
30 mins Some rapid passing saw the hosts play the ball into our box, the ball falling kindly to Aaron Ramsey after DeAndre Yedlin's interception passed through the legs of Jamaal Lascelles. The Welshman tucked a low left-footed in off the far post in front of the travelling support. 0-1
Half time: Gunners 1 Magpies 0
83 mins Arsenal substitute
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang headed the ball forward to Alexandre Lacazette and Lascelles seemed to
misjudge the bounce, allowing the forward to lob the ball over the advancing
Martin Dubravka from a central position.
0-2
Full time: Gunners 2 Magpies 0
We Said |
Rafa:
"These kind of games are very similar - they are close as you miss your chances in terms of passes in the final third, then you have to defend against a team that has pace and quality.
"Then you have to do the right things in defence, which we did for a while but the threat we had in the first half we didn't have the in the second half.
"It’s just the final pass, the determination when we were regaining the ball and going against them. We had two on two with Rondon and Almiron where we didn’t do well. This final pass is the most difficult, and it’s why you pay money for these players.
"We have been speaking all season,
the final third is where you can spend £40-£50m, or £75m on players.
"We played against a good team and
were fine for a while in the first half. We could avoid their goal, it was a
little bit lucky.
"We had situations on the counter
attack where we could be more dangerous but we didn't do it. The last 10
minutes they had chances to score but until the second goal we were
pushing.
"It is a shame because you could feel the atmosphere was getting nervous.
"When you play top sides away it can
be a mistake which makes the difference. In the end it was a mistake and we
must learn from this and be ready for the next one.
"Every game for us, I have
said so many times, is a final, so we have to try to get three points against
Crystal Palace, see what happens with the other teams and carry on.
"It's not that the next couple of games will be important - the next one is the most important.
"This week, the teams at the bottom - apart from Cardiff - have won, so it's not that it will be easier now.
"If Cardiff lose points or the other teams, then you can say 38, but just in case, we will try to do more than 40 and that's it."
They Said |
Arsenal boss Unai Emery said:
"A big challenge today was to win again and to win a
lot of matches consecutively is not easy. But we are feeling a good atmosphere
here with our supporters and also we are playing consistently.
"Each match is giving us a lot of information for the system and for the
players, but we can change the system and the players. Today we showed we can
also take a good performance. We are going to need, for the next matches, every
player.
"An example for me today is when we needed Mkhitaryan to play 10 minutes -
his impact was good. Mo Elneny and Aubameyang, their impact after starting in
the bench. This is like we want to create the team, with good feeling, good team
spirit and after, confidence with the victory.
"Our target is very clear. It's going to be very difficult but step by step
we’ve started to rise up the table after the first two matches in the Premier
League when we lost against Manchester City and Chelsea.
"We are improving and now we are third. But we know it is going to be
difficult for us because our opposition is big opposition and it is going to be
very tough for us.
"We played very consistent over 90 minutes. We didn't
concede any chances. We created and dominated the match. We are happy.
"Each match is very difficult - we got three points and did it our way. It's a
nice challenge to win consecutive matches - it's a new history - and we're
creating our own way. We're in a good moment but each match is a new test.
"I hope Ramsey's injury is not serious. The doctor is thinking it's a small
injury.
"We are improving. Today we are third, but the next match against Everton is
difficult and our rivals are going to win a lot of matches."
Stats |
|
2018/19: Lost 0-2
Another Monday night trek at the behest of live TV follows those made to Turf
Moor and Molineux this season and means Newcastle have endured no less than 13*
successive Monday TV switches in the Premier League since a home game on that
night:
* a
figure of 15 has been bandied about, but that includes the following two
festive PL games that were both 3pm non-televised kick-offs: 2008/09: 30 points, 18th (scored 37, conceded 52) (finished 18th) 2018/19: 35 points, 14th (scored 31, conceded 42 (finished ??) |
Waffle |
Take
one side - and manager - with poor records here, pit them against hosts
enjoying imperious home form, play it on a Monday night and the outcome
was....completely and utterly predictable.
It's not just in N7 though that Newcastle have been found wanting; our
adventures within the M25 this season have lacked excitement and
entertainment. With only the season-closing visit to Fulham remaining, seven
and a half hours of viewing displeasure at Selhurst Park, Stamford Bridge,
Wembley, The London Stadium and The Emirates yielded precisely one goal -
Ciaran Clark at Chelsea.
Slim pickings indeed, with little comfort coming from knowing that we're
paying less than we did 20 years ago to endure this plus the fact we've
performed better for tangible reward in other games.
There were few surprises as a goal in each half undid United and gave the
Gunners a tenth successive Premier League home victory - their best run of
form since leaving Highbury.
Aside from one Salomon Rondon effort that warmed the gloves of Bernd Leno
though, the home side never looked in trouble; only a remarkable goal line
clearance by Matt Ritchie at the other end rescuing his side from further
punishment.
And had referee Anthony Taylor not spotted a tug on Florian Lejeune and a
foul on Martin Dubravka and ruled out "goals" that followed, this could
have matched our heaviest reverse of the season - 0-4 at Anfield. With
memories of our gung-ho 3-7 loss here still fresh, it could have been worse.
That's not to say that the Gunners swept Rafa's team aside though; those
Arsenal fans present moaning and mocking them as often as they glorified in
their exploits - Juventus -bound Aaron Ramsey more popular than ever and
Mesut Ozil approaching pantomime villain status.
Sadly the summit of our ambitions looked to be avoiding a drubbing and it
was difficult to retain any optimism that trailing by a single goal after an
hour and theoretically therefore "staying in the game" would lead
to taking something tangible from the game as per Manchester City at home.
There was a slight glimmer as Arsenal failed to press home their advantage as the clock
ticked on and home fans began trailing away, but our inability to reach the
vital final third and gain anything in the way of set piece opportunities made
hopes of a point remote before the second home goal.
Starved of both space and time on the ball, only occasional forays forward by
Miguel Almiron gave visiting supporters anything tangible to cheer, with
Arsenal dominating the midfield areas and Mo Diame enduring a difficult night
made no easier when former Gunner Isaac Hayden limped off.
It ended 0-2 though, just about the least worst scenario on a night when our
safety-first tactics weren't accompanied by a stroke of luck or inspiration -
that caution extending to Jonjo Shelvey moving another game nearer to leaving
without kicking a ball. Kenedy was in the same position - except he actually
came off the bench.....
United remained fourteenth as Huddersfield Town and Fulham lost their fight to
avoid demotion. That leaves seven sides battling to avoid the third relegation
place, with further positive results aiding our cause on Wednesday as Cardiff,
Brighton and Palace were all beaten.
The demise of the Cottagers is a blow for those who equate the size of the
transfer budget purely with the consequent level of success - and who believed
that a certain Serbian was a bona-fide top-flight striker. Having three
different managers in one season also summons up memories of our stumbling and
similarly futile campaign of a decade ago.
Hopefully the visit of Roy Hodgson's Eagles to Tyneside on Saturday will see
Newcastle extend their own run of positive home results and erase memories of
this untimely reminder of our mundanity and lack of genuine game
changers. In the absence of those, the risk assessments and tactics of
the manager are crucial in keeping one step ahead of the pack - even though they lead to nights like this.
Biffa