Newcastle United v Arsenal Live Commentary & Result, 7/5/23, Premier League

Pos	Team	P	W	D	L	F	A	+/-	PTS	Form
1	MCI Manchester City	38	28	5	5	94	33	+61	89	L D W W W
2	ARS Arsenal	38	26	6	6	88	43	+45	84	W L L W W
3	MUN Manchester United	38	23	6	9	58	43	+15	75	W W W W L
4	NEW Newcastle United	38	19	14	5	68	33	+35	71	D D W D L
5	LIV Liverpool	38	19	10	9	75	47	+28	67	D D W W W
6	BHA Brighton & Hove Albion	38	18	8	12	72	53	+19	62	L D W L W
7	AVL Aston Villa	38	18	7	13	51	46	+5	61	W D W L L
8	TOT Tottenham Hotspur	38	18	6	14	70	63	+7	60	W L L W L
9	BRE Brentford	38	15	14	9	58	46	+12	59	W W W L W
10	FUL Fulham	38	15	7	16	55	53	+2	52	L D W W L
11	CRY Crystal Palace	38	11	12	15	40	49	-9	45	D D W L W
12	CHE Chelsea	38	11	11	16	38	47	-9	44	D L L D W
13	WOL Wolverhampton Wanderers	38	11	8	19	31	58	-27	41	L D L W L
14	WHU West Ham United	38	11	7	20	42	55	-13	40	L W L W L
15	BOU AFC Bournemouth	38	11	6	21	37	71	-34	39	L L L L W
16	NFO Nottingham Forest	38	9	11	18	38	68	-30	38	D W D W L
17	EVE Everton	38	8	12	18	34	57	-23	36	W D L W D
18	LEI Leicester City	38	9	7	22	51	68	-17	34	W D L L D
19	LEE Leeds United	38	7	10	21	48	78	-30	31	L L D L L
20	SOU Southampton	38	6	7	25	36	73	-37	25	D L L L L

That's all from St James' Park today, so thank you for joining us and goodbye!

Next week, Newcastle travel to relegation-threatened Leeds United - now coached by their former manager Sam Allardyce - while Arsenal's quest to be crowned champions against all the odds continues with a home game against Brighton.

Securing a second-place finish in the Premier League, Arsenal also keep the title race alive to an extent, as they consign Newcastle United to a rare home defeat. Both goalkeepers had to be at their best thoughout an open encounter, in which the Gunners' captain opened the scoring and an own goal helped the London side seal maximum points during the second half. Just a third league defeat at St James' Park since the start of last year leaves Newcastle short of confirming a Champions League spot, and there is still work to be done over their final four fixtures.

90' + 7' FULL-TIME: NEWCASTLE UNITED 0-2 ARSENAL

F. Schär

Yellow Card

90' + 6' Schar also sees yellow deep into stoppage time, after he becomes embroiled in a heated exchange with Nketiah.

E. Nketiah

Yellow Card

90' + 6' After a tussle by the corner flag, Nketiah is booked for his angry coming-together with Schar.

90' + 4' Newcastle are at least applying some late pressure to the Arsenal area, but the Gunners hold firm. They withstand a series of crosses before Ramsdale gathers the ball into his gloves following a corner.

90' + 2' Determined to keep his sheet clean, Ramsdale does well to tip away a swinging low strike by Saint-Maximin and diverts the ball behind for a corner.

90' + 1' There are to be at least six minutes of additional time at the end of this match, but there are precious few signs Newcastle are going to stage a miraculous late comeback.

89' CLOSE! An opportunistic half-volley from the edge of the box sees Schar send the ball narrowly over the crossbar! Ramsdale was scrambling, and that was quite a hit!

R. Nelson

B. Saka

87' Saka is the second man withdrawn; Nelson replaces him.

E. Nketiah

Gabriel Jesus

87' Arteta makes his final pair of substitutions. First, Jesus is replaced by Nketiah.

85' Arsenal are quite cleverly managing the game now, trying to run down the clock and frustrate their hosts. The home crowd are subdued.

M. Targett

D. Burn

82' A change of personnel at left-back sees Burn making way for Targett.

E. Anderson

Joelinton

81' Anderson now comes on, in place of Joelinton.

T. Partey

M. Ødegaard

80' Partey makes a cameo, too. Opening goalscorer Odegaard is withdrawn.

L. Trossard

Gabriel Martinelli

80' Arsenal also make a double change. First, Martinelli is replaced by Trossard.

A. Gordon

C. Wilson

78' Gordon also comes on; Wilson is withdrawn.

A. Saint-Maximin

J. Willock

78' In need of inspiration, Howe now opts for a double substitution. First, Willock makes way for Saint-Maximin.

75' Arsenal don't have long to hold out now, and surely second spot in the Premier League is guaranteed. They will still want to push Manchester City all the way for the title, but that represents some achievement nonetheless.

D. Burn

Yellow Card

73' For a clear foul on Saka inside Arsenal's half of the pitch, Burn is booked.

F. Schär

Own Goal

71' ARSENAL DOUBLE THEIR LEAD! On the counter, Martinelli drifts down the left wing, cuts into the area and sends the ball towards Odegaard at the back post. Two yards out, Schar reacts by poking out a leg and merely turns it past Pope! That's 2-0 to Arsenal!

69' Jesus fires in a shot from a tight angle and forces Pope to palm the ball behind for an Arsenal corner, but they fail to make anything of the set-piece opportunity.

66' Trippier whips over a free-kick from the left touchline, which briefly concerns Ramsdale, but he can ultimately withdraw his gloves and let the ball drop behind for a goal-kick.

M. Almirón

J. Murphy

65' Eddie Howe now responds by bringing off Murphy and introducing Almiron on Newcastle's right flank.

63' Receiving a pass inside from the right by Joelinton, Guimaraes can't quite get his shot off cleanly and scuffs a low effort straight at Ramsdale from just outside the area.

K. Tierney

O. Zinchenko

61' Arsenal make the first change of the game, as Zinchenko is replaced at left-back by Tierney.

59' After Isaak unselfishly lays the ball off for Willock inside the Arsenal box and the midfielder tees up a low shot, Xhaka steams in with a superb recovery tackle and prevents an almost certain goal. That's defending of the highest order from the Gunners' former captain.

57' From the right, Saka's inswinging corner dips dangerously into the six-yard box, leaving Pope back-pedalling in time to palm it away from immediate danger.

55' An aggressive shove by Guimaraes on Odegaard leaves the Arsenal skipper splayed all over the turf and concedes a free-kick midway through Newcastle's half. When Odegaard returns to his feet, he then fails to create any danger from the set-piece.

53' After a lull towards the end of the first half, this game has resumed its frenetic feel following the interval. It's end-to-end stuff again, and surely there are more goals in store - if either goalkeeper or the woodwork can finally be beaten.

51' OFF THE BAR! A cute pass from Jesus splits open Newcastle on the left, and Martinelli takes a couple of touches before opening out his body and curling a wonderful effort against the top of the crossbar! It's Arsenal's turn to be denied by the woodwork - what a start to the second half!

49' SHARP STOP! Ramsdale does it again! His brilliant reflex save from a close-range header by Schar keeps Arsenal in front, and that may be his best save yet. Great goalkeeping!

48' OFF THE POST! Murphy sprints up the right wing and stands up a delightful dinked cross for Isak in the centre, then the Swedish striker dives to head the ball against the post from close range - so close to an equaliser!

46' Newcastle kick off, and we are back under way at St James' Park!

Arsenal boast an impressive record of 15 wins and three draws after leading at half-time in the Premier League this season. In fact, they have yet to lose when holding such an advantage, so Newcastle's work will certainly be cut out for them after the break.

A typically relentless Premier League encounter saw both teams trade chances throughout an open first half, but Arsenal lead thanks to their captain's intervention. Odegaard's long-range strike separates the sides at the interval, but both Pope and Ramsdale have been called upon to make important saves - it could easily have been 2-2 already. The Gunners withstood an early blitz, and having recovered their composure, can they now secure three points after the break and keep some life in the title race?

45' + 7' HALF-TIME: NEWCASTLE UNITED 0-1 ARSENAL

45' + 7' SUPER SAVE! Again, Pope keeps Arsenal at bay! After Martinelli slips through a ball for Odegaard on the edge of the box, the latter has time to pick his spot from 15 yards. However, his low effort is smothered by a starfish-style dive by the Newcastle goallkeeper! It stays 1-0 heading into the break!

45' + 5' Xhaka is down deep inside his own half, pausing the action again - much to Newcastle's visible annoyance. They don't believe he is too badly hurt, and this game is getting increasingly niggly.

45' + 4' Trippier drops a central free-kick over the top of Arsenal's defensive line, but Botman can only steer his header straight at Ramsdale from near the penalty spot.

45' + 2' Understandably, the game's tempo has dipped significantly over the past 10 minutes. It was frantic stuff for most of the first half.

45' Saka had to be helped off the field, but now returns to the fray, limping a little. Including that stoppage, there have been a few hold-ups in this first half, and the officials indicate five minutes of added time are to be played.

43' Apparently in agony, Saka is left rolling around on the turf following a coming-together with Guimaraes in midfield. It seems he took some studs down the back of his leg. The action is halted.

41' Odegaard steams through the centre after capitalising on an error by Joelinton in midfield, and when he offloads the ball to Martinelli, the winger flashes a shot well wide of goal from a tight angle on the left.

39' A brilliantly-timed tackle by Xhaka denies Joelinton the chance to shoot from close range following a sharp passing move by the hosts. They then waste the corner, and a number of set-pieces have not worked out well for the Magpies.

37' After a long delay, Trippier finally delivers his free-kick from the right-hand side, but it is headed away easily enough by the first man it meets, Odegaard.

35' Failing to hold on to Murphy's high cross from the right byline, Ramsdale spills it inside his six-yard box but is fortunate that Jorginho is on hand to hack the ball away.

33' Making a mess of a great opportunity to set up Arsenal's second goal, Martinelli ends his weaving run from out to in by flicking the ball aimlessly towards a team-mate. The Gunners were in a good position inside the Newcastle area, but the chance goes begging.

31' Arsenal have now found the net in 17 successive matches since a 1-0 loss to Everton in early February. However, they have both scored and conceded in each of their last eight games.

29' Once again, Ramsdale comes to the rescue, as he slides out with an outstretched arm and denies Wilson the chance to shoot from close range.

28' SUPER STOP! Ramsdale keeps Arsenal in front! Ex-Arsenal man Willock makes his way through a gap on the right, and then his low shot is repelled by the goalkeeper's downward dive. It's end-to-end here at St James'!

26' After spending a while down on the turf, causing the action to be paused, Schar is able to return to his feet and resume his role at the heart of Newcastle's defence. That break in play allowed both teams to take on both drinks and extra input from their respective managers.

24' SAVE! Martinelli plays through Saka, who takes the ball into his stride and then powers a shot straight at Pope from the edge of the box. The Newcastle goalkeeper simply reaches out and blocks it with his forearm!

22' There's no doubt that Arsenal have ridden out the early storm and now look more like their assured selves in possession. The crowd have been quietened a little, and Arteta will be pleased with how events are unfolding.

20' DOUBLE SAVE! First, Odegaard slips through a perfect ball for Martinelli down the centre, and the Brazilian's shot is saved low down by Pope. When it is then recycled and Arsenal's skipper picks it up on the right, he unleashes a strike across goal which Pope also palms away!

18' Zinchenko has to concede a corner, which is then delivered by Trippier, and after a period of pressure inside their own box, Arsenal are relieved to be awarded a free-kick when Jorginho is bundled over by Joelinton.

16' Not only has Odegaard now scored the opening goal in four Premier League matches this season, but only Erling Haaland and Harry Kane (13 each) have netted more than his nine away from home.

Jorginho

Assist

14' From the right side of the area, Jorginho pulls a short ball across towards Odegaard, who then drives in Arsenal's opener.

M. Ødegaard

Goal

14' ARSENAL LEAD! The Gunners' captain delivers again! In the aftermath of a free-kick, Arsenal apply some pressure and have Newcastle pinned back in their box. Jorginho then picks out Odegaard, 20 yards from goal, and he drills a piercing low strike into the bottom-right corner!! It's 1-0 to Arsenal; totally against the run of play!

12' The home fans were enraged by being deprived of a penalty, and they now roar on each and every challenge made by their team's players. Newcastle have kept up the high tempo, which the St James' Park faithful will demand.

10' NO PENALTY! Following a review of the evidence, the on-field referee agrees with his VAR colleagues: the ball hit Kiwior's thigh before striking his arm, so Newcastle's spot-kick is ruled out!

7' PENALTY FOR NEWCASTLE! The hosts force another corner, which is then sent over by Trippier from the right following a quick one-two. When Guimaraes then sends in a low shot at goal, it strikes Kiwior - apparently on the hand! The referee points to the spot, but the VAR wants him to consult the pitchside monitor!

5' Still, Newcastle are taking the initiative and pressing high up against their opponents. Arsenal are having to absorb plenty of pressure early on.

3' Isak now has a chance to break into the box from the left, but his low shot is charged down and Newcastle must settle for a corner. Arsenal ultimately get the ball clear following the subsequent set-piece.

2' OFF THE POST! An explosive start from Newcastle sees Willock escape down the left and zip over a pinpoint cross to Murphy inside the Arsenal box, and after the winger chests the ball down and lets fly, it thunders against the upright! Great stuff from the hosts!

1' Arsenal kick off, and we are under way in Newcastle!

Greeted by a cacophony of sound and the flurry of black-and-white flags, the players are out on the St James' Park pitch - kick-off is now just moments away!

Arsenal also make just a single change today, as Martinelli is favoured over Trossard on the visitors' left flank. Once again, Gabriel is partnered by Kiwior at the back, with Holding consigned to the bench.

Newcastle's only change from the team that started last week's win over Southampton sees in-form forward Wilson brought in to replace Gordon. The England striker - who has scored eight goals in his last 10 games - will start alongside club-record signing Isak for the first time in a Premier League fixture.

SUBS: Matt Turner, Reiss Nelson, Eddie Nketiah, Emile Smith Rowe, Fabio Vieira, Leandro Trossard, Rob Holding, Thomas Partey, Kieran Tierney.

ARSENAL (4-3-3): Aaron Ramsdale; Ben White, Gabriel Magalhaes, Jakub Kiwior, Oleksandr Zinchenko; Martin Odegaard, Jorginho, Granit Xhaka; Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Jesus, Gabriel Martinelli.

SUBS: Martin Dubravka, Elliot Anderson, Paul Dummett, Javier Manquillo, Matt Targett, Allan Saint-Maximin, Miguel Almiron, Jamal Lewis, Anthony Gordon.

NEWCASTLE UNITED (4-3-3): Nick Pope; Kieran Trippier, Sven Botman, Fabian Schar, Dan Burn; Joelinton, Bruno Guimaraes, Joe Willock; Jacob Murphy, Callum Wilson, Alexander Isak.

Having for so long led the Premier League title race, Arsenal are no longer in control of matters at the summit, with Manchester City now sitting four points clear at the top of the table. The Gunners ended a damaging run of four games without a win on Tuesday, with a 3-1 victory against Chelsea, and success on Tyneside today would at least guarantee a top-two finish. Beaten at St James' Park this time last year - a loss which ultimately saw them miss out on the Champions League - Mikel Arteta's side were held to a goalless draw by Newcastle in January's reverse fixture.

With five games left to play, Newcastle United remain favourites to take one of two Champions League places realistically on offer behind today's opponents and Premier League leaders Manchester City. Aiming to consolidate third spot and aid their pursuit of a return to European competition, victory over the Gunners would take them one step closer to securing a top-four finish. A run of eight wins from their last nine league fixtures - including four in succession on home soil - sees the Magpies holding a three-point lead over Liverpool with two games in hand.

Hello and welcome to live coverage of today's Premier League clash between Newcastle United and Arsenal at St James' Park!

Newcastle United v Arsenal Live Commentary, 7/5/23

Key Events

Match Stats

Key

Commentary