SMASH & GRAB GORDON

Winger’s KO blow settles a very fiery night on the Toon

SATURDAY night was all right for fighting at St James’ Park.

And it was Anthony Gordon who delivered the knockout punch to settle this tetchy tussle on Tyneside.

Gordon’s 64th-minute winner floored Arsenal to leave their unbeaten start to the Premier League season in ruins.

It also left Mikel Arteta’s men looking like what they still are – great pretenders in the title race.

Gareth Southgate sat watching in the stand – but the England boss must have spent most of the night wishing he’d had a better offer from elsewhere.

Apart from Gordon’s goal, the most explosive thing he saw on this

Bonfire Night weekend was some first-half fireworks between both teams in the wake of Kai Havertz’s crude challenge on Sean Longstaff.

It could have been a red card, but VAR upheld referee Stuart Attwell’s initial decision to book Havertz.

Eddie Howe had named the same starting XI that drew with Wolves last time out in the Premier League.

That’s because he virtually named a second team to face Manchester United in the Carabao Cup in midweek – and still got a win.

He made eight changes in all as he continued to deal with a growing injury list which deprived him of up to six regulars.

Arteta, meanwhile, was without influential midfielder Martin Odegaard. The Arsenal boss did recall Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli, who both started on the bench for the midweek Carabao Cup loss to the Hammers.

The home side threatened first when David Raya was forced to clear Longstaff ’s cross with a flying punch.

It was fast, frantic and furious at times, with no quarter given, as William Saliba and Joelinton proved when colliding heavily.

It felt more like an end-to-end basketball game. But neither keeper had a serious save to make in the opening 45 minutes. Jorginho blazed a shot high into the Gallowgate End and Eddie Nketiah headed wide.

Then Havertz went in late on Longstaff with a dangerous challenge which saw him leave the ground with both feet. It sparked a melee between both sets of players.

Havertz escaped a sending off – and when Attwell decided to book Longstaff, Fabian Schar and Gordon for complaining, it did little to quell the growing hostilities.

Gordon should have put Newcastle ahead on the stroke of half-time, but he miscontrolled at the back post.

It took until first-half stoppage time for someone to register a shot

ARSENAL Under-18s’ game at Brighton was postponed after their team bus took a wrong turn. The Gunners were due to face the Seagulls at the Brighton’s AMEX Elite Performance Centre. The coach took the wrong exit off the M25 and, when realised, it was too late to make the noon kick-off. Reports suggesting the team travelled to Bournemouth instead are wide of the mark.