‘Disastrous’ Arsenal’s costly loss
Gunners lose the initiative in top-four race after limping to defeat at Newcastle
If someone is not ready for this game or too nervous, stay on the bench, stay at home, don’t come here.
Arsenal midfielder Granit Xhaka
With his team’s Champions League qualification ambitions in ruins, Arsenal midfielder Granit Xhaka felt it was time to deliver some home truths.
“Disastrous” was how Xhaka, who played the full 90 minutes, summed up Arsenal’s 2-0 loss to Newcastle yesterday that left Tottenham in control of the race between the north London rivals for a top-four finish in the English Premier League. Then he went further.
“If someone is not ready for this game or too nervous, stay on the bench, stay at home, don’t come here,” Xhaka said, appearing to turn on some of his own teammates. “We need people to have the [character] to come here and play.”
If only Arsenal had shown some of that fight on the field at a rocking St James’ Park.
Mikel Arteta’s young team buckled under the pressure of playing their biggest match of the season, with an own goal by Ben White and a late strike by Bruno Guimaraes capping a dominant display by a Newcastle team that might soon be a Premier League force.
This night was all about Arsenal, though, and whether their players could keep Champions League qualification in their own hands — they couldn’t.
“We could not cope with the game we had to play here,” said Arteta, who described Newcastle as “10 times better” than his team.
“The performance was nowhere near the level needed to play in the Champions League.”
Heading into the final round of league games on Monday, Spurs need only a draw at relegated Norwich to clinch fourth, thanks to their vastly superior goal difference.
Kicking off at the same time, Arsenal host an Everton team that may still be battling relegation and know victory will likely not be enough for a return to the Champions League after a five-year absence.
Newcastle’s intensity proved too much for Arsenal, with the hosts well on top by the time White turned the ball into his own net in the 55th minute as he stretched to clear a leftwing cross from Joelinton.
Guimaraes, the Brazil midfielder, ensured there would be no way back for Arsenal by adding the second in the 85th minute, side-footing home a loose ball after it rebounded to him off goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale.
If not for Ramsdale, the margin of defeat would have been much bigger.
“Newcastle deserved to win the match,” said Arteta, who appeared visibly stunned by his team’s underperformance. “They were comfortably better than us. We had nothing.”
Arteta needs a major favour from Norwich. Otherwise, Arsenal will be playing in the Europa League next season.
“There is always a chance in football,” he said. “You have to be there if the chance appears.”
It was a second damaging defeat in a five-day span for Arsenal, who also lost at Tottenham 3-0 on Friday.
Yesterday’s result also ensured Champions League football for thirdplaced Chelsea.
That’s the level Newcastle might soon by playing now the northeast club is powered by funding from their Saudi Arabian owners. Finishing the season by winning seven of their last eight home games is a good sign for the future.
“I thought it was a brilliant allround performance from us,” said Newcastle manager Eddie Howe.
“One thing missing was that we hadn’t beaten a top-six team. And not only did we beat Arsenal, we were dominant throughout. But we’ll remain calm in this moment. We have to work incredibly hard to improve everything about the team in the summer and make sure we come back a stronger unit.”
● Huddersfield are one win away from returning to the English Premier League. With a 1-0 win over Luton yesterday, Huddersfield secured a 2-1 victory on aggregate in the playoff semifinals of the second-tier Championship.
The final takes place on May 30 at Wembley, where Huddersfield, who finished 20th last season, will face either Nottingham Forest or Sheffield United. Forest won 2-1 away in the first leg and the second leg takes place this morning.