Again, Arsenal suffered another three-point loss in the ongoing English Premier League campaign after their away match against Newcastle on Saturday.
OsunDailyNG reports that the home team, Newcastle, defeated Arsenal by 1-0 today, giving Manchester City, the current leaders, the opportunity to extend their lead over the Gunners with six points clear of the top of the Premier League as of the time of filing this report.
The decisive goal was scored by Alexander Isak in the 12th minute, who headed in a precise cross from Anthony Gordon on the right flank.
Despite controlling possession, Arsenal struggled to find their rhythm and managed only a single shot on target throughout the match.
Mikel Arteta’s squad has garnered just one point from their last three fixtures, causing their title ambitions to falter.
Should defending champions City secure a win against Bournemouth later on Saturday, they will hold an eight-point advantage over Arsenal. Liverpool, sitting one point behind City, will face Brighton at Anfield.
Arsenal has challenged Pep Guardiola’s City fiercely in the previous two seasons and seemed well-prepared for another title run; however, the current gap appears concerning.
The injury-plagued visitors began the match with promise, as Leandro Trossard missed an early opportunity by shooting wide.
Nevertheless, the home team, who had not secured a victory in their last five matches, quickly found their footing, with Isak capitalizing on a cross from Gordon to score after getting between Gabriel and William Saliba.
Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka struggled to make an impact but came close with a header that went wide in the 18th minute.
Newcastle’s Lewis Hall prevented a goal by blocking Mikel Merino’s shot on the line following a chaotic corner from Declan Rice, but the visitors failed to match the home side’s intensity.
Arteta chose not to make any substitutions at halftime, and Newcastle nearly increased their lead shortly after, with Joe Willock’s shot being saved by David Raya.
The Spanish manager introduced 17-year-old Ethan Nwaneri and Oleksandr Zinchenko for Gabriel Martinelli and Merino just after the hour mark. Isak then attempted another shot at Raya.
The Gunners, currently without their captain Martin Odegaard, experienced an unexpected loss to Bournemouth last month and played to a 2-2 draw with Liverpool last week.
Looking ahead, they face challenging matches against Inter Milan in the Champions League and Chelsea next week.
This victory propels Eddie Howe’s Newcastle to eighth place in the standings prior to the later matches on Saturday.
