Newcastle would’ve been better off staying at home. Whether it was errors, misplaced passes, non-existent marking or a total lack of quality all over the pitch, we didn’t turn up in any department.
A Sven Botman own goal followed a dominant opening quarter of an hour for the Gunners and Kai Havertz doubled the score minutes later. Bukayo Saka and Jakub Kiwior made it four before 70 minutes. Perhaps the only positive on the night saw fit-again Joe Willock grab a consolation goal six minutes from full-time.
Eddie Howe made three changes from the team that drew with Bournemouth last time out, with Tino Livramento replacing Dan Burn, Loris Karius coming in for an unwell Martin Dubravka and Alexander Isak replacing Harvey Barnes.
Despite Arsenal’s early onslaught, there was a hint of misfortune in how the opening goal came.
Following a header from an unmarked Gabriel at a corner, Karius made a decent initial save. But a melee of black and white limbs failed to get rid of the ball and it bounced off the knee of Botman over the line.
But if the opener was perhaps fortunate, the second was clinical and precise from Arsenal and very poor from the Toon. A sublime lofted ball to Martinelli took out a lethargic looking Newcastle back line and the Brazilian’s squared pass to Havertz was only going to result in a goal.
Karius made a good save to deny Saka in the final 10 minutes of the half, but as excellent as Arsenal looked, we looked in equal parts terrible.
Howe’s Mags could count themselves lucky not be behind by more by the time the whistle went for half-time. A reset was sorely needed after the Toon failed to have a single shot within the first 45 minutes for the first time in 10 years.
Newcastle had made two changes just after the hour mark, but almost immediately after Saka found himself in space on the right side and cut in on his left to curl the ball past the onlooking Karius into the far corner.
Yet another set piece brought about Arsenal’s fourth as Kiwior turned the ball in after 69 minutes, compounding a dreadful night for the Mags who looked vulnerable at almost every Arsenal set play.
But it wasn’t to be a whitewash as substitute Joe Willock, returning from injury, scored a looping header after getting on the end of a Burn cross – himself a sub. While the goal ensured Arsenal did not keep a clean sheet, it was the only real chance we fashioned.
We lacked fight throughout the night, making far fewer fouls than we have become accustomed to. Mikel Arteta wanted retribution for what he saw as an unfair Toon victory in the reverse fixture. He got exactly what he wanted and we made it easy for his Gunners side.
On to Blackburn in the FA Cup next and a reaction is well and truly needed. This was embarrassing tonight.
STARTING XI: Karius – Trippier, Schar, Botman, Livramento – Longstaff, Bruno, Miley – Almiron, Isak, Gordon.
SUBS: Gillespie, Lascelles, Ritchie, Barnes, Krafth, Hall, Murphy, Willock, Burn.
Awful performance. Arsenal the better side all over the park. Karius did as well as he could. Good to see Willock back. We will not play European football next season if we keep playing like this.
Gilly Toon(Quote)
Result: About as bad as could be but not totally unexpected
Performance: very poor and disheartening to see.
Now Forget it ( unless they need a reminder of what they’ll owe that lot next season ), regroup and move on. Big game on Tuesday and need to put tonight right.
Longer term still not worried as I’m judging against the long term and team are just not at the level to cope for many reasons. Not discounting problems which are there and equally not getting emotional at the thought of getting humped off one of the best teams in the England( Europe ??)
It was nice to see willock on the field with a nice goal, not because I think he’s some kind of silver bullet to the MF problems but because I’m a fan and that was a horrible injury to come back from
We go on.
HTL
GoWest!Mag(Quote)
When I read the headline I decided not to bother reading the article.
Because I’m a fan.
So when your 5 year old comes last in the sack race, do you berate him as being pathetic, and embarrassing?
Or do you consider that maybe the other kids, on the day, were better?
I had a bet with a Gooner mate that the **** would win 3-1. Not because we would be embarrassing or pathetic but because we’ve had injuries, haven’t been able to get a decent side out, have had a dodgy run of results and because the **** are flying.
Get yourself down the pub and have this “pathetic, embarrassing” discussion with your mates over a pint, because there shouldn’t be room for it on any half decent blog.
I pity any kids that might end up being unfortunate enough to have you as a father.
BykerBill(Quote)
They’re extremely well paid adult athletes, not children. it’s their job to provide quality and as such, entertaining football. If they aren’t doing that and it’s becoming a bit of a pattern they rightly come under fire.
The injury crisis only grants so much credit where performances are concerned when 90 percent of our starting 11 are fit and have been for a while now.
I rarely post on here but your frankly bizarre defence of our team by comparing them to kids on a sports day couldn’t go untapped. Perhaps before you hit send next time ask yourself “have I compared a sandwich to a bag of spanners?” If the answer is yes then press delete.
Sean(Quote)
Honestly thought we’d give a better account of ourselves than we did. Feel sorry for Karius , poor sod always seems to come in to a firefight. Not the happiest of birthdays for Gordon and Murphy was it.
Hope we win on tuesday, will be an early present for me as it’s my birthday the net day.
kimtoon(Quote)
All the best for your birthday,21 is it
Icedog(Quote)
You’ve turned our defeat at Arsenal into questioning someone’s ability to be a father. New low for you, Bill.
A defeat last night was always likely, but the nature of it was very poor. No first-half shot (first time in 10 years), so many errors, a lack of intensity and second-best in duels all night.
Olly Hawkins(Quote)
Ice, lol I wish mate.
kimtoon(Quote)
Happy birthday Kim 🥳
Sharpy17(Quote)
Bill – i can’t decide if you had an eternally disappointed dad or you have eternally underachieving children 🤔.
Either way, I don’t think it’s fair you put your families pitiful school sports days on Olly just coz he’s writing about an extremely poor professional football team – a fact acknowledged by the man who manages & coaches them – and I use the latter loosely.
Sharpy17(Quote)
The gulf in quality you can accept. A defeat away to Arsenal you can accept. But from kick off they out worked us, they wanted it more & bullied us – it was men against boys & thats unacceptable for me.
You have fans who have travelled all the way to London & having to stay over coz yet another away game where the fans have no public transport running to get them back – the least they should get is commitment & effort.
Howe talked about the demands of the CL and lack of training ground time he was getting with the players.
We conceded more goals since we were knocked out the CL so I’m not sure what they are working on?!.
Arsenal are known to get goals from set pieces – so to look so vulnerable & concede 2 goals from set pieces – what level of preparation has gone into stopping Arsenal?!.
Howe has 1 plan and it worked last season coz it was new & fresh & teams didn’t know how to play against it or expose our weaknesses. But they have figured it out because he is doing the same thing – only with players less able, and whilst them not being as good as those out injured isn’t his fault, the fact that he hasn’t adapted is on him.
We built our success last season on a solid defence & despite all the injuries, defenders is the one thing he has had.
The amount of injuries has actually meant he has had the same group of players to work with for most of the season – I’ve seen no improvement.
Sharpy17(Quote)
I also hear the word unlucky used when talking about our injuries – I’m not sure I believe that level of luck.
Are we buying players who are deemed talented but have underlying issues which is why the top clubs aren’t taking them?!.
Is it our physios? Is it the fitness coaches are putting the wrong plans in place and over working the players?.
It all needs looking into & it would help if the bloke in charge of all these areas wasn’t at home tending to his daffodils!!.
Sharpy17(Quote)
Liverpool win another cup
kimtoon(Quote)
Completely outclassed no arguing with that, they are just better than us. However I will say Willock being back shows how much of a better player he is than longstaff and Miley, here is a midfielder who won’t just “do a job” but will score some class goals and will actually be able to take people on or god forbid make a tackle. The squad is almost fit again, however I think people will now realise how important Joelinton is. He and Willock in particular last season were amazing and had a great partnership, we’ve not been able to see any of that this season and it tells. Howe now needs to show he can use what is a decent squad to get some wins against lesser opposition – let’s be honest the form arsenal are in we had no chance.
Newkie(Quote)
As critical as I am of Howe, I absolutely think he should be there at the beginning of next season – I think he’s earned that.
You couldn’t get polar opposite seasons for him. Last season everything went right – this season a lot has gone wrong and I’m sure he’ll learn more from this season than last actually.
I don’t want to see him shifted for someone like Jose. I know there’s the SBR connection with Jose but he wouldn’t be building an NUFC to last imo.
I’d rather the appointment of Ashworths replacement be one that will come in & work with & support Howe to get things back on track.
I think Howe is an honest enough guy to asset the season deeper than just injuries – and because of that he’s the bloke I want to keep trying to grow this team.
Sharpy17(Quote)
Newkie, nice perspective. The challenges this season have been and continue to be significant. That they have been apparent for a while does not diminish them. What is rarely commented on is how they compound each other so a lot of commentary seems overly simplistic.
That said, yes Howe really now needs to get the team competitive and functioning as Saturdays performance, no matter how good arsenal were, was very poor.
GoWest!Mag(Quote)
Oh so NOW Howe has to sort it out 🙄.
I say it after games we absolutely should be doing better in & get called entitled. But we get beat away to a title chasing Arsenal and it’s now that Howe has to improve 🤷🏼♂️😂
Sharpy17(Quote)
the comment was about you assuming / stating nufc should be dominating teams. How would you describe that mindset?
I think I did state in my post that Howe should bring some organisational stability and then repeated something similar on Saturday pre-game and again above when talking about being competitive and functional. All seems pretty consistent to me
GoWest!Mag(Quote)
GoWest –
Meaning of entitled in English:
feeling that you have the right to do or have what you want without having to work for it or deserve it.
I absolutely think we have to work for & earn it – that’s why I don’t accept your accusation of entitled.
As bad as we were at the weekend, Arsenal put the graft in from the first kick of the game to smother us & give us no time on the ball. Then with the ball their passing was slick & accurate. You can see that they have worked hard on things like their defence & set pieces in particular.
That was against NUFC. I was/am talking about teams like Luton, Forest & Bmth at SJP.
I know Arsenal are in better form & suffering less with injuries – but the key word in the ‘meaning’ is work.
Injuries or no, I don’t expect any NUFC 11 to be out worked at SJP.
Those teams didn’t leave with a hard earned or lucky result – quite the opposite actually.
Never have I suggested we have the right to anything.
Sharpy17(Quote)
The ‘meaning’ was a cut & paste job mate – I didn’t add the ‘in English’ bit 😂
Sharpy17(Quote)
I want to add to that if I can because I’ve put it solely on the players & that let’s Howe off the hook because I think in those games part of the problem was team selection & tactical naivety.
Sharpy17(Quote)