Arsenal 1-0 Newcastle: Declan Rice strike all-but seals second spot for Gunners and leaves Magpies with work to do to secure Champions League football
- Arsenal beat Newcastle to all-but secure second place for the third year running
- Newcastle must now beat Everton next weekend to be sure of a top-five finish
- LISTEN NOW: It's All Kicking Off! Was Cole Palmer right to leave Man City?
For Arsenal, this was less of a football match, more of an exorcism. One swipe of Declan Rice’s right boot and Newcastle’s Indian sign over them was broken.
Eddie Howe has had Mikel Arteta’s number this season. Three times, in fact. He had it again in the first half here without the one number that matters - a goal. Perhaps that was because Alexander Isak, the Arsenal slayer, was missing.
And so, come the end, it was Howe who wore a haunted look. This was a win that got away. His team played one half with a swagger, the other with a stagger. They will need to beat Everton next weekend to be sure of Champions League football.
Arsenal have finally stamped their passport for that competition, not that they looked like one of Europe’s top sides for much of this game. They never do when Newcastle are in opposition. Indeed, Rice’s goal was their first from 53 shots against the Magpies this season.
The hosts were sleepwalking during the opening 45 minutes, in which only goalkeeper David Raya fronted up to the poltergeist in black and white. Rice’s blast woke them from what was starting to feel like a recurring nightmare.
It means Arsenal are all but guaranteed a second-placed finish. Recently, they have looked in danger of finishing third, or worse, in a two-horse title race.
Arsenal all-but secured second place in the Premier League by beating Newcastle on Sunday
Midfielder Declan Rice scored the only goal of the game at the Emirates after 55 minutes
Arsenal keeper David Raya was in fine form and pulled off several saves to earn his clean sheet
But after Arteta showed them the whip at half-time, there was a belated quickening of their step. And nothing was quicker than Rice’s 55th-minute finish, swept across his body and into the bottom corner from 25 yards. It was as if he wore a blade, not a boot.
It was a strike that came from nowhere, yet strangely felt like it was coming from the moment the first half expired goalless. Newcastle have their own demons when without Isak. This was their fourth Premier League match minus their top goalscorer this season, and a fourth without a win. They have scored once in that time, a penalty.
To be without him is like baking a cake with a hairdryer. For all of the hot air and promise, they just cannot rise to football’s fundamental goal - to score one.
Howe faced two questions on Isak afterwards - one on his fitness for next week, the other on the colour of his shirt for next season. Days such as this heighten the need for him to be in black and white for both.
His feet have fired Newcastle into the top five, but they’ll need his groin to hold out to keep them there. Howe says the next few days will be crucial in easing the stiffness he has felt in the muscle.
To lose him on the morning of this game - he was in North London with the squad - felt like 1-0 to Arsenal before a ball had been kicked. By half-time, it should have been 2-0 to Newcastle. They have started like the wind in each of those previous wins over the Gunners. It was slower this time, at least Arsenal until handed them the blower.
Raya tried to play a pass into midfield. He did that, only it was Newcastle’s midfield he found. Sandro Tonali quickly fed the ball into the penalty area and, when it fell for Bruno Guimaraes, his shovelled shot was saved by Raya, making good on his error. He did that four more times before the half hour. By then, it was his team-mates indebted to him.
There was a low stop from Tino Livramento, a tremendous fingertip around the post to deny Harvey Barnes and then, the best of the lot, a double save from a corner to thwart centre-backs Dan Burn and Sven Botman.
It was a siege, and the only shots fired in return were coming from the home end. ‘Is anyone bothered out there?’ and ‘He’s walked straight through’ were two such barbs, albeit the filtered versions.
There was a fine Nick Pope save at the other end, from Thomas Partey’s header, but other than that he was a first-half spectator. No amount of howling from Arteta, or the locals, could snap their team from their zombie state.
Eddie Howe's Newcastle must now beat Everton next Sunday to be sure of a top-five finish
Mikel Arteta has now led the Gunners to second place in three consecutive league campaigns
Arsenal attacker Kai Havertz came off the bench to make his first appearance since February
Only Rice did that, punishing a mistake by Anthony Gordon, and with it the hoodoo was lifted. A ghost finally laid to rest, even if there are bigger ghouls for Arteta to expel next season. He knows that, and the Arsenal boss spoke with great emotion on the pitch at full-time. There was a little too much triumphalism from the club employee asking the questions - at the end of another trophyless season - but Arteta delivered a speech with echoes of Martin Luther King Jr. Only time will tell if his words prove historical or hysterical.
‘We had a dream, it was to be here and bring the big trophies to you guys, but we couldn't do it for many circumstances,’ he said. ‘We need to make sure that chasing a dream doesn't get blurry, and make sure we chase the dream with positivity and enthusiasm for next season.
'We have to start creating our own history here in this stadium and we started this season. There is much more to come and it won't be easy. These players have the talent.’
While Arteta had his head in the clouds, Howe seemed stuck in purgatory. For him, Champions League heaven or the hell of missing out awaits. If it is the latter, he will forever be spooked by this afternoon at the Emirates.
