Newcastle came back from behind on Sunday to beat Arsenal 2-1 for the first time since November 2010. After an early goal by Lacazette, Newcastle responded with goals by Ayoze Perez and Matt Ritchie which put the magpies 13 points clear of the relegation zone and also opened up the opportunity to chase for a European spot.
Lineup
The starting 11 was the exact same as last the last game. (away v Leicester)
SUBS: Gayle OFF, Slimani ON (63') Perez OFF, Joselu ON (79') Ritchie OFF, Murphy ON (86')
Match (First Half)
The first part of the game was evenly contested as both teams had a handful of attacks, but in the 14th minute Arsenal took the lead through a well timed volley by Alexandre Lacazette after an excellent cross by Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
Arsenal could've had a penalty shortly after as Aubameyang's shot clearly hit off the hand of Jamaal Lascelles. However the referee did not see the handball so Arsenal were instead awarded a corner.
The gunners then had a big chance to make it two via Premier League debutant Joe Willlock, but the 18-year-old completely missed the ball after being played in by Lacazette from well inside the box.
Newcastle soon punished Arsenal for all these missed chances by scoring a stunning equalizer. The move started with an amazing lob ball towards Gayle by Jonjo Shelvey. Gayle couldn't take the shot himself so passed the ball to Yedlin on the wing who crossed the ball in across the ground to the feet of Ayoze Perez who subsequently scored with a powerful strike that Petr Čech didn't have a chance in saving.
On the 39th minute Callum Chambers had a chance to score a carbon copy of the first goal. However his chance went well wide of the mark.
Match (Second Half)
Arsenal mostly dominated possession in the second half, however they didn't take the few chances they made. So in the 68th minute Newcastle once again punished them right after the gunners had introduced Danny Welbeck. It started as Islam Slimani intercepted Monreal's header and laid the ball off to Ayoze Perez, who instead of going for goal himself decided to flick it on to an unmarked Matt Ritchie who hit the ball hard into the net with his weaker foot.
Newcastle also hit the crossbar not long after when Kenedy latched on to a perfect through ball by Slimani before charging into the box. Unfortunately, Shkodran Mustafi came in with a sliding tackle to deflect the ball onto the bar and back out before the ball was eventually cleared.
Next Game
Our next match is a Monday night game against Everton on the 23rd of April. (8PM kick off time) As Newcastle are superior on goal difference and only one point away from the toffees, a win OR draw will lift the magpies up to 9th spot, whereas an Everton win would see them at 8th.