Arsenal slumped to a 1-0 loss at Newcastle for the second year in a row on Saturday to make it three straight Premier League games without a win for the Gunners.
Alexander Isak’s early header was enough for Eddie Howe's team to end a five-game winless run in the league as the hosts easily neutralized Arsenal's struggling attack the rest of the way.
Newcastle was coming off a morale-boosting win over Chelsea in the League Cup in midweek and carried that momentum into the start of the game, as Isak found space in-between Arsenal center-backs William Saliba and Gabriel to head home a pinpoint cross from Anthony Gordon in the 12th minute.
It was a big contrast from Newcastle's winning goal in the same fixture last season, when Gordon bundled home a late winner that stood after a triple VAR check — leaving Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta furious and calling the decision “an absolute disgrace.”
Short of creativity
Arteta can have no complaints about this defeat, though, as Arsenal rarely threatened going forward and looked short of creativity in the absence of the injured Martin Odegaard.
Declan Rice had the team's best chance in the third minute of injury time but headed wide after a cross by Bukayo Saka.
The loss means Arsenal could find itself eight points behind leader Manchester City, which visits Bournemouth later.
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