{"id":174912,"date":"2024-02-24T23:24:01","date_gmt":"2024-02-24T22:24:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newmail-ng.com\/?p=174912"},"modified":"2024-02-24T23:24:01","modified_gmt":"2024-02-24T22:24:01","slug":"arsenal-thrash-newcastle-to-underline-title-credentials","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newmail-ng.com\/arsenal-thrash-newcastle-to-underline-title-credentials\/","title":{"rendered":"Arsenal thrash Newcastle to underline title credentials"},"content":{"rendered":"
Arsenal underlined their Premier League title credentials as they recorded their sixth consecutive win with a dominant display against Newcastle.<\/span><\/p>\n The result sees Mikel Arteta’s side sit two points behind leaders Liverpool and a point behind second-placed Manchester City at the top of the table.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n The outcome of this contest appeared inevitable from the moment visiting defender Sven Botman turned the ball in after Gabriel’s header from a corner had been well saved by Newcastle goalkeeper Loris Karius.<\/span><\/p>\n While there was an element of bad luck to that for the Dutch defender, who simply could not get out of the way as his Newcastle team-mate Tino Livramento tried to clear, there was little else about Arsenal’s performance that was owed to good fortune.<\/span><\/p>\n The Gunners’ intensity and fluent passing repeatedly carved Eddie Howe’s side apart, particularly down the Magpies’ left flank, with Livramento and Botman enduring difficult evenings.<\/span><\/p>\n Kai Havertz swept in a deserved second shortly after, with Gabriel Martinelli making the most of his indecision in the Newcastle defence to cut the ball back into the German forward’s path.<\/span><\/p>\n With Arsenal continuing to press, Bukayo Saka twisted and turned Livramento one way and then another before dispatching a left-foot shot into the bottom left corner add to the hosts’ advantage.<\/span><\/p>\n Arteta also enjoyed the luxury of being able to take off his captain Martin Odegaard, Havertz and Saka well before full-time after Jakub Kiwior’s effort deflected past the helpless Karius from another Declan Rice corner.<\/span><\/p>\n Newcastle, who remain eighth in the table, managed a late consolation courtesy of Joe Willock’s looping header, but there was little else for the visiting supporters to cheer.<\/span><\/p>\n By this stage last term Arsenal’s title challenge had already begun to implode, with defeats by Everton and City sandwiched either side of a home draw against Brentford.<\/span><\/p>\n In the end they finished five points behind Pep Guardiola’s side, having enjoyed an eight-point advantage towards the end of January.<\/span><\/p>\n However, while their early-season form has not been as impressive this time around, they look to be peaking nicely for the run-in.<\/span><\/p>\n An outstanding sequence of results since January has included a deserved victory over Liverpool, and they have now scored 25 goals and conceded just three time in six matches in the English top flight.<\/span><\/p>\n Not only are they playing with the swagger of early last season, there seems to be a new resilience to this Arsenal team that has perhaps not been evident since their last title triumph in 2004.<\/span><\/p>\n At times in the intervening period, Arsenal have been notably targeted aerially by other Premier League sides at corners and free-kicks.<\/span><\/p>\n However, Arteta has a physically imposing side – with the likes of Gabriel, Ben White, Kiwior and William Saliba all capable in the air – and no side has scored more set-piece goals than the Gunners’ 19 this term.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Arsenal underlined their Premier League title credentials as they recorded their sixth consecutive win with a dominant display against Newcastle. The result sees Mikel Arteta’s side sit two points behind leaders Liverpool and a point behind second-placed Manchester City at the top of the table. The outcome of this contest appeared inevitable from the moment […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":65,"featured_media":174916,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[231,50966,66963,18013,3855],"yoast_head":"\nArsenal look real deal this time around<\/h3>\n