Arsenal moved into the top half of the Premier League table with a comfortable 3-0 victory over Newcastle at the Emirates Stadium. Here are five things we learnt from Monday’s game.
Aubameyang finds his form
Pierre Emerick Aubameyang has not been his usual self this season. He has struggled to find the net so far and that has been reflected in Arsenal’s poor season. Aubameyang was struggling Monday night as well, missing three chances in the first half he would have expected himself to take. One in particular was really a sitter and showed a real lack of confidence. However, when he was played in by Thomas Partey in the second half he made no mistake, powerfully finishing past Karl Darlow. His whole performance improved after getting the goal and he put the icing on the cake after converting Cedric’s cross from close range and winning Man of the Match.
Newcastle forwards starved of service
Newcastle lined up in a 4-4-2 formation with Carroll and Wilson up front and Joelinton and Almiron on the wing. However, they could not get the strikers involved and all of the action for the wingers was in the defensive half. Newcastle only managed four attempts to Arsenal’s 20 and only had one shot on target, which did not challenge Bernd Leno at all. Steve Bruce’s side also had a number of chances from set pieces but the delivery was very poor and not a problem for the Arsenal defence, despite the struggles they have at dealing with set pieces.
Partey hour
Thomas Partey made his first Premier League start since the North London Derby. Straight away the Ghanian looked assured in possession and worked hard without the ball. He is strong at driving with the ball, but also has an excellent passing range, as demonstrated when he picked out Aubameyang with a lofted ball over the top. His positional play was also excellent and he was always in the right positions to make interceptions and tackles. He was taken off after an hour with the game already won but showed that Arsenal had really missed him when he was injured despite only joining the club in the summer.
No wins in nine for Magpies
These are concerning times for Steve Bruce at Newcastle. His side haven’t won in nine games in all competitions and not only that, the manner of some of the defeats has not been acceptable. They had a great chance in the League Cup but were beaten by Championship side Brentford, who were the much better team on the night. They lost to Arsenal in the FA Cup but had enough chances to win that game. They were the first team to lose to Sheffield United in the Premier League this season, and they were no threat to Arsenal last night and the game seemed over as soon as the first goal went in. Newcastle need to start picking up wins or they could find themselves involved in a relegation battle.
The Emile Smith Show
Once again, it was Arsenal’s youngsters that massively contributed to the victory. It was a slow first half for the Gunners but once Bukayo Saka and Emile Smith Rowe became more involved in the second half Arsenal found their rhythm. It was quite fitting that the two combined for the second goal with Smith Rowe going past Jamaal Lascelles with ease and crossing to Saka who finished cleverly into the bottom corner. It has been a poor season for Arsenal, but Saka has been good throughout and Smith Rowe has completely changed the season. Whatever happens this season for Arsenal, they know they have two excellent players for the future.
