At the Emirates Stadium in a Premier League match, Arsenal and Newcastle drew 0-0. The Magpies put on a strong defensive performance despite Arsenal having the majority of the possession and the most of the territory.
Arsenal now leads Newcastle by eight points as a result of the outcome. After drawing with Newcastle, Arsenal lost the chance to extend its lead over the competition.
Odegaard and Saka both had opportunities for Arteta’s team as they immediately began attacking, but after 10 minutes, Newcastle was confident in their defense. In fact, if Joelinton hadn’t headed a corner wide, they might have taken the lead right before halftime.
The second half was more of the same, and Arsenal had chances to win it in the final 15 minutes. They believed Murphy’s handball at the very end should have resulted in a penalty, but the referee disagreed.
Mikel Arteta, the manager of Arsenal, and Eddie Howe, the manager of Newcastle, will draw inspiration from the manner their teams refused to yield against opponents who were in good form.
Arsenal unavoidably experienced a small amount of resentment for squandering the opportunity to pull ahead of second-place Manchester City by 10 points before the champions’ game in hand against Chelsea on Thursday.
It was only the secon time in their past 11 games that Arsenal failed to earn all three points, and the first time in six games.
However, there wasn’t much to criticize about Arsenal’s high-octane display, which easily could have led to another another remarkable victory in a campaign that has defied all expectations.
Intriguingly, Arsenal’s next two league games have tense matchups with Tottenham and Manchester United. After going 19 years without winning the Premier League, it is impressive enough that Arsenal is in charge of the title fight at the beginning of 2023.
But what is maybe even more surprising is to see Newcastle more than competing with the leaders.
Third-placed With their sixth consecutive clean sheet across all competitions, Newcastle, who have gone unbeaten in their past 12 league games, secured their spot in the top four. Under the leadership of manager Eddie Howe and the ownership group supported by Saudi Arabia, the Magpies have made tremendous strides.
It was a noteworthy achievement to become the first team to prevent Arsenal from winning at home in the league this season, especially considering that they were also the first team to prevent the Gunners from scoring in the league since May.
As they raucously celebrated the point in one area of the Emirates Stadium, Newcastle’s devoted “Toon Army” fans were dreaming of making it to the Champions League after years of futility.
Arsenal started with the kind of pace and purpose that threatened to make it an unfavorable contrast for the visitors if this was meant to be a measuring stick game for Newcastle.
Martin Odegaard, the captain of Arsenal, would have thought he had an early chance inside the Newcastle area with seven goals in 15 league games this season, but the Dane’s volley whistled over.
Following another sharp Arsenal raid, Bukayo Saka skipped past Joelinton for a shot that Nick Pope saved. Granit Xhaka then fired into the side-netting, much to the relief of Nick Pope.
Newcastle gradually recovered from that shaky start on a rainy night in north London, gaining control of the match as Callum Wilson challenged Aaron Ramsdale from the edge of the area. Odegaard attempted to elude Pope with a close-range shot, but Pope blocked the shot before it could trouble the goalie.
As a hard-fought match heated up with a wave of bookings, Arteta got into a verbal brawl with the Newcastle coaching staff. When Gabriel reached Odegaard’s free-kick, the fired-up Spaniard was once more on his feet and ready to celebrate a goal, but the defender’s header bounced just wide.
Joelinton, a Newcastle midfielder, missed a close-range header at the far post that would have brought the frenzied first half to a dramatic finish.
Ramsdale almost gave Newcastle the lead when he recklessly turned over the ball in his own area, but Wilson just missed Kieran Trippier’s subsequent cross, after the break.
After that close call, Arsenal took control without being able to deliver the decisive blow. After Odegaard’s corner, Gabriel Martinelli nearly scored with a header that drifted just wide. In the 88th minute, Eddie Nketiah had a better opportunity, but Pope blocked the striker’s low shot to keep the score tied.
