It has come down to a straight shootout, similar to five rounds of penalties, the equation plain yet loaded with complications. Score or miss. With Manchester City otherwise engaged in an FA Cup semi-final, it was Arsenal who took first.
For them, the metaphorical walk to the spot, the moment of truth, began in the aftermath of last Sunday’s defeat at City. It was long and treacherous, the self-doubt gnawing away, the outside noise at fever pitch. Score or miss. With a draw very much into the latter category. Arsenal scored.
The moment that decided it came in the ninth minute and what a goal it was, completely out of keeping with the overall sweep of another fraught occasion. When Eberechi Eze received the ball on the right edge of the area after Noni Madueke and Kai Havertz had worked a short corner, he made the calculations to curl first-time for the far top corner. He pulled it off perfectly.
It was a day when Arsenal needed to respond to the City defeat and the one before that in the Premier League here against Bournemouth. They did so. It was not pretty, the onus on grinding out the three points, and there were worries when Havertz and Eze were forced off with injuries. But the only thing that mattered – the only thing that has mattered for weeks – was winning. For the Arsenal support there was joy after 90-plus minutes of pain.
Newcastle arrived under a cloud, the consequence of a run of eight league defeats in 11; uncertainty at so many turns. This was a decent enough performance from them, certainly when set against many of those that had preceded it and they might have nicked something when Yoane Wissa, on as a substitute, blew a gilt-edged chance on 80 minutes.
When the board went up to show seven additional minutes at the end, the home crowd fretted some more. It was a day when the clean sheet was everything. Arsenal got it done.
They had kicked off in second, their 200-day residency at the top undone by City’s win at Burnley on Wednesday, but really it was a consequence of the game at the Etihad Stadium last Sunday. When City edged to victory, it was a seismic blow for Arsenal and yet there were positives for Arteta in the performance of his team.
Arsenal got men forward. They created chances. There was a greater assurance about them on the ball with Martin Ødegaard back in midfield and Havertz upfront. The hope was for more of the same and Arteta felt his hopes soar when Eze opened the scoring early on.
The goal came from Arsenal’s third corner and the unusual thing was that they worked all three short. They had previously played only six short corners in the league all season. When they shaped to do so with the second here, the home crowd howled. They wanted the ball to be curved in under the bar. The move ended with Eze dragging a shot off target. The fans needed to have faith. When Madueke played the third one low into Havertz, he turned it back to Eze and the scene was set. The finish was a beauty.
Newcastle had threatened at the very outset. There were just seconds on the clock when Joe Willock robbed Martín Zubimendi and surged forward, slipping a nice pass up for Will Osula. The centre-forward caught an unlucky bobble and air-kicked. He was well-placed to the left of goal. It was a big chance.
Eddie Howe set up with four at the back, Osula upfront and an interchanging quintet in between. Broadly, it was Jacob Murphy on the right and Jacob Ramsey on the left. Willock had plenty of licence in central attacking areas. As did Sandro Tonali in deeper ones. Bruno Guimarães roamed from box to box. But the positional switches were constant and they were hard to track.
The atmosphere was subdued in the first half as Arteta’s team laboured, their cause not helped when Havertz limped off in the 34th minute. On came Viktor Gyökeres. Newcastle bossed the shot count 9-3 before the interval and they went close on the half-hour when Tonali unleashed a shot from distance that swerved viciously. David Raya had to change direction at the last moment to save in rather ungainly fashion.
The nerves of the Arsenal support pounded because they could see that their team were happy to sit in and protect the 1-0. Defensive solidity has been the cornerstone of their season but it nevertheless felt risky. The situation from a creative point of view took another hit when Eze was forced off early in the second half. Arteta replaced him with Gabriel Martinelli.
The past few months have been a slog for Newcastle, the collective confidence dwindling. They have been guilty of overthinking things as the defeats have piled up. Could they summon something here? It was likely that they would need only one moment.
Arsenal appeared to want to fast-forward to the end. It was a tough watch, the game becoming locked in the second half, precious little happening. When Gyökeres outmuscled Tonali to win a duel in the 67th minute, the home fans went wild. They were desperate to transfer some energy to their players.
Zubimendi had a shot blocked by Malick Thiaw and there was a flashpoint when Nick Pope left his area only to miss an attempted clearance and then catch Gyökeres as he followed through. Thiaw was back to provide cover and so the goalkeeper escaped with a yellow card.
Newcastle’s moment came towards the end. It was a combination between two substitutes, Nick Woltemade and Wissa, the former scooping a lovely ball over the Arsenal defensive line for the latter, who only had Raya to beat. Wissa volleyed high.
The closing stages were illuminated by Bukayo Saka’s return from injury as a substitute and a little more excitement in terms of half chances – mainly for Arsenal. It was about keeping the back door shut.
