Arsenal 0-0 Newcastle United: Newcastle earn a point against leaders Arsenal

Newcastle United frustrated Premier League leaders Arsenal to earn a point with a tenacious performance at the Emirates Stadium.

Chances were plentiful, and Newcastle’s Joelinton probably wasted the best of all when he headed home in first-half stoppage time.

Arsenal went close through defender Gabriel and forward Gabriel Martinelli, who both headed wide, while Newcastle goalkeeper Nick Pope made a crucial late save with his feet from Eddie Nketiah.

The Gunners also appeared to have a clear penalty claim denied when Gabriel was brought back by Dan Burn.

The game descended into a scrappy affair with seven yellow cards and the deadlock remained unchanged, with Arsenal now eight points ahead despite being held at home.

Arteta left disappointed

It may only be early January, but Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta’s frenzied behavior may have given an insight into the growing expectations surrounding the Gunners after their excellent season so far.

Arteta was on the edge of his technical area for most of the night until the very end, confronting fourth official Jarred Gillett with just five minutes added on and then heading towards opposite number Eddie Howe after late penalty appeals were turned down before what he took away.

He certainly didn’t give the impression of composure when needed as Newcastle’s resolute defensive approach and desire to draw Arsenal into the match led to frustration on all sides.

When Arteta settles down, he can still judge a job well done, but this was a night when his Arsenal side came up against a huge barrier in the form of Newcastle, their performance deteriorating after a bright start, although they still almost grabbed it at the end through Nketiah.

Arsenal still have that eight point lead, even though Manchester City have a game in hand.

It was never going to be easy for the Gunners and this was one of those occasions and Arteta’s behavior reflects what Newcastle will consider a very satisfying outcome.

Newcastle are showing progress

Newcastle’s push into the top four was met with resistance against Leeds United at St James’ Park, but they showed they can dig deep themselves as they battled for a crucial point at Arsenal.

Manager Eddie Howe will be delighted with both the performance and the result, although he will know that it might have been better if Joelinton had taken a relatively simple chance with a header.

This will be a minor gripe overall as Newcastle have shown they are prepared to fight for anything, overzealous in the eyes of some Arsenal fans, but they won’t care, and neither will the Toon Army, who celebrated a point raucously after the final whistle. .

Newcastle were well organised, trying to threaten when they could and reaffirmed the huge progress they have made under Howe and with the influx of money from their owners in Saudi Arabia.

The top four were pipe dreams at the start of the season, but Newcastle are now genuinely in that conversation and showed why as they earned what could be a vital draw.

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