Newcastle United dealt Arsenal a blow in the Premier League title race with a narrow 1-0 win at St. James’ Park, thanks to an early header from Alexander Isak.
This marked Newcastle’s first victory in six league matches, bringing them up to eighth in the standings with 15 points, while Arsenal held onto third place with 18 points, awaiting results from title contenders Manchester City and Liverpool.
The game’s only goal came in the 12th minute when Anthony Gordon, controlling the ball on the right wing, delivered a precise cross that found Isak between Arsenal defenders Gabriel and William Saliba. The Swedish forward rose high to send a powerful header past Arsenal’s goalkeeper David Raya, securing his third league goal of the season.
“That was massive! A big game against a big team, I think it means a lot, a bit of a statement to us and to the fans that we can win this game,” Isak said, who has now netted 12 times in his last 12 home league games.
Reflecting on his header, Isak added, “(Heading) is not my strongest quality. It feels good to score. The cross was amazing, I just had to jump and put my head on the ball, so credit to him”.
Newcastle’s defense, bolstered by recent strong performances, kept Arsenal at bay, disrupting any attempt the Gunners made to advance near the penalty area. Arsenal’s best opportunity came in the final minutes when Declan Rice directed a cross just wide, later holding his head in frustration. Bukayo Saka, too, had a chance off Kai Havertz’s cross but sent his header off-target.
Newcastle defender Lewis Hall praised his team’s resilience, telling TNT Sports, “We didn’t have the greatest start (to the season) performance-wise but we were still picking up results. The last few weeks when we were playing better football we weren’t getting results. This is something we can build on for sure”.
Arsenal’s struggle extended to three games without a league win. William Saliba expressed the team’s disappointment, saying, “We are all a bit sad because we wanted to win today. Unfortunately, we didn’t and we didn’t play the game we wanted to play. We deserved to lose today I think”.
He added a note of optimism, saying, “We have to stick together. Last season we had one period like this and we need to stay together and have the confidence to get out. We all believe we will come back”.
The loss marked the first time Mikel Arteta’s squad has dropped back-to-back away league games since May 2022.
