Newcastle 1-0 Arsenal: Player ratings as Anthony Gordon ends Gunners’ unbeaten start
Anthony Gordon scored the only goal of the game as Newcastle United beat Arsenal at St. James’ Park on Saturday evening.
A match that saw more yellow cards, nasty challenges and handbags at 10 paces than genuine goalmouth action, it took a scrappy effort in the six-yard box from Gordon in the 64th minute to decide the points. Even that goal was contentious, with VAR going to great lengths to check if the ball had gone out, if Gordon was offside, and if Joelinton had pushed Arsenal defender Gabriel.
In the end, the goal stood, with Arsenal unable to offer any serious threat of a comeback. It’s a defeat that leaves the Gunners trailing leaders Man City by three points, while Tottenham — who are now the Premier League’s only unbeaten team after this defeat for Arsenal — could go five points clear if they beat Chelsea on Monday. Newcastle, meanwhile, are sixth, just three points adrift of the Champions League places.
Read on for full player ratings from Saturday’s heated encounter…
Sky Bet offer: How to get £30 in free bets from a 5p wager
Not signed up to Sky Bet yet? The bookmaker has arguably the most generous welcome offers we know about. Eligible new customers get £30 in free bets when they sign up and place any qualifying bet of 5p or more.
- Sign up at Sky Bet using this link
- Place any qualifying bet of 5p or more
- Claim your £30 bonus
NEW CUSTOMERS ONLY. FIRST SINGLE & E/W BET ONLY. 5P MINIMUM STAKE. ODDS OF 1/1 OR GREATER. 3 X £10 BET TOKENS. FREE BET STAKES NOT INCLUDED IN RETURNS. FREE BETS EXCLUDE VIRTUALS. FREE BETS ARE NON WITHDRAWABLE. FREE BETS EXPIRE AFTER 30 DAYS. ELIGIBILITY RESTRICTIONS AND FURTHER T&CS APPLY. 18+. GambleAware.ORG
Newcastle
Nick Pope – 6 – Had very little to do but stayed alert for when he was needed.
Kieran Trippier – 7 – Had to switch sides at half-time due to Burn’s injury but whether on the right or left, Trippier was solid again.
Jamaal Lascelles -8 – Showed great leadership to keep his teammates calm when things got heated and defended brilliantly throughout.
Fabian Schar – 7 – Handled being on a yellow card very well and was solid both with and without the ball.
Dan Burn – 6 – Got himself stuck right into the battle in the first half as you’d expect, but was forced off at half-time through injury.
Bruno Guimaraes – 7 – Lucky not to get in trouble for a challenge on Jorginho in the first half but was excellent otherwise. Loads of energy and intensity.
Sean Longstaff – 7 – Solid on the ball and dominant in the 50-50 battles.
Joelinton – 9 – Was a livewire for Newcastle, breaking into the box on multiple occasions and creating a few big openings, including setting up Gordon for the goal. Put in more than his fair share of defensive work, as well.
Miguel Almiron – 7 – Was one of Newcastle’s brightest sparks on the break in the first half, but clearly needed a rest after the break.
Callum Wilson – 5 – Barely saw the ball, completing just five passes. Gave his all in the physical battles.
Anthony Gordon – 8 – Was energised throughout but looked to be missing the final touch at times, until he popped up in the six-yard box to score the winner just moments after switching to a central role.
After 10 games in 2023/24, Anthony Gordon has equalled his best tally for goal invovlements in a Premier League season:
◎ 2021/22: 4 goals, 2 assists (35 games)
◉ 2023/24: 4 goals, 2 assists (10 games)Scoring the opener this evening. ⚽#NEWARS pic.twitter.com/C0iamjAkNd
— Play Squawka Selector for Free (@Squawka_Live) November 4, 2023
Substitutes:
Valentino Livramento (for Burn, 46′) – 6 – Didn’t look out of his depth at all against such quality opposition.
Joe Willock (for Wilson, 62′) – 7 – Didn’t see much of the ball but made it count when he did, putting in the cross that led to Gordon’s goal.
Jacob Murphy (for Almiron, 63′) – N/A – Lasted just 13 minutes before coming back off with a shoulder injury.
Matt Ritchie (for Murphy, 79′) – 5 – Didn’t get into the game.
Arsenal
David Raya – 3 – Flapped at the cross which led to the goal and rarely looked confident or secure.
Ben White – 6 – A decent performance, but was the obvious candidate to be brought out when Arsenal went in search of an equalizer.
William Saliba – 7 – Made a couple of important interventions that stopped Newcastle going ahead earlier.
Gabriel – 5 – Looked good up against Wilson, but failed to deal with Joelinton in the build-up to the goal. Gabriel may feel a little hard-done-by with a push in the back from his fellow Brazilian.
Takehiro Tomiyasu – 6 – Solid on both flanks and tried his best to push forward and offer something in the final third.
Declan Rice – 8 – Probably Arsenal’s best player on the night, setting the tempo, showing great ball security and helping break up Newcastle attacks.
Jorginho – 6 – Never looked like losing the ball, but never really looked like making much happen with it either.
Kai Havertz – 3 – Was a liability at times with his lunging challenges and snipes at opposition players and the referee. Offered precious little in the final third.
Bukayo Saka – 4 – Very quiet by his own standards, rarely getting the ball in dangerous areas and passing up good opportunities to shoot when he did.
Eddie Nketiah – 5 – Had a couple of bright moments but was often isolated. Quite easily dealt with by Lascelles and Schar.
Gabriel Martinelli – 7 – By far the most effective of Arsenal’s forwards, putting in numerous dangerous deliveries and never looking afraid to beat a man or take on a shot.
Arsenal in the Premier League this season:
WWDWWDWWDWL
The Magpies remind Arteta you can’t spell Arsenal without an L. #NEWARS pic.twitter.com/pNC3eTVqpX
— Play Squawka Selector for Free (@Squawka_Live) November 4, 2023
Substitutes:
Oleksandr Zinchenko (for White, 73′) – 6 – Immediately set about upping the tempo for Arsenal but couldn’t create a genuine opening.
Leandro Trossard (for Nketiah, 79′) – 6 – Tried to make things happen but couldn’t find the breakthrough.
Fabio Vieira (for Jorginho, 79′) – 6 – Busy but lacked cutting edge.
