Arsenal survived a hostile environment at St James’ Park and came back to win thanks to two late goals from set pieces.
The Gunners pulled a ‘Liverpool’ scoring twice in the last few minutes to come back from 0-1 down to win 2-1 against Newcastle United. The three points mean they’re right behind the Reds, with just two points separating both teams now.
It was one of the hard-fought wins the fans have grown accustomed to in the last few months under Mikel Arteta. Set-piece goals, Mikel Merino and Gabriel to the rescue.
In this article, we’ll cover:
Set-pieces vs open play
All three goals of the match came from set-pieces. Nick Woltemade opened the scoring with his second Premier League goal of the season. Eddie Howe gave Arteta a taste of his own medicine while also setting his team up to be seemingly immune on the opposite end. Until the 84th minute.
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Super-sub Mikel Merino flicked Declan Rice’s cross and did what looked like it was going to be impossible: beat Nick Pope. Gabriel then did the same on stoppage time and sealed Arsenal’s win.
Still, it wasn’t like the Gunners were truly struggling in open play, like it has been a few times. Before conceding, they were in full control of the game, recovering possession quickly – and sometimes near the goal.
And despite leaning on long passes more than usual (56 attempts, their highest tally of the season), they won a lot of second balls. That helped them to not only get to but also establish themselves in the attacking half.
They actually broke through on goal twice: one time with Viktor Gyokeres being denied a penalty and another with Leandro Trossard hitting the post. Before that, Pope performed brilliant saves against Eberechi Eze and Bukayo Saka.
However, Newcastle’s goal changed the match. All of the momentum switched to the home side and Arsenal clearly felt the punch. Still, they managed to get Jurrien Timber a free header almost inside the six-yard box, but Pope stepped up once again.
Key Arsenal stats:
- 56 long balls attempted (Ranked #1 in the season)
- 2 goals scored from set pieces
- 2 big chances created from open play
Arteta’s tactical flexibility
All of this has a lot to do with Mikel Arteta’s tactics. He still shows some signs of pragmatism – such as starting centre-backs as full-backs and deploying long balls. But there have been clear attempts to change his approach from a rigid to a more fluid structure.
Eze started in the central corridor with Trossard also getting touches inside rather than hugging the touchline. Saka stayed out wide but had the freedom to cut inside as well.
At the same time, you could see an attempt to get Gyokeres going by trying to set him up in transition. That was a big part of his game under Ruben Amorim at Sporting and Arteta is trying to meet the Swede halfway.
Key Gyokeres stats:
- 6 shot attempts (Ranked #1 in the season across all competitions)
- 32 touches (Ranked #1 in the season across all competitions)
Lack of wide threats
Another part of Arteta trying to reinvent himself with the Gunners’ current squad is the full-backs. Both Timber and Riccardo Calafiori have been staying wide more often as of late.
The Dutchman actually had an impressive performance considering his origins as a centre-back. He led Arsenal in chances created (3), take-ons attempted (6) and completed (3) at St James’ Park.
However, we can’t say the same about Calafiori. Especially when the Gunners were losing and had to break the Magpies’ low block, he offered basically nothing offensively. No real threat out wide, from crosses, passes, runs or anything.
It’s nice to have alternatives and versatile defenders capable os playing multiple positions. But deploying centre-backs as full-backs leaves them lacking pace and creation in the final third. If the wingers start occupying more central areas, they will need it. Could be a point of emphasis for them in the next transfer windows.
Overall, it felt like a deserved Arsenal win over Newcastle. They relied on set pieces to actually score, but did create very good chances in open play. The Gunners also persevered through a difficult 50-minute period trailing after conceding against the run of play.
Expected Goals would also suggest that the outcome was fair. Mikel Arteta’s men produced 1.9 xG to the Magpies’ just 0.49 xG.
It was a step in the right direction for Arteta trying to navigate tactical changes and injury problems while also keeping his team competitive and collecting points in the league.