Gunners back in hunt with Magpies win

LONDON • It was a game of two halves yesterday but, on the whole, Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta was pleased after his team got back on track with a 2-0 Premier League victory over Newcastle yesterday.

The win also meant Eddie Howe suffered his first defeat as manager of the league's bottom team.

The Gunners saw their 10-match unbeaten run in all competitions come to an end in last weekend's 4-0 thrashing at Liverpool.

But second-half goals from Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli at the Emirates Stadium made it an impressive four wins from their last five league games.

Arsenal have also now won 18 of their last 19 meetings in all competitions with Newcastle.

"I am happy with the points after losing (to Liverpool last weekend). You have to win straightaway. Overall I'm pleased," said Arteta, whose team had 80 per cent of possession in the first half but failed to score.

"We had to play with urgency and rhythm. That's what we did in the second half. We found spaces and that's how we scored the goals.

"When you have chances, you have to put them in the net. In the first half, we shot from every range without composure."

Written off after their poor start to the season in which they lost three straight matches, Arsenal are now fifth, level on 23 points with West Ham in fourth, as they chase a Champions League spot.

Rejoining the race for European places represents significant progress for Arteta, but few opponents will be quite as obliging as woeful Newcastle.

Howe was in charge in person for the first time after missing last week's 3-3 draw against Brentford due to a positive coronavirus test.

Hired by Newcastle's new owners to replace Steve Bruce, he will be under no illusions about the size of his task with his team the only side yet to record a win.

It was bleak viewing for Newcastle co-owner Amanda Staveley, who sat huddled under a blanket in the directors' box on a bitterly cold afternoon in north London.

While the Saudi-led consortium that bought Newcastle have spoken about emulating the success of Manchester City and Paris Saint-German, Howe's only focus is saving the Magpies from relegation.

But the 43-year-old remained optimistic, saying: "I thought it was a good performance, especially in the start of the game. We were good for the first half an hour. But we then came under pressure.

"The pleasing thing today is how we started and how we finished the game. We created chances. We weren't clinical but at least we were creating chances.

"Momentum in football is so important. We need to get that win as quickly as we can."

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE

ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE

YESTERDAY

Arsenal 2 Newcastle 0

Liverpool 4 Southampton 0

Norwich 0 Wolves 0

Palace 1 Villa 2

Brighton v Leeds

Man City v West Ham

Ch102 & Ch227, 10pm

Leicester v Watford

Ch103 & Ch228, 9.50pm

Burnley v Tottenham

Ch104 & Ch229, 9.50pm

Brentford v Everton

Ch105 & Ch230, 9.50pm

Chelsea v Man United

Ch102 & Ch227, tomorrow, 12.30am