Newcastle vs Arsenal result: Five things we learned as Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang goal seals 1-0 win
Five things we learned from Arsenal’s narrow win over Newcastle
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Your support makes all the difference.Arsenal got their 2019/20 campaign up and running with a 1-0 win at Newcastle United.
The hosts had the better of a scrappy first-half and almost took the lead when Jonjo Shelvey hit the post with a powerful half-volley.
But Arsenal grew into the game and took the lead when Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang raced onto Ainsley Maitland-Niles’ dink forward and finished confidently.
In the closing stages Unai Emery then introduced Arsenal new boys Dani Ceballos, Nicolas Pépé and Gabriel Martinelli, as his side saw out a 1-0 victory.
Here are five things we learned from the Premier League match.
Aubameyang resumes where he left off
If Arsenal are going to go one better than last season and reclaim their place in the Champions League, they need Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to maintain his 2018/19 form.
Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette were absolutely superb for Unai Emery in his maiden campaign at the Emirates, with the former winning a share of the Premier League golden boot and the latter being voted the club’s player of the season.
If there is one slight criticism of Aubameyang it is that he can sometimes struggle to make much of an impact when he plays without Lacazette, whose tireless running creates him so many goalscoring opportunities. And, although he endured a frustrating first-half at St James’ Park, he took his chance when it came: running onto Ainsley Maitland-Niles’ dink forward and finishing confidently beyond Martin Dúbravka.
Emery takes his time
Given the excitement surrounding Arsenal’s uncharacteristic summer splurge, it would have been easy for Unai Emery to bow to fan pressure and stack his starting XI with the bulk of his new signings.
But he resisted the temptation: instead leaving Nicolas Pépé, David Luiz, Dani Ceballos and Gabriel Martinelli on the bench and selecting youngsters Joe Willock and Reiss Nelson to start.
At half-time, it looked as though he had made a poor decision. Arsenal had started the match sluggishly, lacking any real incision, and were lucky not to trail to a powerful Jonjo Shelvey shot which had smacked into the post.
But, in the end, Emery was vindicated. After Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang broke the deadlock he was able to gradually introduce his new signings, helping to ease them into what promises to be a fast and furious league campaign. It was a gamble. But it paid off.
Joelinton impresses on debut
Joelinton is not your typical Brazilian forward.
The 22-year-old, who arrived at Newcastle from Hoffenheim in a club-record £40m move, is a powerful 6 ft 1 in target man, who uses his physicality and power to hold the ball up, looking to bring his team-mates into play.
In the first-half, he won no fewer than four aerial challenges. The rest of his Newcastle team-mates? Zero.
He didn’t have too much to work with this afternoon but it will be intriguing to see what sort of strike partnership he forges with Andy Carroll – a striker who shares many of his characteristics.
Mkhitaryan’s time could soon be up
Henrikh Mkhitaryan has endured a frustrating Arsenal career, only ever impressing in fits and bursts since his arrival from Manchester United midway through the 2017/18 campaign.
With the recent arrivals of Nicolas Pépé and Dani Ceballos, Mkhitaryan really needed to produce a statement performance away to Newcastle, reminding Unai Emery of his quality before the summer signings have a chance to bed in and win a place in the Spaniard’s preferred XI.
But Mkhitaryan struggled desperately in the St James’ gloom, producing little of note, wasting a fine first-half chance and time and again giving the ball away. On the touchline, Emery grew increasingly frustrated with the 30-year-old and it’s difficult to see how he can hold down a role in his side.
Newcastle supporters make their point
There were large swathes of empty seats at St James’ Park as a number of Newcastle supporters elected to stay away from their club’s opening match of the season.
Outside of the ground, a number of fans meanwhile braved the elements to protest with large ‘ASHLEY OUT’ banners, handing out leaflets to those supporters who had decided to attend.
A collective of ten supporter groups ultimately elected to snub the Arsenal clash, in a clear indication that all is not well on Tyneside after the controversial departure of the beloved Rafael Benítez.
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