ARSENAL need a final day miracle to reach the Champions League after losing 2-0 at Newcastle United.
A Ben White own goal and a late Bruno Guimaraes strike saw the Magpies collect all three points at St James’ Park.
The Gunners now need Spurs to lose to already-relegated Norwich on the final day and beat Everton at home as their only chance to finish in the top four.
- Result: Newcastle 2-0 Arsenal
- TV/ live stream: Sky Sports Main Event and Premier League
- Newcastle XI: Dubravka, Krafth, Schar, Burn, Targett, Bruno, Longstaff, Joelinton,Almiron, Wilson, Saint-Maximin
- Arsenal XI: Ramsdale, Tomiyasu, Gabriel, White, Tavares, Elneny, Xhaka, Odegaard, Smith Rowe, Saka, Nketiah
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Xhaka shames his team
A fascinatingly candid Granit Xhaka reflects on the performance:
We didn’t deserve to be on the pitch today. I can’t explain to you why we didn’t do the gameplan. Not listening to the coach. It was a disaster of a performance. We don’t deserve to play champions League. You can be 35, you can be 30, you can be 10, you can be 18. If you don’t have the balls to play, stay at home, stay on the bench. We are very sorry to the Arsenal supporters.
Granit Xhaka, Arsenal midfielder
“We had nothing in the game” – Arteta
A stunned, sombre Mikel Arteta had his say on the game:
It was a difficult night to swallow. Newcastle deserved to win the match comfortably. We had nothing in the game… We could not cope with the game we had to play here. I was worried. We tried to change some things, but it didn’t make it better. The execution was so poor. The goals we gave away were so poor. Newcastle were 10 times better than us. That was not a performance that belonged in the Champions League.
Mikel Arteta, Arsenal boss
Praying for a miracle
Spurs play bottom of the League Norwich on the final day of the season. Conte’s men need just a point to secure Champions League football.
It’s almost a a given, but also an opportunity for Spurs to ‘out-bottle-job’ Arsenal should they want to…
Only last week, Arsenal were four points in front of their rivals. Today they sink two points below.
.Credit: Reuters
Full time – Newcastle 2-0 Arsenal
Nketiah can’t keep the ball in play, and Darren England blows his whistle.
The Arsenal players fall to their knees, staring blindly into the distance. ‘Movin on up’ plays over the tannoy. Oh the irony.
It’s all smiles amongst those in black and white. They dominated Arsenal from start to finish. Guimares put the nail in the Arsenal coffin after Ben White’s own goal as they look to finish their season in style.
Arsenal didn’t turn up. They were flat, lifeless, lacking direction, and in truth, they’ve only got themselves to blame.
.Credit: Getty Newcastle 2-0 Arsenal
90+5, The ball is rolled off to Fraser who decides to place one towards the corner. Ramsdale gets a hand to it, denying Newcastle a third.
Newcastle 2-0 Arsenal – Xhaka yellow card
90+5, Well it wouldn’t be Arsenal if Xhaka didn’t get a booking.
Guimares glides past him, and Xhaka trips the Brazilian on his way through.
Newcastle 2-0 Arsenal – Newcastle change
92+3, Wilson strolls off and soaks up the applause. He’s been excellent tonight on his return to the starting 11.
Gayle is on in his place.
Newcastle 2-0 Arsenal
90+2, Pepe slides the ball into Lacazette who looks to have a shooting opportunity, but it’s nicked away from him.
Cedric then strikes a wild effort from distance. Wasteful.
Newcastle 2-0 Arsenal
90, The board goes up for six added minutes.
Three goals in stoppage time? We’ve seen stranger things. Although, Arsenal haven’t shown much desire going forward.
Newcastle 2-0 Arsenal
87, Martinelli passes the ball behind Nketiah and out of play.
That just about sums up their performance this evening. They have turned up.
This is truly miserable for the Arsenal fans.
Newcastle 2-0 Arsenal
Longstaff dinks the ball through to Wilson. Ramsdale is out to smother him, but it’s straight into the path of Guimares who rolls the ball into an empty Arsenal net. What a signing he is proving to be.
There is surely no way back for Arteta now, as there Champions League hopes further fade.
.Credit: AFP GOAL! Newcastle 2-0 Arsenal
84, Guimares slides the ball home to double their lead!
Newcastle 1-0 Arsenal
83, Martinelli weaves down the wing and plays the ball across.
It breaks to Odegaard, but a group of newcastle shirts throw themselves in the way of his effort.
Newcastle 1-0 Arsenal
81, What an effort from Wilson!
The forward catches Ramsdale off his line and spins and strikes one on the volley from 65 yards.
It trickles just wide of the post, with Ramsdale desperately scrambling back.
Newcastle 1-0 Arsenal
79, Nearly curtains for Arsenal!
Pepe gives the ball away carelessly in midfield, and suddenly it’s two on one. Murphy slides in Fraser, perhaps a tad too early. Fraser plays the return ball. Murphy’s effort is struck with venom but straight at Ramsdale who makes the save.
Newcastle 1-0 Arsenal
77, Murphy’s first involvement is a positive one.
He sends Saka to the floor, sprinting into the box. But he gets too much on the cross, and it’s out for an Arsenal throw.
Newcastle 1-0 Arsenal – Newcastle double change
76, Murphy and Fraser are on. Almiron and Saint-Maximin make way.
Newcastle 1-0 Arsenal – Arsenal change
73, Pepe is on for Gabriel. It will be all out attack now, with just three recognised Arsenal defenders on the pitch.
Newcastle 1-0 Arsenal
72, Wilson with another chance!
It’s cut back to the centre-back who’s first time effort takes a nick off White and out for the corner.
VAR were checking for a handball against the Arsenal man, but it comes to nothing.
Newcastle 1-0 Arsenal
71, Elneny tries his luck from distance, but it’s too central, and Dubravka can hold on to it.
Newcastle 1-0 Arsenal
69, Xhaka scoops the ball in behind the Newcastle defence to Martinelli. He checks back inside, before turning back again and firing on goal. Krafth gets the block in.
Joelinton then clears from the corner. He is showing his class this evening.
Newcastle 1-0 Arsenal
67, At full-stretch, own-goalscorer White, blocks Longstaff’s ball across the box.
Ramsdale then manically tries to get hold of the ball, before Lacazette wins the foul off Joelinton.
Newcastle 1-0 Arsenal
65, A word on the goal…
To the Arsenal fans’ dismay, it all came from Tavares’ foul throw in the Newcastle half. That will really hurt.
Newcastle 1-0 Arsenal
65, Martinelli is down and looks to be in some discomfort.
Newcastle 1-0 Arsenal
64, The ball rolls out for Joelinton who hits it first time, but his effort was always rising.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
