Arsenal edge back on top in title race after Eze stunner sees off Newcastle

The goal came from Arsenal’s third corner and the unusual thing was that they worked all three short. They had previously played only six short corners in the league all season. When they shaped to do so with the second here, the home crowd howled. They wanted the ball to be curved in under the bar. The move ended with Eze dragging a shot off target. The fans needed to have faith. When Madueke played the third one low into Havertz, he turned it back to Eze and the scene was set. The finish was a beauty.

Nick Pope fails to stop Eberechi Eze’s curling effort. Photograph: David Klein/Reuters

Newcastle had threatened at the very outset. There were just seconds on the clock when Joe Willock robbed Martín Zubimendi and surged forward, slipping a nice pass up for Will Osula. The centre-forward caught an unlucky bobble and air-kicked. He was well-placed to the left of goal. It was a big chance.

Eddie Howe set up with four at the back, Osula upfront and an interchanging quintet in between. Broadly, it was Jacob Murphy on the right and Jacob Ramsey on the left. Willock had plenty of licence in central attacking areas. As did Sandro Tonali in deeper ones. Bruno Guimarães roamed from box to box. But the positional switches were constant and they were hard to track.

The atmosphere was subdued in the first half as Arteta’s team laboured, their cause not helped when Havertz limped off in the 34th minute. On came Viktor Gyökeres. Newcastle bossed the shot count 9-3 before the interval and they went close on the half-hour when Tonali unleashed a shot from distance that swerved viciously. David Raya had to change direction at the last moment to save in rather ungainly fashion.

The nerves of the Arsenal support pounded because they could see that their team were happy to sit in and protect the 1-0. Defensive solidity has been the cornerstone of their season but it nevertheless felt risky. The situation from a creative point of view took another hit when Eze was forced off early in the second half. Arteta replaced him with Gabriel Martinelli.

The past few months have been a slog for Newcastle, the collective confidence dwindling. They have been guilty of overthinking things as the defeats have piled up. Could they summon something here? It was likely that they would need only one moment.

Newcastle's Yoane Wissa reacts after missing a chance to score past David Raya. Photograph: David Klein/Reuters

Arsenal appeared to want to fast-forward to the end. It was a tough watch, the game becoming locked in the second half, precious little happening. When Gyökeres outmuscled Tonali to win a duel in the 67th minute, the home fans went wild. They were desperate to transfer some energy to their players.

Zubimendi had a shot blocked by Malick Thiaw and there was a flashpoint when Nick Pope left his area only to miss an attempted clearance and then catch Gyökeres as he followed through. Thiaw was back to provide cover and so the goalkeeper escaped with a yellow card.

Newcastle’s moment came towards the end. It was a combination between two substitutes, Nick Woltemade and Wissa, the former scooping a lovely ball over the Arsenal defensive line for the latter, who only had Raya to beat. Wissa volleyed high.

The closing stages were illuminated by Bukayo Saka’s return from injury as a substitute and a little more excitement in terms of half chances – mainly for Arsenal. It was about keeping the back door shut.