Arsenal v Newcastle: Key stats and talking points

Arsenal have the chance to move three points clear of title rivals Manchester City if they can beat an out-of-form Newcastle at the Emirates on Saturday (17:30 BST). BBC Sport analyses the key talking points ahead of the match.

Gunners seek return to winning form

Arsenal's 209-day run at the top of the table came to an end on Wednesday night as Manchester City finally leapfrogged them on goals scored.

With the sides locked on 70 points and with an identical goal difference of +37, this looks set to be one of the tightest title races in history.

With City not in league action this weekend due to their FA Cup commitments, the Gunners have two home games before Pep Guardiola's side play again on Bank Holiday Monday, so could open up a six-point lead.

But to do that they must address their shocking run of form. After losing just three of their first 49 matches of the season in all competitions (W37, D9) they have lost four of the last six and have suffered back-to-back Premier League defeats for the first time since December 2023.

Mikel Arteta will be glad to see the arrival of May next week. Since he took charge of the Gunners they have taken just 40 points from 27 games played in April and a whopping 18% of all top-flight defeats the club have suffered under him have also been in the fourth month of the year.

Despite their recent wobbles Opta's supercomputer still has the Gunners as favourites to win the title at 65% and they will be buoyed by their excellent league record against Newcastle.

[BBC]

Howe under pressure as poor run goes on

Newcastle are in worse form than Arsenal having lost eight of their last 11 league games. In fact, only Tottenham and have lost more top-flight matches than Newcastle in 2026.