ARSENAL (4-2-3-1):
Cech 6; Bellerin 7, Monreal 6, Koscielny 7, Maitland-Niles 7; Xhaka 6, Wilshere 7; Iwobi 6 (Welbeck 72), OZIL 8, Sanchez 6 (Coquelin 88); Lacazette 6 (Giroud 72).
Subs (not used): Ospina (gk), Chambers, Kolasinac, Elneny.
NEWCASTLE (4-4-2):
7 ELLIOT: Had no chance with Ozil’s goal, and made good second-half saves from Iwobi and Wilshere to justify his recall to the team
6 Yedlin: Kept the mercurial Sanchez relatively quiet, but wasn’t able to offer any kind of a threat on the overlap
5 Lejeune: His weak defensive header inadvertently set up Ozil’s winner, and he struggled to deal with Lacazette’s movement
6 Lascelles: Won some important headers and tried to match Giroud for physicality in the closing stages
4 Manquillo: Has to cut in on his right foot, so doesn’t look a natural fit at left-back – struggled to deal with Bellerin’s forward runs
6 Murphy: Made a couple of decent breaks down the flank, and forced Cech into his only meaningful save with a low second-half strike
4 Hayden: Won’t have particularly enjoyed his return to the Emirates, with the game passing him by for long periods
5 Merino: Started reasonably strongly as he looked to get on the ball, but his passing became increasingly ragged
4 Atsu: Wasted a couple of decent counter-attacking opportunities with some sloppy passing, and was hauled off early in the second half
5 Perez: Only became a factor in the closing stages, and should have done better with a late header that drifted wide
4 Joselu: Another frustrating afternoon for the Spaniard, who failed to find the target with a couple of half-chances
Subs:
6 Ritchie (for Atsu, 54): Added some pace and guile in the second half, and threatened with a shot that was curled over
6 Gayle (for Murphy, 67): Newcastle perked up when he came onto the field, and he should probably have started given his recent scoring record
Diame (for Merino, 82)
(not used): Darlow (gk), Dummett, Clark, Aarons.
Man Of The Match: MESUT OZIL – The Arsenal midfielder produced the one moment of magic in an otherwise humdrum game. The technical proficiency of his volleyed winner merited winning any match.
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