Goals:
0-1: Giroud (24, helped Welbeck’s flick-on beyond Krul with a fortunate finish off his knee)
0-2: Giroud (28, allowed to glance a header in from Cazorla cross despite the presence of Williamson)
1-2: Sissoko (48, arrived on cue to side foot Cabella’s cross beyond Ospina from 12 yards)
Bookings: None
Referee: Mike Jones (Chester) – did well to keep his cards in his pocket and keep the game flowing. 7
Attendance: 50,544
Entertainment: PPP
Newc Arsenal
Shots on 4 3
Shots off 12 4
Corners 9 4
Offsides 2 2
Fouls 11 7
NEWCASTLE UNITED (4-2-3-1):
6 Krul: Solid enough performance which included a couple of decent saves to keep Arsenal down to two;
7 Taylor: Had a positive game, contributed to Sissoko’s goal and even in the first half he was not the defender at fault
8 JANMAAT: Was the strongest member of the defence even if he had never played centrally before
4 Williamson: Failed to deal with the threat of Giroud particularly when the Frenchman nodded in his second
4 Colback: Must have thought his left-back days where behind him when he left Sunderland;
4 Anita: Struggled from start to finish, even when Newcastle improved after the restart
5 Gouffran: Asked to play out of position as a holding midfielder and after a shaky start he looked stronger;
7 Cabella: Proved a real nuisance to the Arsenal defence in the second half, it’s just a shame he never looks like scoring
7 Sissoko: Took his goal superbly and was often the driving force from Newcastle’s midfield
6 Ameobi: Looked dangerous in the final third when he attacked Chambers but often misplaced a pass;
7 Perez: Showed flashes again of the player attracting interest from some of Europe’s biggest clubs
Subs:
Gutierrez (for Anita 71)
Armstrong (for Ameobi 88)
(not used): Elliot (gk), Obertan, Riviere, Satka, Kemen.
ARSENAL (4-2-3-1): Ospina 7; Chambers 4, Koscielny 5, Gabriel 7, Monreal 5; Coquelin 6, Ramsey 6; Sanchez 6 (Rosicky 71), Cazorla 7 (Flamini 71), Welbeck 6 (Bellerin 88); GIROUD 8. Subs: Szczesny (gk), Gibbs, Mertesacker, Walcott.
MAN OF THE MATCH: OLIVIER Giroud – at the double to separate him from the game’s other best performers.
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