Goals:
0-1: Xhaka (49, curled brilliantly inside Dubravka’s top left from 25 yards with a fine free-kick)
0-2: Ozil (59, side-footed low and beyond the keeper after reacting to Lacazette’s blocked effort)
1-2: Clark (90, headed Fernandez’s perfect delivery down and beyond Cech at the back post)
Referee: Lee Probert (Wiltshire) – never in the spotlight and kept his cards in his pocket, which was nice to see. 7
Bookings: None
Attendance: 52,165
Entertainment: **
Newc Arsenal
Shots on 4 2
Shots off 2 8
Corners 9 2
Offsides 2 1
Fouls 10 7
NEWCASTLE UNITED (4-2-3-1):
5 Dubravka: Didn’t have too many saves to make but unable to get near the two that counted;
6 Yedlin: Did reasonably well to keep Aubameyang quiet and contributed to him going off
5 Lascelles: Did what he had to when the ball came his way even if he didn’t look fit
6 Fernandez: The pick of the defenders overall but was still the man who conceded the free-kick for the opener
6 Dummett: Put in plenty of effort and looked to join in with the attacks when he could;
5 Diame: Not one of his better days in the middle and didn’t link well enough with Hayden
5 Hayden: The game passed him by for the most part and will need to do more to stay in the side;
6 RITCHIE: Showed plenty of willingness and desire to get on the ball but didn’t do enough when he was
5 Perez: Started brightly along with Newcastle but soon faded and never looked like scoring
5 Murphy: Had Newcastle’s best two chances but unable to make them count;
5 Joselu: Did what he was asked to but never looked like really testing the Arsenal backline until it was too late
Subs:
Clark (for Lascelles 46): His introduction coincided with Arsenal’s goals but headed one in too. 5
Kenedy (for Murphy 69): Had a couple of runs that came to nothing. 5
Muto (for Ritchie 79)
(not used): Darlow (gk), Shelvey, Rondon, Manquillo.
ARSENAL (4-2-3-1): Cech 7; Bellerin 6, Mustafi 6, Sokratis 7, Monreal 6; Guendouzi 5 (Torreira 46, 7), XHAKA 7; Ozil 7, Ramsey 6 (Welbeck 80), Aubameyang 5 (Mkhitaryan 69, 5); Lacazette 7. Subs: Leno (gk), Elneny, Lichsteiner, Holding.
MAN OF THE MATCH: Granit Xhaka – hit the sweetest of openers and did the defensive side of his game well too.
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