Comeback Kings Strike Again : Arsenal 2-1 Newcastle- Match Analysis

It must be asked whether Arsenal fans take any more of this drama! It has been 4 matches in a row where they went behind and still managed to turn it around and win the tie.  3 of their last 4 wins came from goals in stoppage time! The team can be indeed proud of the character and resilience they have showed in their recent games. Arsenal’s dramatic win over Newcastle keeps them in fourth place with 52 points, only 1 point away from third placed Tottenham Hotspur.

Wenger fielded a familiar 4-2-3-1 formation opting to field Chamberlain on the left, while Pardew chose to field a 4-4-1-1 formation with Obertan playing on the right side of midfield and Ben Arfa as an attacking midfielder:

The match started off with a good tempo as Arsenal immediately focused their attacks on the right. It only took 3 minutes for their first chance to arrive as Walcott beat Santon and delivered a cross to Van Persie who couldn’t get on the end of the ball.

Santon was clearly the weakest link in the Newcastle line-up as he simply had no answer to Walcott’s pace and Arsenal continued to exploit this weakness throughout the first half. It was a tightly contested battle in midfield for the first few minutes, and while Arsenal looked more dangerous, it was Newcastle’s Ben Arfa who scored the opener.

Vermaelen played a poor ball straight to Tiote, who played it to Ben Arfa, the Frenchman got the better of Gibbs as he smashed the ball past Szczesny into the net.

Newcastle barely had any time to celebrate as Arsenal equalized through an impressive combination. Straight from the kickoff, Rosicky picked out Walcott who found space behind a confused Santon and played a perfect cross to Van Persie, the Dutchman expertly moved the ball away from Williamson with his right foot and unleashed a fierce left footed shot into the bottom right corner adding yet another goal to his tally.

Newcastle kept the ball well in their own half but found intense pressure as they tried to move forward, and as a result could not create any chances. Arsenal continued their attacks down the right conjuring up a few half chances forcing Gutierrez to drop back and assist in defense.

It was no surprise that Newcastle manager Alan Pardew subbed off the ineffective Santon for James Perch before the start of the second half as Walcott, Sagna, and Rosicky were having a field day on that right side.

The only recognizable change for Arsenal was that Ox Chamberlain was now playing in a more central position rather than hugging the line. As a result he was more involved in the attacking movements and gave his team more options in midfield. Arsenal began to push forward and dominate possession as Newcastle were pinned back, resorting to generally aimless long.

Pardew replaced Obertan with Ameobi on the 61^st minute; this change signaled a switch to a 4-2-2 system with Ben Arfa playing on the right and Ameobi a little behind Ba.  This only made things worse for the Magpies as Arsenal were now in complete control of the midfield. Whilst in the first half, Newcastle maintained some control of the game, the second half was entirely Arsenal’s.  Newcastle was forced to drop deep and soak up the pressure for the rest of the game, perhaps hoping to get something from a counterattack.

Wenger replaced Chamberlain, who was just beginning to get into the game with Gervinho on the 68^th minute. A few minutes later Wenger brought on Ramsey, who did well to fill the boots of an in-form Rosicky who was having a great game.

Newcastle tightened up well as Arsenal continued their pressure and created a few chances, but they just weren’t able to find the net.

In the 81^st minute, the Newcaslte manager subbed off Tiote for Guthrie, who failed to have any sort of impact on the game and served to give Arsenal more freedom in midfield.

The Gunner’s didn’t show any signs of letting up and kept bombing forward looking for the winner. It wasn’t until the last minute of extra time where they saw their efforts pay off. Theo Walcott charged down the right flank and delivered a cross that fell to Vermaelen who made no mistake as he placed the ball into the back of the net giving his team a well-deserved victory.

Closing Points:

·         Santon looked out of his depth for the entire first half and simply couldn’t cope with Walcott’s pace.

·        Santon’s replacement, Perch, didn’t really do much better of a job, however, he looked less vulnerable than Santon.

·         Chamberlain on the left barely had any touches in the first half. When he was moved to a more central role in the second half, he looked much livelier, and was a constant threat. His substitute Gervinho went back to playing wide, and didn’t have much impact on the game.

·         Apart from removing Santon, Pardew’s substitutions were detrimental (removing a midfielder and putting on a forward) in a time where the team was struggling to maintain possession heavily tilted the advantage towards Arsenal. His final substitution, removing Tiote with 10 minutes left to play also further weakened the midfield as Tiote was doing a good job of closing down and breaking up Arsenal’s play.

·         Arsenal had 23 attempts on goal compared to Newcastle’s 4.  

·         Newcastle Goalie, Tim Krul, was the most involved player in his team with 72 touches of the ball and 43 passes. The second most involved Newcastle player was Cabaye, with 57 touches and 44 passes.

·         Arsenal are the new Comeback Kings as they set a new EPL record by becoming the first team to come from behind to win in 4 consecutive encounters.  

*Stats from Whoscored.com