Report: Arsenal 2-1 Newcastle (inc goal clips)

Arsenal closed the gap on Sp*rs to just one point after a dramatic, injury time win over Newcastle at Emirates Stadium tonight.

After getting off to a quick start against Milan, it looked as if we were in the mood to do likewise tonight. We should have been 1-0 up after just 3 minutes when Theo Walcott’s fantastic cross from the right fizzed across the six yard box and with Robin van Persie arriving you’d have put money on him tapping home.

That he missed the ball completely really was something of a surprise, as was his second touch a few moments later having brought down a Song pass beautifully on his chest, allowing Newcastle to clear.

And it was the visitors who struck first. Thomas Vermaelen gave the ball away in midfield, Ba fed Ben Arfa in our box and he stepped onto his left foot and smashed a low shot just inside the near post. Not much that Szczesny could have done but it came from giving the ball away.

Newcastle’s lead didn’t last long – just 14 seconds after the restart Arsenal were level. From the restart Rosicky fed Walcott down our right, he played a ball into van Persie whose first touch took him away from the defender, his second wrongfooted Krul and with his third he lashed it home to equalise. 1-1.

After a subdued start Arsenal got more into the game, dominating possession without really creating too much. A van Persie shot from the edge of the box went high and wide, and late in the half a fairly tame Walcott cross was cleared off the line from a corner.

The Gunners were much better in the second half, dominating possession and creating all the chances. Tomas Rosicky was outstanding in the middle for us again and he had probably the best chance when a Walcott cut back found him just 8 yards from goal but his left footed effort was miscued and went miles wide.

And there were other chances too, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain volley not far over after a great piece of skill, van Persie’s first time effort from an Arteta cross was straight at Krul who was the panto villain of the night with his time-wasting antics every time they had a goal kick.

Gervinho, on for The Ox, miscued at the back post from an Arteta corner, miskicking wide. Van Persie had a great chance but fired wide with his right foot, and when a Vermaelen header was cleared off the line at the back post it looked as if the goal might not come.

Then, as Newcastle tried to waste time up our end of the pitch, we won it back, Song fed Walcott down the right, his cross was headed by two Arsenal players and then fell to Thomas Vermaelen who had run the length of the pitch to sweep it home for the winner. 2-1.

Some handbags followed when Tim Krul came all the way out of his goal to have a go at van Persie who, as you would expect, was having none of it. It took Howard Webb a few minutes to gain control of things, Krul was obviously gutted at having lost the game, and although the 5 minutes of injury time turned into 9 by the time he blew the final whistle, Arsenal had snatched the three points.

It was no less than we deserved, we made all the chances, all the running, and while Newcastle were dangerous, the other side of the coin is, fuck them.

A great win, and we’ve set a Premier League record for being the first team ever to come back from a goal down to win in four consective league games.

I love the Arse.