Arsenal moved three points above Manchester City at the top of the Premier League with a nervy 1-0 win over Newcastle in which Kai Havertz and Eberechi Eze had to come off with injuries.
Eze scored the decisive goal with a stunning strike from the edge of the box following a well-worked corner in the ninth minute but had to be taken off in the second half after going down off the ball.
His substitution followed the withdrawal of Havertz in the first period, with the striker having also gone to ground off the ball. While Eze was able to take a seat on the bench upon coming off, Havertz looked glum as he went straight down the tunnel.
Arsenal had been knocked off the Premier League summit when Manchester City beat Burnley on Wednesday and had to work hard to regain top spot despite Eze’s early strike.
Eberechi Eze speaks to Mikel Arteta as he comes off with an injury
Arsenal’s Kai Havertz receives treatment from medical staff after going down injured
Their sloppiness allowed the out-of-form Newcastle to gain a foothold in the game and Eddie Howe’s side had chances to equalise in a nervy finale, with Yoane Wissa firing wastefully over after being played in on goal by fellow substitute Nick Woltemade.
Arsenal created little as they struggled to build any momentum after Eze’s goal, only showing some improvement with the return of Bukayo Saka as a substitute for his first appearance since last month’s Carabao Cup final loss to Manchester City.
The England international sent a deflected effort narrowly wide soon after his introduction and also helped create an opening for Martin Odegaard, who was denied by Nick Pope.
Arsenal had other opportunities to kill the game as it entered seven minutes of stoppage time but their failure to do so allowed Newcastle to continue applying pressure and they had another chance when Dan Burn headed straight at David Raya.
The loss is Newcastle’s fourth in a row in the Premier League as their poor season continues. Arsenal, meanwhile, are able to celebrate a return to the Premier League summit, albeit with injury concerns ahead of Wednesday’s Champions League trip to Atletico Madrid.
More to follow…