Unai Emery’s men are on a roll. In a game of two contrasting halves, the Gunners prevailed owing to their strong second-half showing with two goals in quick succession against the helpless Magpies. The game ended 2-1 in favor of the Gunners as they turned on the style in the second half.
Following a dreadful first half in which Newcastle dominated, the Gunners came to life when Granit Xhaka opened the scoring with a sumptuous free kick in the 49th minute. Mesut Ozil doubled the lead scoring from a rebound in the 58th minute.
The late consolation goal for the Magpies, a deft header from the substitute Ciaran Clark, didn’t do Rafa Benitez’s men any favours as the Magpies remain winless in all competitions since the start of the season.
3 Sokratis Papastathopoulos
When Sokratis was signed during the summer, there was a lot of scepticism amongst the Gunners’ faithful. The Greek veteran was 30 years old and for the fee that was paid for his services, the fans felt that they could have gone for someone younger and with a way more upside.
Having started his fifth game in a row, Sokratis was exceptional against the Magpies. While Mustafi, his partner in defence, was shaky from the start, Sokratis covered his blushes more than once. He bailed out the German when he lost his footing and let Jacob Murphy through on goal.
Composed and gritty, the veteran’s leadership qualities and no-nonsense style were on full display. He was vocal and dealt with Matt Ritchie very well even though the Newcastle winger was in inspired form.
If he could keep up this sort of consistency, Sokratis is going to be a vital part of the Gunners’ campaign.
2 Granit Xhaka
For a player that is often derided and scapegoated by the fans and pundits alike, Granit Xhaka is the player that they have to rely on up to influence games from the deep. There is no one like him in the squad that does what he does best.
The Swiss maestro was dreadful in the opening half just like every other Arsenal player but came to life in the second half by opening the scoring with a delightful free kick in the 49th minute. He was heavily involved in the creation of the second goal with his cutback finding Alexandre Lacazette, whose goalbound effort resulted in Mesut Ozil scoring from the rebound. His probing passes were a constant nightmare for the Magpies throughout the half.
Throughout the second half, Xhaka gave a tantalizing glimpse of what he is and what to expect from him when his defensive burden is lessened and given time on the ball. For fans wondering about why he isn’t dropped yet, his second-half performance is telling and vindictive of the trust his coach has on him.
1 Lucas Torreira
There were plenty of groans from the fans when the starting XI was announced and Torreira wasn’t in it. The little Uruguayan, extremely influential in all his cameos, would have been naturally disappointed when he had to do with a place on the bench for the fifth game in a row.
Subbed on for the ineffective Matteo Guendouzi at halftime, Torreira ran the show for the Gunners with a display that made the most significant difference to the Arsenal’s play. He didn’t linger on the ball for long like Guendouzi and moved the ball very quickly which in turn fastened the Gunners’ play.
Strong in the tackle and quick in sniffing out the counter attacks, Torreira has to start from now on alongside Xhaka. The duo complements each other very well and Torreira’s exceptional defensive attributes bring the best out of Xhaka.