Arsenal secured a vital 2-1 comeback victory against Newcastle United on Sunday, narrowing the gap in the Premier League title race. This win further cemented their reputation for scoring crucial late goals and utilizing set pieces effectively to clinch games.
Despite dominating the match, Arsenal found themselves trailing 1-0 at St. James` Park for 50 minutes after Newcastle`s Sandro Tonali scored from a set piece, assisted by Nick Woltemade, in the 34th minute. Following their goal, the Magpies adopted a highly defensive strategy, reminiscent of the cautious approach Mikel Arteta`s Arsenal has sometimes been criticized for, making the game`s progression predictable for almost an hour.
Eddie Howe`s Newcastle fiercely defended their slender 1-0 lead, relinquishing possession to Arsenal and facing nine shots on their goal during that period. Their attacking efforts were minimal, registering only two shots in 50 minutes, none on target, and achieving a mere 0.12 expected goals. While this pragmatic, defensive strategy is often seen as a reliable way to secure results, even with less talented squads, in this instance, it ultimately failed.
Arsenal finally broke through in the 84th minute with Mikel Merino`s equalizer, a well-deserved outcome given their relentless pressure on Newcastle`s defense. By the time the goal was scored, the Gunners had accumulated 18 shots and 1.29 expected goals, indicating their sustained offensive push. The decisive moment came in the 96th minute from a familiar source: a straightforward set piece, with Martin Odegaard`s inswinging delivery powerfully headed home by Gabriel for the winning goal.
While Liverpool has gained a reputation for scoring late goals this season, Arsenal is proving to be equally adept. They secured a stoppage-time equalizer against Manchester City last week and scored both goals after the 70th minute in their 2-0 Champions League victory against Athletic Club. Substitutes have been crucial in these instances: Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard contributed a goal and an assist each in Bilbao, Eberechi Eze assisted Gabriel`s equalizer against City, and on Sunday, Mikel Merino and Martin Odegaard made significant impacts from the bench.
These impactful substitutions underscore the success of Arsenal`s recent aggressive transfer policy, which prioritizes building squad depth to overcome challenging situations, such as the one encountered on Sunday. This crucial win places Arsenal just two points behind current leaders Liverpool, who suffered a loss to Crystal Palace on Saturday, firmly keeping them in the early-season title race. However, questions persist regarding Arsenal`s preferred attacking lineup, as Trossard managed only one shot on Sunday, and Bukayo Saka`s two shots amounted to a mere 0.06 expected goals. Additionally, Viktor Gyokeres`s three Premier League goals this season have all been scored against teams in the lower half of the table.
Nevertheless, Arsenal`s ability to produce late comebacks allows Arteta to postpone addressing these tactical questions for now, as their winning habit continues to deliver crucial points.
