Arsenal and Arteta frustrated by Newcastle’s defensive masterclass

No goals and a litany of niggle, but the beginning of a modern-day title rivalry? Perhaps that is going too far and, after all, back in August few would have given credence to the suggestion of Arsenal and Newcastle fighting it out at the top. But the sight of Mikel Arteta being dragged away from confronting Eddie Howe after full time spoke of the needle that took little time to rear its head here; Howe had got exactly what he came for and it was not hard, for different reasons, to see why these teams have lost only a game apiece all season.

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Arteta had been raging when Jacob Murphy was not penalised after a last-gasp handball appeal, a decision that left him simmering almost an hour later. A different call would have given Arsenal a penalty and, in all likelihood, helped them move 10 points clear; they had attempted to turn the screw late on and, given the number of balls that flew into and across Newcastle’s area, there was always the suspicion something might fall their way. They will come up against few defences as expertly drilled as this, though, and the outcome ultimately goes down as a masterclass in frustration and organisation from the visitors.

After weathering the now familiar early storm from Arteta’s side, Newcastle dug in and ensured proceedings were rarely allowed to flow. Eddie Nketiah will wonder whether he could have caught a late chance, repelled by an alert Nick Pope, more cleanly and half-chances were spurned in those opening exchanges but it was telling that Arteta was reduced to complaining about unawarded spot kicks. He also felt an incident midway through the second half, when Dan Burn appeared to get hold of Gabriel Magalhães’ shirt at a set piece, should have been punished but really this was a rare occasion on which Arsenal did not quite do enough.

No opponent had taken as much as a point from the Emirates all season and that said plenty for Newcastle’s achievement. It was not pretty and Howe did not pretend as much afterwards: a purist would have shuddered at the number of stoppages, bitty fouls and broken-up passages of play. But they were entitled to approach the task this way: Arsenal blow you away if you let them, as sides with more celebrated names have discovered, and after finding a foothold you must ensure you retain it.

That manifested itself in a succession of fouls from the opening period’s midway point, which essentially ended the first 45 minutes as a spectacle. Martin Ødegaard had volleyed over in the third minute and Bukayo Saka, scorching around Burn but unable to beat Pope from an angle, appeared to have his opposite number on toast. Granit Xhaka had also sought an opener after a break by Saka but was soon enough shown a yellow card by Andrew Madley for a messy foul on Fabian Schär, which typified the way Arsenal had been dragged into a scrap of Newcastle’s making.

Sights of goal were few in a one-sided but mucky second half, although Gabriel Martinelli flashed a header wide shortly before Nketiah’s glimpse. Martinelli was otherwise quieter than at any time this season, policed expertly by Kieran Trippier, while Joelinton put in a phenomenal shift supporting Burn in smothering Saka. Perhaps the already booked Joelinton was fortunate when his arm later caught Saka’s face but, as defensive performances from a forward go, this was exemplary.

Opportunities at the other end were vanishingly few, although a scatty minute’s play from Arsenal soon after the restart brought a hashed kick from Aaron Ramsdale and a cross flashed across goal from Miguel Almirón. On the half-time whistle Joelinton had stretched and missed a header from close in after a corner had been flicked on; there was the occasional bout of head tennis inside Arsenal’s box later but little to yield realistic hope of an away win.

The fear was that Murphy, a substitute, had thrown it all away when Xhaka’s cross struck him at close quarters but it would have been harsh in the extreme to pull him up. Arteta’s reaction on the touchline was explosive; it felt a bit much, as his team had not played badly and are still superbly placed at the summit. Drawing with grace should be possible given the scintillating fare they have come to produce most weeks.

Newcastle nullified it and remain embedded in the top four, although a challenge for first place is probably far fetched. That may come in time and the seeds were sown here for a longstanding tussle.