Goals from Aaron Ramsey and Alexandre Lacazette gave Arsenal a 2-0 win over Newcastle United in the Premier League at the Emirates.
Arsenal’s Mesut Ozil invited Shah Rukh Khan for the game against Newcastle (R) Alexandre Lacazette
London:
Five of Arsenal’s remaining seven fixtures are away, where it has picked up fewer than half of its points this season, a fact Emery was quick to pick up on after the match. “Our challenge is away, to be as consistent as we are at home,” the Spaniard told reporters. His players, nevertheless, seem confident that they can return to Europe’s elite club competition for the first time in three seasons. “I can feel the difference in the atmosphere from last season. Now we can maybe go to the CL,” said Lacazette, after a convincing win over the Magpies. Newcastle appeared to set itself up for a draw at best, with five men in the back line and another four in front of them for most of the game.
The tactics worked until a sweeping Arsenal move, in which Ramsey found Lacazette and then raced forward into the area to meet the return pass with a sweetly timed left-foot shot. Arsenal pushed forward repeatedly as the opening period came to a close but failed to finish off any of its moves, with Sead Kolasinac particularly guilty of some wayward passing.
The home side’s best chance came just before half-time when Lacazette latched on to a pass from Mesut Ozil, spun round and lashed the ball goalwards only for Matt Richie to head it off the line. The striker wrapped up the points, however, when Newcastle captain Jamaal Lascelles failed to clear a header into the area from substitute Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
The Frenchman nipped in behind Lascelles and chipped an inch-perfect ball over Martin Dubravka to seal the win. Newcastle remains in 14th place on 35 points, seven points above the relegation places. “For us, every game is a final. We should focus, concentrate, not be over confident,” said manager Rafael Benitez, ahead of its next match at home to Crystal Palace on Saturday.
Ramsey found his way through a packed defence on the half hour and scored with a low shot. Frenchman Lacazette put the game to bed in the 83rd minute with a chip over the keeper. The result lifts Arsenal to 63 points with seven games left as Unai Emery’s side boosted its hopes of a top four finish and Champions League football next season.
Five of Arsenal’s remaining seven fixtures are away, where it has picked up fewer than half of its points this season, a fact Emery was quick to pick up on after the match. “Our challenge is away, to be as consistent as we are at home,” the Spaniard told reporters. His players, nevertheless, seem confident that they can return to Europe’s elite club competition for the first time in three seasons. “I can feel the difference in the atmosphere from last season. Now we can maybe go to the CL,” said Lacazette, after a convincing win over the Magpies. Newcastle appeared to set itself up for a draw at best, with five men in the back line and another four in front of them for most of the game.
The tactics worked until a sweeping Arsenal move, in which Ramsey found Lacazette and then raced forward into the area to meet the return pass with a sweetly timed left-foot shot. Arsenal pushed forward repeatedly as the opening period came to a close but failed to finish off any of its moves, with Sead Kolasinac particularly guilty of some wayward passing.
The home side’s best chance came just before half-time when Lacazette latched on to a pass from Mesut Ozil, spun round and lashed the ball goalwards only for Matt Richie to head it off the line. The striker wrapped up the points, however, when Newcastle captain Jamaal Lascelles failed to clear a header into the area from substitute Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
The Frenchman nipped in behind Lascelles and chipped an inch-perfect ball over Martin Dubravka to seal the win. Newcastle remains in 14th place on 35 points, seven points above the relegation places. “For us, every game is a final. We should focus, concentrate, not be over confident,” said manager Rafael Benitez, ahead of its next match at home to Crystal Palace on Saturday.