Newcastle 1-0 Arsenal – 3 talking points as Gunners’ unbeaten start comes to an end

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<p>&mdash; Arsenal (@Arsenal) <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/11/04/newcastle-1-0-arsenal-3-talking-points-gunners-unbeaten-start-comes-end/3/"https://twitter.com/Arsenal/status/1720886189710811315?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%22>November 4, 2023</a></p></blockquote> <p><script async src=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/11/04/newcastle-1-0-arsenal-3-talking-points-gunners-unbeaten-start-comes-end/3/"https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></div> <p>There were several questions: did the ball go out? Was there offside and a push in the back of Gabriel? All of which were answered, and the goal was given.</p> <p>Try as they might, Arsenal couldn&#8217;t break down a stubborn Newcastle defense and was left to walk away from the clash suffering its first league defeat of the season.</p> <p>The game provided plenty of talking points. Here they are.</p> <h2>VAR again causes controversy</h2> <p>Okay, there is a lot to dissect here, and let&#8217;s be objective, shall we?</p> <p>Looking to see if Willock kept the ball in. Now, everyone has seen the angles, and Bein Sports showed that the WHOLE ball didn&#8217;t cross all of the line. Meh, we can take that (sort of), but what about the lack of pressing to Willock after he was on the ball and driving towards the box?</p> <div class="embed "> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true"> <p lang="en" dir="ltr">&#128483;&#65039;Legendary <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/11/04/newcastle-1-0-arsenal-3-talking-points-gunners-unbeaten-start-comes-end/3/"https://twitter.com/hashtag/Arsenal?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%22>#Arsenal</a> defender Martin Keown: &quot;Anywhere else on the pitch thats a foul from Joelinton on Gabriel. Two hands on his back. Thats why Gabriel is stooping. There may have been an offside. Virtually everything is wrong with this goal that you can think of.&quot; &#128175; <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/11/04/newcastle-1-0-arsenal-3-talking-points-gunners-unbeaten-start-comes-end/3/"https://t.co/3WVRDPPVsb">pic.twitter.com/3WVRDPPVsb

<p>&mdash; Arsenal News Channel (@Arsenalnewschan) <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/11/04/newcastle-1-0-arsenal-3-talking-points-gunners-unbeaten-start-comes-end/3/"https://twitter.com/Arsenalnewschan/status/1720933926338740456?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%22>November 4, 2023</a></p></blockquote> <p><script async src=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/11/04/newcastle-1-0-arsenal-3-talking-points-gunners-unbeaten-start-comes-end/3/"https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></div> <p>Next, the push in the back on Gabriel is clear for most to see and should have been a foul, and if it was any other area of the pitch, it&#8217;s a foul. And some thought Gordon was offside and will argue for weeks about it.</p> <p>Arsenal went 0/3 on those VAR challenges. But that aside, Arsenal still had plenty of chances to win the game, but VAR, again, remains the headline for another woeful performance.</p> <p><em>Continued on next slide&#8230;</em></p> <div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background: #c01f2f" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/11/04/newcastle-1-0-arsenal-3-talking-points-gunners-unbeaten-start-comes-end/3/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span>&nbsp;Talking Point #2 </a> </div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><div id="attachment_137401" class="wp-caption aligncenter"> <img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-137401 size-full" src=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/11/04/newcastle-1-0-arsenal-3-talking-points-gunners-unbeaten-start-comes-end/3/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_1706,w_2560/https%3A%2F%2Fpaininthearsenal.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2017%2F07%2F1763962766-scaled.jpeg" alt="" width="2560" height="1706" srcset="https://paininthearsenal.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/1763962766-scaled.jpeg 2560w, https://paininthearsenal.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/1763962766-768x512.jpeg 768w, https://paininthearsenal.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/1763962766-1536x1024.jpeg 1536w, https://paininthearsenal.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/1763962766-2048x1365.jpeg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px"><div class="fs-center-img"> <p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:2560px;">NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE, ENGLAND – NOVEMBER 4: Kai Havertz of Arsenal reacts during the Premier League match between Newcastle United and Arsenal FC at St. James Park on November 4, 2023 in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. (Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA/Getty Images)</p> </div> </div> <h2>Kai Havertz’s best Arsenal appearance so far?</h2> <p>First things first, Kai needs to buy a lottery ticket as he was VERY lucky to still be on the pitch after a reckless tackle. We have seen those challenges produce red cards, and it was just plain luck he wasn’t given his marching orders.</p> <div class="embed "> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true"> <p lang="en" dir="ltr">🗣️| Mikel Arteta on William Saliba and Kai Havertz's performances against Newcastle:⁰<br>“So much. It’s incredible the way these guys play with 20-years, 21-years-old, the way they play here, the way they compete against this team because they are a top team… Incredible… So to… <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/11/04/newcastle-1-0-arsenal-3-talking-points-gunners-unbeaten-start-comes-end/3/"https://t.co/JTZrQTCK4t">pic.twitter.com/JTZrQTCK4t

<p>— Arsenal Buzz (@ArsenalBuzzCom) <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/11/04/newcastle-1-0-arsenal-3-talking-points-gunners-unbeaten-start-comes-end/3/"https://twitter.com/ArsenalBuzzCom/status/1720911743579193643?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%22>November 4, 2023</a></p></blockquote> <p><script async src=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/11/04/newcastle-1-0-arsenal-3-talking-points-gunners-unbeaten-start-comes-end/3/"https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></div> <p>But that aside, the German did throw his body around and looked up for the fight, and while some of his challenges were borderline, he at least made himself known on the pitch.</p> <p>The bar wasn’t set too high for this to be his best effort for the club, but something clearly isn’t right with the German in Arteta’s system.</p> <p><em>Continued on next slide…</em></p> <div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background: #c01f2f" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/11/04/newcastle-1-0-arsenal-3-talking-points-gunners-unbeaten-start-comes-end/3/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> Talking Point #3 </a> </div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><div id="attachment_137403" class="wp-caption aligncenter"> <img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-137403 size-full" src=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/11/04/newcastle-1-0-arsenal-3-talking-points-gunners-unbeaten-start-comes-end/3/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_1813,w_2560/https%3A%2F%2Fpaininthearsenal.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2017%2F07%2F1774804724-scaled.jpeg" alt="" width="2560" height="1813" srcset="https://paininthearsenal.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/1774804724-scaled.jpeg 2560w, https://paininthearsenal.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/1774804724-768x544.jpeg 768w, https://paininthearsenal.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/1774804724-1536x1088.jpeg 1536w, https://paininthearsenal.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/1774804724-2048x1450.jpeg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px"><div class="fs-center-img"> <p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:2560px;">NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE, ENGLAND – NOVEMBER 04: Anthony Gordon of Newcastle United battles for possession with William Saliba of Arsenal during the Premier League match between Newcastle United and Arsenal FC at St. James Park on November 04, 2023 in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)</p> </div> </div> <h2>William Saliba again world class</h2> <p>If you love watching defenders play at the top of their game, you won’t find more joy than seeing Saliba do his thing in the Premier League.</p> <p>Perhaps Arsenal’s best in a tough environment, as he dealt well with most that was thrown his way, including a physical battle with Callum Wilson.</p> <p>Another outstanding performance from the young Frenchman, as he should/could be considered the best central defender in the league.</p><!—pageview_candidate—>">