Arsenal made Eberechi Eze’s early golazo stand up as Newcastle United failed to take their chances in a 1-0 affair at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday.
MORE — Mikel Arteta post-match reaction
Eze’s 10th-minute piledriver of a goal was one of Arsenal’s only moments of forward-thinking play, and Newcastle fought the whole way and will feel that William Osula early and Yoane Wissa late should’ve given them a goal.
WATCH — Arsenal v Newcastle full match replay
Let’s not bury the lede here, as Arsenal go three points clear of Manchester City atop the Premier League having played one more game than their title rivals.
Newcastle remain 14th after losing a fourth-straight Premier League game to essentially kiss their slim chances of returning to Europe goodbye.
Arsenal low on matches and playing with fire as Newcastle waste helps Gunners win
Newcastle United nearly scored in the first minute to send a message to Arsenal, who responded by seizing hold of the game and finding the goal through a series of short corners punctuated by a brilliant goal from Eberechi Eze. After that, however, they did not really push for either the ball or the second goal. At home to a decidedly defensive Newcastle lineup — at least until well into the second half — the Gunners were out-possessed, out-attempted, and out-xG’ed. By the time Eddie Howe inserted Harvey Barnes, Nick Woltemade, Anthony Elanga, and Yoane Wissa — yeah, they were on the bench — Arteta’s men were mostly holding onto hope and looking for the final whistle. A title’s a title but Osula’s miss plus Wissa’s late airmail over the bar should’ve given the Magpies a chance to hold on for a point of their own. Arteta’s playing with fire.
Magpies show some fight but manager looks lost
Eddie Howe is in a weird place right now. He’s a Newcastle legend having led the club into a pair of Champions League runs and a brilliant League Cup win over Liverpool to end a decades-long trophy wait. But his decisions are dizzying for fans right now. Howe seemingly scapegoated left back Lewis Hall — one of the club’s players of the season — for a rough outing against Bournemouth but started Jacob Murphy who made an equally big error in that loss. He started today’s game with Anthony Elanga, Nick Woltemade, Yoane Wissa, and Harvey Barnes on the bench while Joe Willock started out of the cold and went 86 minutes. Aaron Ramsdale was also benched for Nick Pope, who dodged a red card against Arsenal. It’s not that the decisions are bad, more that they all seem risky at best and uncertain for sure. Whether Howe returns or does not, he needs a mental reset.
What’s next?
Arsenal go to Atletico Madrid on Wednesday in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League semifinal, then host Fulham at 12:30pm ET Saturday in the Premier League.
Newcastle host Brighton at 10am that same day.
Arsenal vs Newcastle final score: 1-0
Eberechi Eze 10'
Seven minutes stoppage time
Newcastle could pull something off here, as recent subs Woltemade and Elanga have livened up the affair.
Should be 1-1
A sensational pass from Woltemade finds Wissa but the forward hammers his shot into outer space from close range.
Nick Woltemade on
The big German will get the final 15 minutes in place of Guimaraes.
Newcastle subs
Yoane Wissa and Harvey Barnes are into the game for Will Osula and Jacob Murphy.
Arsenal still up 1-0 now into the 67th minute.
A little better from The Newcastle
The Magpies look a bit better to start the second half and are arriving in the final third but still don’t have many ideas what do inside the box.
Halftime — Arsenal 1-0 Newcastle
Newcastle are keeping 48% of the ball and producing far more from open play but trail at the break.
Shot attempts are 9-3 for Newcastle, though it’s only amounted to an xG line of 0.33-0.08.
With Nick Woltemade, Yoane Wissa, Harvey Barnes, and Anthony Elanga on the bench, there’s plenty of cutting edge currently on the cutting room floor.
Kai Havertz injury news
Havertz limps off the pitch in frustration and Arsenal will use Viktor Gyokeres, their leading scorer, with about 11 minutes left in the first half.
Out of nothing
A ball ping-pongs 10 yards outside the box and Sandro Tonali sees it as an invitation, smashing a swirling shot that forces David Raya into an uncomfortable save.
Still 1-0 Arsenal at the hour mark.
Eberechi Eze goal (video) — Arsenal 1-0 Newcastle
Another short corner and Newcastle are suckered into the trap.
Kai Havertz finds Eze in about the same spot the winger missed from earlier, and this one’s an arrow across goal and into the upper 90.
BEAUTY! ARSENAL 1-0 🔴 🔴 🔴
— USA Sports (@usasports) April 25, 2026
Eberechi Eze with perfect precision, blasting the ball into the top left corner of the net!
🔴 Arsenal: 1
⚪️ Newcastle: 0
⏱️ 9’ pic.twitter.com/KrFm8DrEiW
Arsenal settle in as Eze whistles wide
The Gunners have found their footing and work a corner to Eberechi Eze outside the 18, but the English forward sizzles his shot short of the near post.
Gunners nearly concede in first minute
Joe Willock releases Will Osula into the box and he’s got a chance to lash home but totally whiffs on a left-footed effort.
What a let-off for Arsenal.
Arsenal lineup
Raya, White, Saliba, Magalhaes, Hincapie, Rice, Zubimendi, Odegaard, Madueke, Eze, Havertz
Newcastle lineup
Pope, Burn, Botman, Thiaw, Murphy, Guimaraes, Tonali, Miley, Willock, Ramsey, Osula
Arsenal vs Newcastle preview
The Gunners find themselves in second place on the table for the first time in ages, tied on points with Manchester City, but the good news is they still do control their destiny to some degree. Goal differential is the first tiebreaker and goal scored are the second, and the teams are level at +37 while Arsenal have scored three fewer goals.
WATCH — Arsenal v Newcastle
Newcastle are slumping and appear fragile as club hero Eddie Howe finds his manager’s position in question despite winning the League Cup with the club last season.
The Magpies have spun from fifth to 14th and face extremely long odds to return to Europe next season. Newcastle’s 42 points are six back of eighth-place Chelsea
Arsenal team news, focus
OUT: Mikel Merino (ankle) | QUESTIONABLE: Bukayo Saka (lower leg), Jurrien Timber (groin), Riccardo Calafiori (undisclosed)
Newcastle United team news, focus
OUT: Valentino Livramento (groin), Joelinton (suspension), Fabian Schar (ankle), Emil Krafth (thigh) | QUESTIONABLE: Anthony Gordon (groin)
Arsenal vs Newcastle prediction
Newcastle are a different team with Bruno Guimaraes in the team from the jump, and the Magpies midfielder should be fit to start and go beyond halftime. There’s every reason to think they will compete, especially with Sandro Tonali in the team. The question is whether the players are as up for this challenge — and for Howe — as Arteta’s charges will be in front of a raucous home crowd. A repeat of the score line from the reverse fixture does seem to be just about right. Arsenal 2-1 Newcastle.
How to watch Arsenal vs Newcastle live, stream link and start time
Kick off time: 12:30pm ET Saturday
Venue: Emirates Stadium — North London
TV Channel: USA
Streaming: Watch on USA
