Mikel Arteta suggested that Arsenal were in full control of their game against Newcastle as they ran out 2-0 winners at St James’ Park.
The Gunners made a bright start and they took the lead in the fifth minute. Hector Bellerin advanced down the right flank before he pulled it back into the area.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang made a mess of his effort but it fell nicely for Mohamed Elneny on the edge of the area. The midfielder struck it well as he beat Martin Dubravka to notch his first-ever Premier League goal.
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Arsenal were never really threatened by Newcastle and they gained more control of the game in the 66th minute.
Martin Odegaard laid to off to Gabriel Martinelli down the left-hand side. The forward did well as he crossed it into the box towards Aubameyang. The striker made no mistake as he converted it from close range.
Fabian Schar was sent off for Newcastle late into the game for a rash challenge on Martinelli. It finished 2-0 and this win moves Arsenal up to ninth in the Premier League.
Arteta told Sky Sports after the game, as cited by BBC Sport, that the Gunners put bad result behind them against Newcastle:
“This game showed our focus is still there in the Premier League. We believe that anything is possible if you’re picking up points and we wanted to put bad results out of the way.
“We had a great attitude, some moments of real quality and had total control from the start.
“We refreshed the team because we’ve played so many games. Thursday was very demanding but the team was really committed and focused on this game and that’s why we won.
“We controlled the game and we accelerated it when we needed to. The early goal gave us confidence which we needed after the defeat on Thursday.
“We have to do as well as we can and finish as high as we can.
“You need big performances and we had that today.”
On David Luiz’s injury: “It’s incredible the amount of injuries we’ve had. We’re losing big players.
“It’s a shame because David had made a big effort.”
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