Summary
Arsenal secured Champions League qualification with a 1-0 win over Newcastle.
Declan Rice scored a stunning goal to break the deadlock in the second half.
Newcastle, despite the loss, maintains third place and eyes a Champions League return.
Arsenal confirmed their Champions League qualification on Sunday afternoon with a hard-fought 1-0 win over Newcastle United at the Emirates Stadium. The first half ended goalless, thanks largely to some goalkeeping heroics - particularly from David Raya, who came to the Gunners' rescue more than once as Arteta’s men struggled to carve out meaningful chances at the other end.
That was a worrying trend Arsenal looked determined to rewrite after the break, and their persistence paid dividends when Declan Rice fired a thunderous, low-driven effort into the bottom-left corner, sparking a sense of relief and sparing earlier blushes. The Englishman doesn’t score ordinary goals, and once again, he stayed true to that reputation.
While it's sunshine and rainbows for Arsenal - who’ve dodged a nerve-jangling penultimate day - it’s not all doom and gloom for Newcastle either. The Magpies remain third with one game to go and are on course for a Champions League return of their own, having already ended a 70-year wait for silverware with their League Cup triumph earlier in the season.
Arsenal 1-0 Newcastle - Match Statistics
Arsenal
52
12
4
10
2
Match Highlights
Will be added once full-match highlights are made available...
Arsenal player Ratings
Arsenal
GK: David Raya - 9/10
Made five saves in the opening 20 minutes alone, and he now looks set to win the Golden Glove as a result of his consistent, octopus-like performances this season.RB: Ben White - 6/10
Not much to report on where White is concerned. For a defender, this could be viewed as a good thing. But with Jurrien Timber watching intently - someone who has been able to bag a fair few assists from the same position - he may have wished to have done more.
CB: William Saliba - 6/10
It's very rare these days that Arsenal supporters are even reminded that Saliba is playing, and a lot of that is down to the fact he does everything with an assured nonchalance. He seemed to do that nicely again on Sunday, but he was subbed off at half-time, though that may be a tactical tweak.
CB: Jakub Kiwior - 9/10 (Man of the Match)
The Pole has undergone a bit of a redemption arc since Gabriel's injury, and he was really competent again this weekend. It took six duels before he lost one, while his passing was simple but effective and he found its target 99% of the time. Kiwior is definitely one to watch between now and next season.
LB: Myles Lewis-Skelly - 6/10
Really struggled to deal with two attackers in the first half. His isolation was a key area for improvement at the break, and Rice should have known much better not to leave his teenage compatriot left to defend all by himself. That said, he definitely improved after the break and grew into the game.
CM: Martin Odegaard - 5/10
Like a painter without his brush, Odegaard lacked any sort of creativity - something his own supporters are growing weary of recently. Right now, he's stealing a living as the Gunners' captain as he seems to offer little to nothing by way of impact, and his assist for Rice wasn't anything that helped sway this opinion.
CDM: Thomas Partey - 7.5/10
The Ghanaian is quickly emerging as Arsenal's most important middleman in recent weeks. While his teammates struggled with their dual-roles, Partey had no problem keeping the midfield shape intact, breaking up attacks and helping Arsenal build a foundation in their transitions. He also came closest to breaking the deadlock for the Gunners in the first-half, glancing a Saka corner into Pope's clutch.
CM: Declan Rice - 7.5/10
Very quiet throughout the first-half, and his biggest drawback was the fact he offered very little by way of defensive reinforcement to his left-back. The Englishman clearly needs to be reminded that he's not an attacking midfielder by trade, though a stunning goal from outside of the box in the 54th minute shut us up. A gorgeous hit to tilt the balance.
RW: Bukayo Saka - 7/10
Certainly Arsenal's most exciting forward once again, even if unremarkable at times. Tried to make things happen, but was often stopped in his tracks through no fault of his own necessarily.
ST: Leandro Trossard - 4.5/10
With the return of Kai Havertz, Mikel Arteta will be thankful his striker conundrum will soon come to an end. It's only a matter of time before playing wingers or midfielders in that position starts to haunt teams, and Trossard regularly cut a frustrated figure in north London during his audition.
LW: Gabriel Martinelli - 4.5/10
You never know which version of Martinelli you're going to get. Unfortunately for those rocking up to the Emirates Stadium on Sunday in the hope of seeing a spectacle, the Brazilian hid on the left flank and hardly offered to get involved with the action.
Sub: Riccardo Calafiori - 6/10
Certainly added shades of much-needed attacking intent after the break, but it wasn't Calafiori himself that was at the centre of Arsenal's change of fortune late on. Solid, perhaps a little unremarkable as far as tactical tweaks go for Arteta.
Sub: Kai Havertz - 5/10
100 days after being ruled out injured, Havertz returned to lots of applause. He didn't really do anything worthy of note, though, and he will already have his eyes on next season.
Sub: Kieran Tierney - N/A
Made one pass in total, proving he hadn't done enough to get a rating after coming on in the 88th minute.
Sub: Jorginho - N/A
Came on during added time, so did nothing worthy of a rating, good or bad.
Newcastle Player Ratings
Eddie Howe
GK: Nick Pope - 7.5/10
Though having been called into action a lot less frequently than his opposite number, one thing Pope did much better was pick out a pass, short or long. No blame on him for the goal.
CB: Dan Burn - 7/10
Made an excellent recovery to stop a promising-looking attack initiated by Ben White early on. His height was a cause for concern in the other box, and it was another decent shift from the Geordie stalwart.
CB: Sven Botman - 6/10
Still returning to full fitness, Botman was perhaps Newcastle's worst defender, but that's more of a compliment to the other two. He was still good, just nothing to write home about.
CB: Fabian Schar - 7/10
Solid, as usual. In the first-half alone, he won all but one of his duels, made two clearances, took three touches in the opposition box, and managed to take two shots at goal.
RM: Jacob Murphy - 7/10
Ran his marker ragged early on without being able to turn his persistence into a result. He made four passes into the final third, created one big chance, and successfully completed all of his dribble attempts. A good day at the office from a personal standpoint, though he will have wished to turn his bark into bites before being the first to be hooked off.
CM: Bruno Guimaraes - 7.5/10
Cool, calm, and composed performance from the Brazil international. Sprayed passes from midfield with relative simplicity and took a few attacks on himself to force the issue. Let down by those ahead of him.
CM: Sandro Tonali - 7/10
Did a sound job next to Guimaraes but definitely wasn't as effective as his midfield partner and he definitely took a bit of a backseat in the second period.
LM: Tino Livramento - 6.5/10
Did really well to make the left flank his own at times, using his boundless energy to help out in defence as much as he did in attack. He seemed to tire like a lot of his teammates, though.
RW: Harvey Barnes - 5/10
A bit quiet at times as Kiwior always kept him within arm's length. Another of Howe's players who would have been expected to raise more questions of the opposition defence but failed.
ST: Callum Wilson - 5/10
Deprived of first-team minutes this season, Wilson held up play well and knitted midfield and attack together really nicely, but he was very rarely afforded the space to make a sustained impact. Definitely forgot he was on the pitch in the second period.
LW: Anthony Gordon - 4/10
Made a lively start before fading into the background. In Isak's absence, Gordon was definitely someone Eddie Howe would have expected to pull their weight about a bit more, but he was virtually nonexistent.
Sub: Emil Krafth - 5/10
His first involvement saw him mauled by Martinelli before bringing him down and earning a yellow card. It didn't really get better from there for the Swede.
Sub: Lewis Miley - 6/10
Reliable and astute in midfield, a cool and composed performance late on but didn't do much to alter the outcome.
Sub: William Osula - 6/10
Created a big chance and looked energetic.
Sub: Joe Willock - 7/10
Did well to work some space and blaze a shot high above the crossbar straight off the bench. Certainly made an impact and was one of Howe's changes that made it a nervy finish for their hosts.