· 18 May 2025, 18:44
**Newcastle United had another one of those frustrating days in front of goal which ultimately cost them points as Arsenal stole a 1-0 win to seal their runners up spot.**
The Magpies could and likely should have been out of sight in the first half were it not for some excellent goalkeeping from David Raya.
Nick Pope made a stunning safe of his own to keep things level in the first half too, but it was Raya who made the biggest difference.
We'd love to have seen the half time team talks to spot the difference as Arsenal came out revitalised for the second half and Newcastle came out like they simply didn't care and played that way for much of the second half.
Declan Rice's sublime strike from distance sealed Arsenal's place as Premier League runners-up yet again
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Anthony Gordon has had a season to forget, failing to get anywhere near the levels he played at last season, and today he was at fault for Arsenal's goal.
Taking a touch to cut inside within his own half, Gordon clearly forgot he was wearing concrete boots, and his touch inside went straight to Arsenal, who launched an attack forward, resulting in a superbly hit 25-yard effort from Declan Rice to score the only goal of the game after 55 minutes.
Arsenal kept pushing but couldn't find a way through, while it took Newcastle another 15 minutes and a number of substitutions just to get a foothold back in the game.
Why put a striker on and play him on the wing while playing a winger through the middle? Help us out here!
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In a truly baffling call, Eddie Howe hooked Callum Wilson for Will Osula, so far so good, but then put Osula wide right and played Gordon through the middle. Clearly, Howe doesn't see Osula as a striker, but surely he's more of one than Anthony Gordon is, especially _this_ version of Gordon.
Newcastle must win next weekend to secure their place in the Champions League without having to rely on anybody else. It could be a much trickier task than we thought, given the form Everton are in lately.
Surely we can't bottle it right at the end of the season, can we? CAN WE?