Fan favourite Eberechi Eze scored a golden goal to send Arsenal back to the top of the Premier League table as they just did enough to win the first of five final matches in their end-of-season title shoot-out with Manchester City.
Last weekend’s defeat at City surrendered the advantage to Pep Guardiola’s side and now the pressure really was on for Mikel Arteta’s side to deliver.
No wonder they nearly all collapsed to the pitch when the final whistle eventually blew.
How they can recover and go again in Wednesday’s Champions League semi-final first leg away to Atletico Madrid is anybody’s guess.
Eze’s ninth-minute goal came from their third short corner of the match. The first two featured a pass to Martin Odegaard running towards Noni Madueke, with the idea of lining up Eze with a shot for the edge of the area. They cleverly switched it to a longer pass inside the area to Kai Havertz as a swarm of Newcastle defenders followed Odegaard when he once again ran towards Madueke, as if to receive the ball. The decoy left Havertz with time to control and still roll the ball back to Eze, who this time curled in a first-time shot from the edge of the penalty area. Precision play from start to goal.
Apart from taking an early lead, it meant Arsenal now held the individual season record in the Premier League for most goals from corners (17).
It could have sunk a depleted Newcastle side, but Eddie Howe’s men fought on, continuing their promising start to the game. They headed into this game in 14th spot after losing eight of their last 11 league games, but so nearly equalised through a sweetly struck Sandro Tonali shot. David Raya, not for the first time this season, saved his side with a world-class stop as he quickly adjusted his feet to dive to his left and block a shot that seemed to change direction like a blow-up beach ball, the nearer it got to the Arsenal keeper..
Arteta had to switch tactics soon after when Havertz limped off injured to be replaced by Viktor Gyokeres after only 34 minutes. Arsenal are a much better side with Havertz on the pitch.
And they are more of a goalscoring threat with the mercurial Eze in full flow. The England World Cup hopeful, watched anxiously by a concerned Arteta and England boss Thomas Tuchel, came off about ten minutes into the second half, at a time when the game was beginning to drift.
The soporific early evening spring sunshine made for what looked like a lack of urgency on the pitch as players such as Declan Rice and Odegaard did their best to instil some menace into Arsenal’s play.
In fairness to the much-maligned Arsenal supporters, they also maintained a constant level of noise and encouragement to try to ensure their side did not simply try to defend their slender lead but pressed for more goalscoring chances.
They were instinctively risk averse, however, and too often passed back towards their own goal rather than try to get past an opponent.
That could not be said of the tireless Gyokeres, who makes up for his occasional lack of quality with enormous effort and tackling back. The Swedish striker nearly broke through with 15 minutes to go but was felled by stranded keeper Nick Pope, yards out of his area. Referee Sam Barrott let Pope off with a yellow card and although it was probably the right decision, due to the presence of a covering defender, it would not have been a surprise had the Newcastle No.1 been sent off.
Arsenal then had a let off when Newcastle sub striker Yoane Wissa lifted a close-range shot over the bar.
Arteta reacted by sending on Myles Lewis-Skelly and Bukayo Saka, back after five matches out with an Achilles injury, with ten minutes to go.
It worked in that Arsenal spent the remainder of the game in and around the Newcastle penalty area, not that many, if any, of the watching fans seemed in any way relaxed. When the fourth official signalled for a minimum of seven bonus minutes at the end there were audible gaps of horror.
The tension turned to cheers of joy, relief and a standing ovation when they finally got over the line. Even the Newcastle fans did not seem too unhappy.
Arsenal: Raya 8; White 6, Saliba 6, Gabriel 6, Hincapie 7; Zubimendi 6 (Lewis-Skelly 80), Rice 6, Odegaard 7; Madueke 6 (Saka 80), Havertz 6 (Gyokeres 34), Eze 7 (Martinelli 53). Subs: Kepa, Mosquera, Jesus, Trossard, Dowman
Newcastle: Pope 6, Miley 6, Botman 7, Thiaw 7, Burn 5, Ramsey 6, Bruno Guimaraes 5 (Woltemade 75), Tonali 7, J. Murphy 6 (Barnes 66), Willock 7 (Elanga 86), Osula 6 (Wissa 66). Subs: Ramsdale, Trippier, Hall, A.Murphy, Neave.
Ref: Sam Barrott 5
Att: 60,204