Arsenal's title hopes remain intact with win over Newcastle

Arsenal kept their Premier League title hopes alive with an impressive 2-0 triumph over Newcastle United on Sunday at St James' Park, reducing the gap between them and table-toppers Manchester City to just one point. 

The match was marked by Martin Odegaard's impressive goal and Fabian Schar's unfortunate own goal, which sealed the win for Mikel Arteta's side.

Action: Newcastle started the game brightly, showing their intent to maintain their position in third place. Within just two minutes of the kickoff, they came close to taking an early lead. 

Joe Willock's excellent work on the left flank led to a great chance for Jacob Murphy, who found himself in space inside the box, struck the post.

With 10 minutes played, Referee Chris Kavanagh awarded Newcastle a penalty for handball against Jakub Kiwior, but after a VAR check, the decision was overturned as it was found that Jakub Kiwior had blocked Bruno Guimarães' shot with his thigh, rather than his arm. 

Despite the early dominance, Arsenal took the lead against the run of play when Jorginho laid off Odegaard, who drilled a low effort into the bottom corner from 25 yards out.

The Gunners gained momentum after the goal and it was Nick Pope, who kept Newcastle in the game, with a brilliant double save, denying Gabriel Martinelli and Odegaard in quick succession. 

The hosts had a chance to level the score just before half-time when Bruno fed Willock, but Aaron Ramsdale saved his shot. 

Eddie Howe's men started the second half with a close-range header from Alexander Isak that hit the post, and Ramsdale denied Schar from a corner moments later. 

Shortly after, it was Arsenal's turn to hit the woodwork with a curling effort from Martinelli.

Mikel Arteta's men eventually managed to double their lead with less than 20 minutes to play, when Martinelli put in a dangerous cross and Fabian Schar inadvertently turned it into his own net.

The visitors controlled the rest of the game and held firm to their two-goal cushion to seal a vital win.

Big Picture: With this crucial win, Arsenal surpassed the 80-point mark and closed the gap to the reigning champions Manchester City to just one point. 

The victory also guaranteed them a top-two finish and kept their title hopes alive, although Pep Guardiola's men still have a game in hand over the Gunners. Meanwhile, Newcastle remain third, but they could slip to fourth if Manchester United beats West Ham United later tonight.

Looking ahead, Arsenal will host Brighton & Hove Albion next Sunday, while Eddie Howe's men face a challenging away game against relegation-threatened Leeds United on May 13th.

xG: Newcastle (1.41) 0-2 (1.38) Arsenal

Stat of the Day: Aaron Ramsdale is only the third different goalkeeper to record 10 away clean sheets in a single Premier League season, after Petr Cech (11 in 2004-05 & 10 in 2008-09) and Ederson (11 in 2018-19 & 10 in 2021-22).