ARSENAL 0-0 NEWCASTLE
There’s a first ever Premier League start for Eddie Nketiah, who found the net against Bournemouth in the FA Cup.
Real Madrid loanee Dani Ceballos makes a first start since November, while Nicolas Pepe returns in attack.
Alexandre Lacazette and Gabriel Martinelli drop to the bench while Matteo Guendouzi is absent from the matchday squad entirely.
Valentino Lazaro and Danny Rose, the two January signings, make their full debuts after coming on as substitutes against the Canaries.
Elsewhere Sean Longstaff starts with DeAndre Yedlin, Matt Ritchie and Isaac Hayden missing out.
Arsenal XI: Leno, Bellerin, Mustafi, Luiz, Saka, Xhaka, Ceballos, Ozil, Pepe, Nketiah, Aubameyang
Newcastle XI: Dubravka, Clark, Lascelles, Fernandez, Lazaro, Almiron, S. Longstaff, Bentaleb, Rose, Saint-Maximin, Joelinton
ARSENAL 0-0 NEWCASTLE
43: Free-kick goes Arsenal’s way with Allan Saint-Maximin fouling Dani Ceballos within shooting range. David Luiz, as he always does, sets it down but Nicolas Pepe takes it and forces a handy save from the Newcastle stopper. The Toon struggle to deal with the corner but Joelinton eventually heads away from Shkodran Mustafi’s half-volley.
41: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s strike from distance takes a touch of Ciaran Clark and goes just past the post for a corner. Had Martin Dubravka scrambling there. The resulting set-piece comes to nothing with Clark clearing.
38: Save! That’s probably Arsenal’s best opening of the match and it falls to Eddie Nketiah. Granit Xhaka fizzes the ball into the young forward, whose first-time snapshot is gathered by Martin Dubravka. Decent connection but straight at the Toon goalkeeper.
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35: It’s a solid 7/10 from the Arsenal supporters in their commitment to boo Tottenham loanee Danny Rose. It usually dies down after the first 10 minutes. Anyway, the Gunners are starting to warm to the task a bit with Dani Ceballos pulling the strings in the middle of the park.
33: Anyone know what Arsenal were doing during their winter break trip to Dubai? Zero intensity here this afternoon with Newcastle finding things very easy to manage.
Oh, a chance! Mesut Ozil picks out Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang on the left who then cuts inside and shoots low towards goal but Martin Dubravka holds.
30: Half-hour gone on the clock and Mikel Arteta’s decision to start Eddie Nketiah isn’t looking too justified just now. He’s leading the line against three very experienced defenders and has had precious little service.
28: Arsenal’s Bukao Saka has another crack from outside the box and skews it way wide.
25: Look, just sign me up to the Allan Saint-Maximin fan club. He’s quite evidently the king of unpredictable, rapid wingers. The 22-year-old darts through the middle before laying it off for Nabil Bentaleb to tamely fire at Bernd Leno between the sticks.
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22: Bukayo Saka looks to grab the game by the scruff of the neck with a decent effort that bends narrowly high and wide of Martin Dubravka’s left-hand post.
19: Arsenal are just trying to slow things down a touch and regain some composure. It’s not actually worked because the top-knotted Dani Ceballos has just brought Allan Saint-Maximin within shooting range. Sean Longstaff steps up… and thumps it into orbit.
16: Close! Newcastle are really up for this. The Toon’s second corner floats all the way through for Allan Saint-Maximin, who gets beyond Dani Ceballos and pulls it back for Joelinton but he pokes it just wide.
13: “You’re just a *** Coloccini,” chant the Newcastle fans in the direction of Arsenal defender David Luiz. They’re in fine voice in these early stages with Newcastle looking bright and dangerous.
Mesut Ozil fouls Miguel Almiron needlessly over on the right channel and Bernd Leno parries Valentino Lazaro’s free-kick behind for a corner. The goalkeeper is then drawn into action again as he makes a fine save from a Dani Ceballos deflection.
10: Booking! Death, taxes… Granit Xhaka receives a yellow card. He wouldn’t let go of Valentino Lazaro as Newcastle were coming forward and when play stopped Lee Mason booked the Arsenal midfielder. Lazy from Xhaka there.
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9: Penalty appeal! Allan Saint-Maximin appears to have been tripped by Granit Xhaka on the edge of the penalty area. I’ll need another look at that but it may have been just outside the box. Referee Lee Mason waves away the claims anyway.
6: Close! Oh now that’s very nice indeed. Shkodran Mustafi tamely allows Joelinton to cruise beyond him and delivery a deep cross into the penalty area. January signing Valentino Lazaro collects, side-steps Bukayo Saka and fires wide via a deflection. No doubting that Newcastle will be a threat on the break today.
3: Who’d have thought that this fixture would be between 11th and 12th in the Premier League? That’s quite clearly a compliment to Newcastle and a dressing down of Arsenal. Even more aggravating for Gunners fans is that fifth position will qualify for the Champions League due to Manchester City’s two-year ban.
Anyway, the match has started in a very expected fashion. Arsenal controlling the ball with Newcastle happy to sit deep and absorb.
ARSENAL 0-0 NEWCASTLE
1: Right then, shall we get the ball rolling? Can Mikel Arteta’s ‘work in progress’ Arsenal start turning draws into wins or will Steve Bruce pull off another cracking result in the capital. We’re underway.
Arsenal vs Newcastle LIVE: Premier League score, team news and latest updates (Image: GETTY)
Arsenal vs Newcastle LIVE: Premier League score, team news and latest updates (Image: GETTY)
I don’t like that – Arteta
Arsenal head coach Mikel Arteta: “I think we have to generate some defensive stability, but not by defending deep. I don’t like that.
“It’s by defending high and pressing the opponent as much as possible. But the process – together as many times as possible in the most efficient way – has to be done properly from here.
“If not, in two passes when you arrive there, that transition is impossible to control because you are too far from the opponent. So we need to do that well first to be able to generate and sustain our attacks as many times as possible during the games.”
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Full time
Would you believe it. I mean, that’s brutal.
Tottenham have beaten Aston Villa with the very last kick of the game courtesy of Son Heung-min, who took advantage of a howler from Bjorn Engels to wrap up the points.
Jack Grealish, who was sublime, gives Engels a wee pep talk as they walk down the tunnel. Tough one – Villa deserved something out of that game.
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Twitter round-up
Renato: Really happy to see Dani Ceballos starting! I still think there’s a top player there. Eddie Nketiah leading the line is a surprising one, I heard Mikel Arteta has been super impressed with him in training.
Jason: Pathetic from Mikel Arteta. Unai Emery underestimated Crystal Palace last year, and we got punished. This feels the same. How stupid not to start Gabriel Martinelli and he starts Aubameyang out wide and puts Eddie Nketiah to lead the line. The guy that couldn’t cut it in the Championship.
Tom: The way Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is being played makes it seem like he’s off this summer. Mikel Arteta doesn’t rate his style of play up top?!
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Elsewhere…
Aston Villa and Tottenham are still slugging it out at a horribly wet and windy Villa Park.
Dean Smith’s side took the lead courtesy of an own goal from Toby Alderweireld, who then made amends with the equaliser.
Son Heung-min’s penalty was saved by Pepe Reina in first-half stoppage-time but he slotted home the rebound to give Jose Mourinho’s side the advantage.
Defender Bjorn Engels then scored his first ever Premier League goal to equalise. There’s around five minutes plus stoppage time left in that one.
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Team news – Newcastle
Snap! Steve Bruce also makes three changes from the goalless draw against Norwich before the winter break.
Valentino Lazaro and Danny Rose, the two January signings, make their full debuts after coming on as substitutes against the Canaries.
Elsewhere Sean Longstaff starts with DeAndre Yedlin, Matt Ritchie and Isaac Hayden missing out.
Newcastle XI: Dubravka, Clark, Lascelles, Fernandez, Lazaro, Almiron, S. Longstaff, Bentaleb, Rose, Saint-Maximin, Joelinton.
Subs: Darlow, Schar, Lejeune, M. Longstaff, Hayden, Atsu, Ritchie.
Arsenal vs Newcastle LIVE: Premier League score, team news and latest updates (Image: GETTY)
Team news – Arsenal
Mikel Arteta makes three changes to the side that drew 0-0 with Burnley all those days ago.
Well these are most unexpected so I’d better get on with it. There’s a first ever Premier League start for Eddie Nketiah, who found the net against Bournemouth in the FA Cup.
Real Madrid loanee Dani Ceballos makes a first start since November, while Nicolas Pepe returns in attack.
Alexandre Lacazette and Gabriel Martinelli drop to the bench while Matteo Guendouzi is absent from the matchday squad entirely.
Arsenal XI: Leno, Bellerin, Mustafi, Luiz, Saka, Xhaka, Ceballos, Ozil, Pepe, Nketiah, Aubameyang.
Subs: Martinez, Sokratis, Kolasinac, Torreira, Willock, Martinelli, Lacazette.
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Starting XI…
And the team news arrives. A quick glance tells me that Mikel Arteta is really going for this today. Real Madrid loanee Dani Ceballos makes the starting XI.
Arsenal XI: Leno, Bellerin, Mustafi, Luiz, Saka, Xhaka, Ceballos, Ozil, Pepe, Nketiah, Aubameyang.
Subs: Martinez, Sokratis, Kolasinac, Torreira, Willock, Martinelli, Lacazette.
Newcastle XI: Dubravka, Clark, Lascelles, Fernandez, Lazaro, Almiron, S. Longstaff, Bentaleb, Rose, Saint-Maximin, Joelinton.
Subs: Darlow, Schar, Lejeune, M. Longstaff, Hayden, Atsu, Ritchie.
Arsenal vs Newcastle LIVE: Premier League score, team news and latest updates (Image: GETTY)
The winter break…
Everyone enjoying the Premier League’s inaugural winter break? Me neither.
It feels like the England international breaks under Fabio Capello or Steve McClaren or something.
Found myself getting inexplicably excited to watch Southampton vs Burnley yesterday. Send help!
Afternoon
Hello folks and welcome to our LIVE coverage of Arsenal vs Newcastle.
Well the good news is that the Premier League fixture has survived Storm Dennis…
The bad news is that the players have to play during Storm Dennis…
Make no mistake, it’s grim. Cold, wet and more blustery than… well something that’s blustery I suppose. Sorry, my literary powers have failed me, again.
Anyway, this looks a very intriguing fixture with one of the league’s most stylish and sought-after managers going up against Mikel Arteta. Both sides locked on 31 points in the bottom half of the Premier League table.
Team news and line ups on the way. Standby…
Arsenal vs Newcastle LIVE: Premier League score, team news and latest updates (Image: GETTY)
ARSENAL vs NEWCASTLE
Arsenal are looking to get back to winning ways when they welcome Newcastle to the Emirates today. Mikel Arteta’s side have not played since a 0-0 draw with Burnley at the start of the month, but will hope to be rejuvenated following the Premier League’s inaugural winter break.
Arsenal used the January transfer window to strengthen their squad for the second half of the season, signing defenders Pablo Mari and Cedric Soares on loan until the end of the campaign.
However, neither player was available to make their debut against Burnley last time out and are not expected to feature against Newcastle here either.
Kieran Tierney is still sidelined after a dislocated shoulder but is also expected to be back in full training before March while Calum Chambers remains a long-term absentee due to a knee injury.
On a positive note, Mikel Arteta has Sead Kolasinac, Bukayo Saka and Reiss Nelson available after the trio all recovered from separate fitness issues.
