Arsenal vs. Newcastle: Score and Reaction from 2016 Premier League Match

Arsenal stayed top of the Premier League table as they ground out a 1-0 win over Newcastle United at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday.

Laurent Koscielny scored the decisive goal deep into the second half to give the hosts a somewhat undeserved win over a spirited Newcastle side.

The visitors weathered an early, threatening spell from Arsenal before creating countless chances, but some poor finishing and an excellent performance from Petr Cech saw them fail to take the lead.

Match-winner Koscielny was making a return to the Gunners' defence, while Rob Elliot relieved Karl Darlow in goal for Newcastle.

The hosts raced out of the traps and, through Hector Bellerin on the right flank, caused the visitors a number of nervy moments in the opening 10 minutes.

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Arsenal pinned Newcastle in their own half, but several clearances from Daryl Janmaat and Fabricio Coloccini prevented the Gunners from capitalising on their early dominance, per the Premier League:

It was the Magpies who had the first clear-cut chances of the match, though, as Cech showed his value to deny Georginio Wijnaldum's header and remained alert to collect Jack Colback's effort on the rebound.

From there, the visitors had their tails up and played much more positively, enjoying their first real spell of possession, with Ayoze Perez sending an effort off target after a driving run forward from Cheick Tiote.

Broadcaster Mark Pougatch noted the positivity in Newcastle's performance:

Meanwhile, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain was fortunate to escape reprimand for two fouls.

The Toon Army finished the half the stronger of the two sides, with Aleksandar Mitrovic seeing an overhead kick saved by Cech and Wijnaldum's effort shortly after producing the same result. Squawka Football shared the half-time stats:

Newcastle began the second half as they ended the first, and within minutes, Wijnaldum called Cech into action yet again. The Mirror's John Cross and Arsenal shareholder and fan Piers Morgan praised the 'keeper, with the latter expressing his frustration at the team's performance:

Mitrovic should have given the visitors the lead shortly after when he blazed over from close range, while Aaron Ramsey should also have done better when he sent a shot straight at Elliot.

The Magpies continued to create more than their opponents but equally continued to waste their chances, with Chancel Mbemba missing the target with a free header.

Predictably, the Gunners punished Newcastle's profligacy when the ball fell for Koscielny in the area, and the Frenchman made no mistake from close range.

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Arsenal remained vulnerable following the goal, as Newcastle continued to push forward, with Mitrovic and Wijnaldum both heading off target in the closing stages, while Ramsey should have killed the match off after escaping two defenders only to fire wide.

Newcastle will take great encouragement from their spirited and energetic performance, but for the third game in a row, they paid dearly for not taking their chances. They will need to be more ruthless when they welcome Manchester United to St James' Park in Week 21.

As for Arsenal, their performance for the majority of the game left something to be desired, as they struggled to get the ball to Mesut Ozil and were overrun in midfield.

Nevertheless, their ability to weather such a storm—in no small part thanks to Cech—and then grind out a win is the hallmark of champions, and they'll need to show such resilience in their upcoming fixtures against Liverpool, Stoke City and Chelsea.

Post-Match Reaction

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger admitted his team were somewhat lacking physically but praised their mental strength, per the Gunners' official Twitter feed:

"

Our legs were a bit gone today. We were tested today against a good Newcastle side. Newcastle played well. We showed the mental aspect of our team and we will need that. To not drop points after the way we played today helped. Lets focus on the fact we are in a strong position. We have given a lot over Christmas. We knew nine points would be acceptable or even good in this period.

"

The Frenchman reserved particular praise for Cech, adding:

Meanwhile, Newcastle manager Steve McClaren could scarcely believe the result and called for his side to be more clinical, but also applauded their performance according to Tom Rostance and Caroline Chapman of BBC Sport:

"We asked for a performance and the players gave it, but we conceded one soft goal and lost the game. You can't fault the performance, we just have to be more ruthless at both ends. We caused them so many problems and controlled them at the back and we're bewildered how we have not got anything."