Arsenal's Missed Opportunity Could Prove Costly

Arsenal slumped to a shocking one-nil defeat against Newcastle at home thanks to a brilliant header from Andy Carroll.

The victory was the first league win for Newcastle at Arsenal since December 2001. The Emirates came to a stand still as Carroll leaped higher than Fabianski to head into an empty net on the stroke of half-time.

Arsene Wenger's men came out in the second half on a mission, but the Gunners lacked their passing sharpness. In particular, Fabregas gave the ball away on numerous occasions.

Arsenal slumped to yet another home defeat and this one could prove costly. Chelsea traveled to Anfield in the late kickoff, and the Blues were outdone by two brilliant strikes from Fernando Torres.

Chelsea's lead is now a mere two points as Manchester United stay hot on their heels. But Wenger's men remain five points behind the leaders and will rue this missed opportunity. Chelsea will not lose many points this season, so Arsenal have to be more ruthless especially at the Emirates.

The Gunners are playing too much from side to side without any real penetration into the box, or even testing the opposition goalkeeper. You could feel the crowd's frustration as the Gunners refused to take more shots and carried on passing the ball. But that is all credit to Newcastle, who were organised and patient. Both Carroll and Ameobi were brilliant today and worked very hard for their team.

There are not many sides who come to the Emirates and keep the ball for as long as Newcastle did. On top of chasing the game, Arsenal's Koscielny picked up a straight red card for a challenge on Ranger. It seemed to be a harsh decision but the referee was clear that Ranger was denied a goal-scoring opportunity.

On the plus side for Arsenal was the return of van Persie. I was shocked to see him on the bench and pleased the Dutchman had a little run out.

But Arsene Wenger's men will have to learn quickly and go on a ruthless streak of winnings if they have any chance of challenging for the title now. 

Next game

Arsenal travel to Wolverhampton in midweek. This game will be tougher than ever as Wolves are starting to play some decent stuff. I am going for a sneaky one-nil win for Arsenal. 

Man to watch

Samir Nasri