Almost a year on from the Newcastle United victory that sent Mikel Arteta off into a rant, the Magpies once again beat Arsenal.
This time, however, Newcastle’s victory against the Premier League title-chasing Gunners passed largely without incident.
Indeed, Arsenal were largely held at bay by Eddie Howe’s side in another brilliant performance just days after they beat Chelsea in the Carabao Cup, with Alexander Isak’s first-half header ultimately proving enough.
There were no hugely controversial calls, the kind of which Arteta focused on last season, much to the apparent annoyance of Howe.
Still, that’s not to say things did not get a little spicy at St James’ Park.The two clubs, after all, are not thought to get along off the pitch and have had some tetchy encounters on it too.
Now, some fresh insight has emerged.
According to The Chronicle, Arteta and Jason Tindall were involved in something of a confrontation on the touchline.
They suggest the Newcastle United assistant manager had to be separated from the Arsenal boss as tensions boiled over, sparked when Sean Longstaff and Fabian Schar smartly stopped a Gunners counter.
This certainly isn’t the first flashpoint between the pair.
Arteta was said to have been annoyed by Tindall’s constant presence in the technical area during the draw between the two sides in January 2023, so it seems as if its something of a long-running rivalry.
Thankfully, Newcastle emerged on top this time around, as they did at home last year too.
Now, it’s about building on this going forward. Two promising results in a row will mean little if inconsistency strikes again for Newcastle.Newcastle made a fairly underwhelming start to the season in terms of the side’s performances, but their best displays have come against the best teams the Premier League can offer.
The 1-1 draw with Manchester City had been the best performance this season to date, but Saturday’s 1-0 win over Arsenal has now taken that crown.Alexander Isak scored his fourth goal of the season – and the only one of the game – with a fantastic header from Anthony Gordon’s pinpoint cross from the right flank.
Newcastle have now climbed to ninth in the Premier League table and are just three points off Arsenal in fourth place.Howe deserves praise for his team selection. He identified what worked well against Chelsea midweek and implemented it against the Gunners brilliantly.
Sean Longstaff was “magnificent” against Arsenal after keeping his spot in the starting lineup. It extends his incredible unbeaten record as a starter.
There were also brilliant performances from full-backs Lewis Hall and Tino Livramento, who locked down Arsenal’s biggest threats out wide.
But the most impressive thing from Saturday’s performance was the overall energy levels and intensity from Howe’s side – something fans have grown familiar with in recent seasons.