St James’ Park awaits – Newcastle v Arsenal preview | OneFootball

Saturday 2 November 2024 and a 12.30pm kick-off

Newcastle play host to Arsenal in a televised 12.30 kick-off this Saturday and look to build on a superb midweek victory over Chelsea in the League Cup, that has fans once again dreaming of a trip to Wembley.

A second home victory in just four days would go a long way to reviving a season that was in real danger of stagnating due to a poor run of results. Their opponents however, will be hoping for three points that will keep the pressure on Liverpool and Man City at the top of the table, as they look to ensure it’s a three horse race for the title this season.

It is claimed that after ten matches, you can start to properly look at the league table.

Newcastle have played nine so far and experienced three wins, three draws and three defeats. Worryingly, the last six league matches have seen just one win and two draws, leaving United twelfth in the league. If all results go our way then we could climb to the dizzy heights of eighth, whereas a terrible set of results could see us slump to as low as sixteenth on goal difference.

Arsenal have also played nine matches, they’ve had five wins, three draws and just the one defeat. They sit third in the league and are currently lamenting late equalisers scored by both Man City and Liverpool, that have kept them beneath their title rivals. In their past six matches they’ve won three and drawn two, with a poor defeat away to Bournemouth showing there may be nothing to fear for the black and whites this weekend if we can fire on all cylinders.

Last time out

Both sides tasted midweek League Cup success, earning a place in the Quarter-Finals of the League Cup. Newcastle’s superb performance at home to Chelsea provided some much-needed respite for Eddie Howe. A 2-0 win setting up a home tie with Brentford.

Arsenal went away to Preston and ran out comfortable winners. Their 3-0 victory sets up a London derby at home to Crystal Palace in the next round.

In the league, Newcastle’s last match was a 2-1 defeat away at Stamford Bridge and Arsenal drew 2-2 at home to Liverpool.

Stat attack!

Newcastle have won two of their last three home matches with Arsenal, scoring three goals in the process.

Arsenal are the only team in premier league history to give away a 4-0 lead. This was at St James’ Park against the Toon in 2011 (more of that later).

The past eleven league matches between the teams at St James’ Park have seen three Newcastle victories and eight wins for Arsenal. The last draw was 0-0 on the opening day of the 2011/12 campaign.

Newcastle have beaten Arsenal at home eight times in the Premier League era.

Memorable match

We’ve had some crackers against Arsenal over the years but this one perhaps tops the lot and it wasn’t even a win!

In February 2011, Arsenal came to Toon and roared into an early lead before United fans and players could even draw breath.

Things were about to get worse, much worse, for NUFC who found themselves 3-0 down in the first ten minutes. Three became four by half time and the destination of the points appeared to be a foregone conclusion. Some fans were so pessimistic, they decided to flounce out of SJP and missed one of the best forty five minutes in our history.

Joey Barton was putting himself about a bit and managed to goad an Arsenal player into a red card at the start of the second half and things continued to go Newcastle’s way when the black and whites were awarded a penalty with just over twenty minutes to go.

Barton reduced the arrears but at 4-1, a comeback still felt highly unlikely.

Leon Best however had other ideas – after having a perfectly good goal disallowed, he then prodded home from close range and, all of sudden, it was 4-2 with fifteen minutes left and belief began to grow that this could be a very special afternoon.

On eighty three minutes, the referee spotted a shirt pull in the area and unbelievably awarded the Toon another penalty that Joey Barton dispatched, meaning NUFC now had seven minutes to save a game that had looked dead and buried from the first few seconds.

It was now only a matter of time. Newcastle pummelled the Arsenal goal and were awarded an attacking freekick in the eighty seventh minute. Barton swung a dangerous ball into the box which was headed away as far as Cheick Tiote. This is the precise moment that something magical happened. The onrushing Tiote unleashed a simply unstoppable volley from outside of the area that flew into the net to send the stadium into pure ecstasy. As St James’ exploded, Tiote sprinted the length of the pitch and indulged in an epic knee slide, before finding himself at the bottom of a mass pile involving all eleven Newcastle players. The Arsenal fans who had spent much of the match crowing over the Toon Army could do nothing but watch on in shocked silence.

Issue 256 – 5 March 2011

There was still time for more drama at both ends of the pitch. First, Kevin Nolan smashed a fine strike just wide, before Van Persie had a goal disallowed due to a marginal offside decision. The final whistle was celebrated like a victory and the entire match was later released on DVD. Final Score 4-4. Unbelievable!

Played for both

Joe Willock is an integral part of Newcastle’s midfield and it’s great to see him back and approaching full fitness. This young man started his career with the Gunners before a highly successful loan spell on Tyneside saw him score in seven successive games and be snapped up for twenty five million pounds.

Older readers may remember a certain Andy Cole who began his career by playing one league game for Arsenal before being loaned to Fulham and then sold to Bristol City. Kevin Keegan broke the club’s transfer record by splashing out £1.75 million for the striker in 1993. This is a number nine who’s record stands up to anyone else’s – a whopping sixty eight goals in eighty four matches before being controversially sold to Man United in January 1995 for a British record transfer fee.

Some fans were so angry at the sale that they turned up at the stadium demanding answers which Keegan provided, famously standing on the steps to explain his decision. King Kev would go on to sign Sir Les (and Alan Shearer the following year) as the entertainers came ‘so close’ to being champions of England for the first time since 1927 but that’s a story for another day.

Even older readers might recall another famous number nine, Malcolm Macdonald, scoring a hat-trick on his home debut against Liverpool. That set the tone for one hundred and twenty one goals and an appearance in both the 1974 FA Cup Final and the 1976 League Cup final before being sold to Arsenal for a third of a million pounds.

Managers

Eddie Howe after a 2-0 win over Chelsea –

“Our energy, quality and attitude was spot-on. We needed a performance and a result, I think we got that tonight. Especially in the first half, I thought it was hallmark us at our best; front foot, really good energy, good feel, good quality, good attitude – most importantly – and a massive win for us.”

Mikel Arteta after a 3-0 win away to Preston –

“The attitude was very good. We talked about that, about playing with enthusiasm in this game, playing with the right attitude and commitment and they certainly showed that so I’m very happy to be in the quarter-finals.”

Charity

Newcastle United fans food bank will once again be collecting opposite the Gallowgate end and gratefully receiving food, money and toiletries for those in need. Of particular interest are non-perishable food and drink items (such as noodles, pasta, rice, canned food, soup, cereal, cordial, long life milk etc) as well as toiletries such as shower gel, shampoo, toothpaste and sanitary products. Please give whatever you can, any donation is very much appreciated.

For further info and/or to donate online go HERE.

The feel good factor will be staying on Tyneside with another positive result at St James’ Park this weekend and I’m backing us to get it.

I’m predicing Arsenal to take an early lead but the Toon will battle back to grab a very well-earned point – Newcastle 1-1 Arsenal.