Newcastle 1-0 Arsenal player ratings: Magpies condemn Gunners to back-to-back away Premier League defeats

Arsenal suffered consecutive away losses in the Premier League, falling 1-0 to Newcastle United this afternoon.

Eddie Howe’s men took an early lead with a goal from Alexander Isak, while Mikel Arteta’s side managed just one shot on target out of 10 attempts on Nick Pope’s goal.

In their five Premier League away games this season, the Gunners have recorded only 37 shots, averaging 7.4 attempts per game. Only Brentford has produced fewer shots on the road in the league this term, with 30 shots at an average of 7.5 per game.

After losing just one of their first 25 Premier League matches in 2024 (21 wins and three draws), they have now lost two of their last three games, drawing one. This marks the first time the Londoners have suffered consecutive away defeats in the league since May 2022.

“It was 95 minutes of concentration and consistency in our attitude. We managed and controlled some very good players pretty well today,” Howe said afterwards. “It’s three points but it means so much because we hadn’t won for a while in the Premier League. I’m sure it will do us the world of good.”

Newcastle player ratings

Nick Pope: 59%

The Newcastle goalkeeper achieved the team’s lowest score because he did not need to make a single save; Hall blocked Arsenal’s only shot on target during the match. However, Pope effectively commanded his box by catching two crosses and making four punches.

Lewis Hall: 66%

Hall won the TNT Sports Player of the Match award after a standout performance, particularly in his crucial duel against Bukayo Saka. In the post-match interview, he spoke about the improvement in his defensive game, which was evident during the match. He made eight clearances, won three tackles, and succeeded in four aerial duels—leading the match in all three categories. Despite his excellent performance, he would have achieved the highest defensive rating for Newcastle if he hadn’t been dispossessed in his defensive half twice.

Dan Burn: 58%

A solid display from perhaps Newcastle’s least involved defender. He won three of six aerial duels and made three clearances.

Fabian Schär: 62

Newcastle delivered an impressive defensive performance, but their centre-backs had less to do than their teammates around them. Schar won possession only once in Newcastle’s defensive third and recorded three ball recoveries, less than half the output of Newcastle’s full-backs. Despite this, Schar made seven clearances, the second-highest in the match. He also helped alleviate pressure on the team by completing four long-ball passes, the most for his side.

Tino Livramento: 72%

As Martin Keown noted, Livramento performed just as well as Player of the Month Hall on the opposite side of Newcastle’s defence, winning two tackles and two aerial duels. He had a better score overall. Livramento blocked three crosses, preventing Arsenal from launching their attacks whenever Newcastle regained possession of the ball. He won possession in the defensive third four times, the highest in the game. Additionally, he completed two successful passes into Arsenal’s penalty area, more than any of his teammates.

Joe Willock: 60%

Willock received a warm round of applause from the Newcastle fans when he was substituted for Sandro Tonali after 65 minutes. This decision was likely influenced by the fact that Willock was on a yellow card. While his score was diminished by a couple of heavy touches that allowed Arsenal to regain possession, his overall passing was tidy enough. Additionally, the midfielder won two tackles.

Bruno Guimarães: 65%

Guimaraes was the best midfielder on the pitch, winning 11 duels, the most in the game. He was also fouled a match-high seven times and completed nine accurate forward passes, the joint-most of any Newcastle player.

Sean Longstaff: 60%

Longstaff’s cautious passing negatively impacted his overall score, as he completed only two passes into the final third and four accurate forward passes, which were the fewest of any midfielder on the pitch. However, his off-the-ball work was crucial, and he focused on defensive duties, winning three tackles, which was the joint-highest in the match.

Joelinton: 56%

The nature of Newcastle’s strategy meant their attackers were not so involved in passing in the final third, impacting their scores here. Joelinton did manage to create a chance and produced one of his team’s four shots on target.

Alexander Isak: 70%

Two shots on target produced one goal: a well-placed header from Anthony Gordon’s cross. Isak also completed three lay-off passes, keeping the Newcastle attack alive in the build-up to his own match-winner.

Anthony Gordon: 69%

His standout moment in the match was his perfectly placed cross for Isak’s goal, which was one of two chances he created during the game. Additionally, Gordon showed his willingness to contribute defensively by winning two tackles and making four ball recoveries.

Arsenal player ratings

David Raya: 68%

He made three saves, preventing 0.3 goals, and was solid with the ball at his feet, completing a game-high five long passes with a 75% pass accuracy. He couldn’t be faulted for Isak’s header.

Jurriën Timber: 56%

He wouldn’t complete the full ninety minutes in a match that often saw him exposed down Arsenal’s left flank, where Gordon whipped the ball leading to Isak’s game-winner. He would also win three of his ten duels.

Gabriel Magalhães: 57%

Registered a below-par 87% retention rate for his standards. He won his sole attempted tackle but committed two fouls.

William Saliba: 59%

After last weekend’s suspension, he returned to the field and completed four long passes. However, he only won half of his aerial duels and successfully made one out of three attempted tackles.

Thomas Partey: 63%

Playing in a now familiar but unfamiliar right-back role, Partey made three clearances while successfully winning both of his tackles.

Gabriel Martinelli: 55%

It was a frustrating outing for Martinelli, who Livramento locked down. The Brazilian failed to create a single goalscoring opportunity and managed to win only one of his four take-on attempts.

Declan Rice: 50%

Had the opportunity to equalise at the death but saw his tame-headed effort go meekly past Pope’s goal. Rice ended the game with a paltry 26% open play passing accuracy and was dribbled past on three occasions.

Mikel Merino: 56%

He was substituted just after the hour mark and still ended up being Arsenal’s only player with a shot on target. Furthermore, the Euro 2024 winner recorded three successful passes into the final third.

Bukayo Saka: 60%

Although he won six fouls against Newcastle, his most ever in any match for Arsenal, the flying winger could only create one chance while registering two shots on goal, with neither on target. He also failed to complete a single take-on from three attempts.

Leandro Trossard: 52%

He won half of his aerial duels but failed to complete a single take-on from two attempts. Trossard didn’t create a single chance, boasting a passing accuracy of 77.3%, making this a less than stellar performance.

Kai Havertz: 43%

This was a disappointing performance from Arsenal’s ‘false nine’ who played on the periphery. He only had two touches in the opposition box and no attempts on goal.

How do Squawka player ratings work?

Squawka’s new player rating system is wholly stats-based. Player scores are based on the numbers they put up across a range of on-ball events, from goals scored to tackles won.

We tailored each score to the players’ respective positions using extensive research and expertise. For example, forwards are rated on metrics like shots on target, touches in the opposition box, and big chances created. Meanwhile, centre-backs are rewarded for winning aerial duels, making blocks, successful long-range passes, etc.

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