Newcastle 0-1 Arsenal

by Roger Domeneghetti at St James’ Park

ARSENAL took all three points at St James’ Park in a game in which they dominated but rarely looked threatening. The stats will show the Gunners created more than 20 chances, but in the end they required a fortuitous deflection off Fabricio Coloccini to break the deadlock and this against a team that played more than 70 minutes with 10 men.

Steve McClaren felt his side was hard done by, with referee Andre Mariner sending off Aleksander Mitrovic after just 17 minutes for a studs-up challenge on Francis Coquelin. While it was a poor challenge it was more mistimed than malicious.

Another referee on another day may have given a yellow, but Mitrovic has now accumulated two bookings and a red card in four games, ill-discipline that Newcastle cannot afford.

“He’s a young player and he’s got to learn,” said McClaren. “He’s a physical player and there’s no intent in anything that he does, he just wants to win the ball; he’s a winner. But seven yellows and one red? I don’t think it was a dirty game. Football’s a contact sport, you have to impose yourself especially against Arsenal. The cards were all fouls but I think the ref has reacted too harshly, too rashly with every one of them.”

The controversy over the sending off overshadowed the fact that minutes earlier Mariner had waved away Arsenal appeals for a clear-cut penalty after Florian Thauvin tripped Hector Bellerin in the area.

Theo Walcott blasted the best chance of the first half over with the goal at his mercy on 33 minutes and with Arsenal misfiring it seemed they might not find a way past Newcastle’s resolute defence until Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain produced an angled drive that was diverted into the far post by Coloccini.

Arsene Wenger admitted that he had been “nervous” but was ultimately was pleased with the win. “Newcastle wanted to stop us from playing, from moving the ball quickly. They decided from the start to make the game quite physical so we had to keep our nerve and not become a little bit aggressive as well.”

Two points from their first four games leaves Newcastle with the same tally as at the same stage last season, but while then it was the cause of anger, now there is an acknowledgement the team is improving.