Happy Birthday To Me!

So... Sunday was my birthday. I had a lovely day - spoilt by family and friends, and lots of lovely presents - but the most unexpected and exciting gift of all was to see my Arsenal back to form as they ground out a well-deserved victory at St James' Park; a venue at which they'd been absolutely trounced a year ago. The last time I had such a great Arsenal-themed birthday was the day they laid on a special party for me... no wait, that was 2006 and the final game at Highbury. Bittersweet, that one, in fact.

By way of coincidence, when I moved to my new seat at The Emirates I found myself next to a lovely chap called Matt. We got talking, of course, and it turned out that he is exactly 20 years younger than me. To the very day. He moved to New York a few years ago, but very much retains his Arsenal connections. He's on Twitter as @mattkandela, and is part of the formidable team with @LeGrove and @iJohnnyCochrane who form the fabulous The Arsenal Opinion Podcast. Well worth a listen, and thanks to Matt for the shout out on Sunday night's On The Whistle pod. Matt and I both got exactly what we wanted for our birthday! As did this group of wonderful human beings:

Anyway, I've rambled enough. On to the game. And let's face it; this was the one game (after City away of course) that we'd been dreading the most. But Mikel Arteta managed to turn last year's negatives into a great big positive, with Aaron Ramsdale revealing that the last thing he'd done before the team had left for the stadium was show them the clips from  All Or Nothing that had shown their reaction to the devastating defeat last season that was the final nail in the coffin of their Champions League qualification hopes.

And boy; did it work!?! They took everything that Newcastle could throw at them (legally and illegally), rode their luck to be fair, and won the right to impose themselves on their hosts in a performance that shows that they absolutely deserve to be right up there fighting for the Premier League title.

Just the one change from the Chelsea win, with Martinelli replacing the somewhat unfortunate Trossard. Kivior and Jorginho kept their places, and the only other question that may have occupied Arteta was whether to replace Zinchenko with Tierney. But, to be fair, he's stuck to his guns all season, and it's been only rarely that Arsenal have failed to impose themselves on their opponents - and the Ukrainian is a key part of that.

A fast start from Newcastle was anticipated, and that was exactly what we got. No surprise for them to play at 100mph, as they'd done in the corresponding fixture last season, and as they've been doing recently, with several big wins - including a side-splittingly amusing 6-1 mauling of Tottenham Hotspur - showing on their recent record as they moved back into (a distant) third place in the table. 

Arsenal did ride their luck. Murphy hit the post, and a penalty award was (rightly) overturned by the VAR. But Arsenal soon managed to impose themselves on the game, continually looking to impose their style, and soon Ramsdale reverted to playing out from the back instead of going long as he'd started doing early on.

And it wasn't long until Arsenal took the lead. Martin Odegaard, who just 10 days ago had had an absolute dog of a game at The Etihad, leading by example (as he had on Tuesday, to be fair) and firing home from range; in and around the legs of both Joelinton and Botman and past the unsighted Pope on 13 minutes. They'd weathered the storm, got on the front foot, and the captain led by example and struck the first blow. Interestingly, in doing so he equalled Kevin De Bruyne's PL record of most non-penalty goals in a season by a midfielder with 15. Remarkable.

Although it was by no means one way, as Newcastle continued to attack with great pace and vigour. The rock that is Gabriel, alongside Jakob Kivior holding out, although having to rely on the likes of Granit Xhaka for whom this was the perfect type of game.  

And with the goal, Arsenal had earned the right to play the game on their own terms. There were three one-on-ones with Pope before half time, as Martinelli, Saka, and then Odegaard again were denied by the Newcastle keeper. On each occasion they were played through by through balls that were extremely vertical, as Arsenal took advantage of the spaces left by Newcastle pushing so hard.

It was, in truth, an absolutely superb game of football. Yet another game this season that's been an absolute treat for the neutral observer.

In the midst of it, the cool head of Jorginho was plain to see. Constantly seen exhorting his team-mates, and cool and calm in possession, this was precisely why Arteta bought him and precisely why so many Chelsea fans were wrong to be pleased to see the back of him. He doesn't have the physical prowess of Thomas Partey, but one thing he does have - and in spades, is personality. He was - alongside Odegaard - the hub of this Arsenal performance, and we don't win this game without his calming influence and organisational skills.

Interestingly, Newcastle reacted quite badly throughout at the game not going their way. Over-aggressiveness and petulance were very much in evidence, and I'm still shaking my head at how on earth Bruno Guimaraes got through the game without at least one yellow card! Xhaka (inevitably), Jesus and Saka bore the brunt of their bad behaviour, but what stood out for me was that Arsenal had started - and continued - to take time out of the game from the moment they took the lead. The very tactics that had riled us Arsenal fans at The Emirates were now being applied the other way. It was glorious to watch. Newcastle are renowned for this - it's something that Eddie Howe's been practising since his Bournemouth days - so to see him getting a taste of his own medicine was a pleasure. And it only served to wind up the Newcastle players, fans and side-lines. Tempers flared both on and off the pitch, but Arsenal always looked in control of their emotions. It was great!

That Odegaard chance happened in the seventh minute of injury time in the first half, and it looked like Arsenal may pay the price for missing that chance - and the others - as the second half started as the first had with Newcastle hitting the post once more. And still the game went to and fro, with Shaer denied by a point blank save by Ramsdale and Martinelli now hitting the crossbar. Xhaka made a magnificent interception as former Gunner Willock shaped to shoot. Breath-taking stuff; simply too much to describe. 

Arteta blinked first as he took Zinchenko off in order to shore up the defence with Kieran Tierney. In truth, Zinchenko had been barely able to 'invert' as he'd been so busy defending - and had, on occasion, not covered himself entirely in glory in those endeavours. What Tierney lacks in ball skills, he more than makes up for with other qualities; grit and sheer-bloody-mindedness for starters.

Finally, on 70 minutes, the crucial second goal. Arsenal sprung forward quickly from defence and Jesus released Martinelli. He dribbled 50+ yards almost uninterrupted, got to the by-line and crossed low and hard. Shaer, kindly, stabbed the ball into his own net. Thank you very much; and from then on I for one relaxed completely - there was no way back for the opposition. Not this time. And for Shaer, who'd been extremely lucky to avoid sanction for what I saw as a deliberate elbow into the side of Saka's head not long earlier, this was karma.

Lots of personnel changes at this point - but no sign of ESR still - and truth be told for all the pressure Newcastle exerted (St Maximim in particular; such a tricky, unpredictable player) Arsenal never looked like buckling. Partey for Odegaard was a particularly sensible substitution, as a midfield of Partey, Jorginho and Xhaka is not one built for giving anything away whatsoever!

More Newcastle-style professionalism followed at every opportunity, with Ramsdale at the forefront of that of course. And some late 'handbags' involving Nketiah and the ubiquitous (and iniquitous) Shaer saw them both booked. And most importantly more time taken out of the game. Great fun!

Great celebrations at the final whistle, of course. A masterclass, really, at an extremely difficult venue - there aren't many more intimidating than St James' Park. Arsenal exhibited the fortitude of title-chasers, both physically and just as importantly mentally. There were a number of noteworthy performances, but for me Odegaard and Jorginho take the main plaudits. The thing about selecting Jorginho over Partey is this; it's very hard to take on this Newcastle side in a full-blown physical battle. They're too fast, too big and too strong. Arteta appreciated that he needed something more cerebral, and that's what you get with Jorginho. What he lacks in physicality (he has the turning circle of an ocean-going liner, to be frank), he makes up for with a cool head and masses of experience. There still a place for that in football, despite the game - and the players in general - getting bigger and faster. These stats from the game say it all:

A shout out, too, for Gabriel Martinelli. Whilst Saka is starting to perhaps look a little jaded at this stage of the season, he drove Arsenal on, and Trippier backwards, providing a constant outlet for his defenders and getting hte 'assist' for the crucial second goal. Flowers...

So the big question is: 'Is it back on?' Well, from a psychological perspective I'd say that it's become clear to Pep Guardiola and Manchester City that Arsenal are not going away. We're hanging onto their coat tails, and they cannot afford to let up for a moment! They're at a desperate - and suddenly revitalised - Everton next; sandwiched between the two legs of their CL semi-final against Real Madrid. It's squeaky bum time for them now, and they know that we're ready to pounce should they slip up.

It's maybe a 10-15% chance for Arsenal. But that's better than none. Brighton at home next. Tough, but winnable. Come on Real. Come on Everton. And COYG!!!