Premier League 2019/20: 3 reasons why Arsenal beat Newcastle United
Last season, Unai Emery's first game in charge ended with a defeat to Manchester City. This time around, Emery has started on a positive note, as Arsenal collected all three points away from home.
Starting the match without Alexandre Lacazette, Nicolas Pepe and Dani Ceballos, Arsenal were dominant in the first-half but could not find the breakthrough. In the first half, Henrikh Mkhitaryan came closest to scoring but his shot was hit well above the crossbar.
The deadlock was broken after Ainsley Maitland-Niles delivered a perfect cross to Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in the 58th minute. The striker made no mistake from close range and netted Arsenal's first goal of the season. Newcastle United were unable to find the equaliser and Aubameyang's goal sealed the result for the North London club.
Here are three reasons why Arsenal managed to win the game.
#3 Astute performances from Arsenal's centre-backs
To the surprise of fans, Calum Chambers and Sokratis put up a pretty convincing performance at the heart of the defence. The duo helped to keep a clean sheet for the team and appeared largely untroubled at the back.
Last season, Arsenal's defenders struggled to keep clean sheets and conceded a total 51 goals in the Premier League. Shkodran Mustafi was often accused of being the culprit amid the huge concession of goals, and in this match, he was excluded from the squad. With Chambers filling in his shoes, the Englishman stayed confident throughout the game and looked convincing in his role.
The two centre-backs hardly put a foot wrong and kept Newcastle's front-line quiet even as pressure piled on them. The Magpies tested Arsenal's defence on a couple of occasions, but all four defenders remained disciplined, and did not commit any mistakes in the box.
In the full 90 minutes of the match, Chambers made three clearances and one block while Sokratis helped out with five clearances. Keeping a clean sheet away from home will definitely serve as a great boost in confidence for Emery's side, who often looked so vulnerable at the back last season.