Ranking Arsenal's 5 best players in their 2-0 win over Newcastle United | Premier League 2021-22
Arsenal continued their climb in the Premier League table with a comfortable win over Newcastle United on Saturday. The Gunners had control of the game from the start. Goals from Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli helped them get the three points in the end.
Mikel Arteta was looking for a response from his players after the Liverpool defeat and a near-perfect game from them. Speaking to the media after the win, the Arsenal manager said:
"It was really important to win and bounce back as you mentioned. It was a game that had different phases in the first half and we were able to change the game when we wanted, but without really threatening or hurting them enough."
He added:
"We lacked some urgency and some composure in the final third to deliver better balls. We didn't hit the target enough with the attempts that we had and in the second half we had to maintain and not be impatient to lose any structure in our play because we were controlling them quite well, but we needed to threaten much more certain spaces and I think we did. We scored the two goals and after that the game was in our control."
⏎ The turn and pass from Nuno
🌶 The finish from Saka
⏮ On repeat https://t.co/jh4pQmTGSU
The win helped Arsenal go level on points with West Ham United in the table. The Gunners cemented their place in the 5th spot for the time being. Here are Arsenal's 5 best players from the Newcastle United win:
#5 - Takehiro Tomiyasu
After being linked with Tottenham Hotspur all summer, Takehiro Tomiyasu ended up joining Arsenal to replace Hector Bellerin. So far, the Japanese has been miles ahead of the Spaniard in terms of performance. He has shown the Gunners what they have missed for so long.
Tomiyasu was excellent in attack, making pinpoint crosses for Arsenal. He was not called into action a lot in defense. But when he had to be there, the right-back was in the right place and blocked all attempts by the Magpies.
The assist to Martinelli for Arsenal's second goal was just the icing on top of the cake.
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#4 - Sambi Lokonga
Sambi Lokonga was a signing that caught a lot of people off guard. He was seen as a long-term replacement for Granit Xhaka and not an immediate improvement to the starting XI. The Belgian, however, has been on top of his game and seems to have cemented his place in the starting XI.
The young midfielder created six chances for Arsenal, more than the entire Newcastle United side could manage.